SEED COLLECTION - SELECT A TREE

PASS THE AMMO

SHOOTING

FIRST HIT

BRANCH DOWN

RIPE CAPSULES

TAGGING AND GPS

THE BEST TREES

STORAGE

One of the miracles of life is that a tree seed maybe so tiny that it is almost invisible and yet it holds the blueprint to build the the largest living thing on earth - a tree!!

The DNA in the seed will have come from an "egg" or ovum of a tree flower that has been fertilised by the the pollen (the seed) of another tree of the same species that has arrived in the wind or carried by insects or birds. This is the usual sexual reproduction that occurs in the wild in the advanced members of the animal and plant kingdom.

In most trees these tiny fertilised seeds come to maturity over a year or two in the gum-nuts,sometimes called fruit or pods or capsules. As they ripen to maturity they tend to darken as does the colour of the seed itself inside. At this time we try to pick the seed before it opens or falls and is lost.

SEED COLLECTION - SELECT A TREE -

This is a big old Southern Mahogany near Orbost well off the beaten track. It is about 60m. tall Diameter at breast height (dbh) is over 100cm.It is healthy with a good crown and it is very straight. It has few lateral branches (self pruned) up the trunk. It is situated in a forest of others of the same species in it's natural environment so it's flowers have had a good opportunity of being pollinated by an unrelated tree. (out-crossed). It also has ripe fruit (capsules) on it and we have found a suitable branch to shoot down.

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PASS THE AMMO -

These are .308 soft nose bullets. Very dangerous!! The rifle has superb telescopic sights. Peter Perry is also a very skill full seed collector. Libby is in charge of the Ammo!

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SHOOTING -

Nothing is worse than shooting a branch down only to have it fall into the lower branches and get stuck!! Peter aims first at the underside of the branch. It can be tricky if it is windy and impossible in the rain. The rifle has a hell of a recoil and you all need earmuffs and a helmet. We also aim near vertically - and away from civilisation!!

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FIRST HIT -

It often takes a few strikes to bring a branch down - at $1.00 a bullet. The target maybe 60m. or more up in the air.

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BRANCH DOWN -

The branch maybe 10 cm. in diameter or more and hopefully loaded with fruit. Sometimes it falls in the middle of snake infested black berrys 15 foot high and that's where the bloke who is paying for it goes in to retrieve the valuable seed !

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RIPE CAPSULES -

We use binoculars to assess the maturity of the fruit before we shoot it down. It is usually obvious that the fruit is ripe but we may cut through a capsule to see the mature brown seeds inside. At the tip of the branch maybe the buds of future flowers and further down green unripe fruit. The year or two old, mature, fruit is nearer the trunk. Some old capsules may be open and empty.

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TAGGING AND GPS -

Now that individual "mother tree" is tagged and positioned on GPS which also gives us the altitude. We also video the tree and record the tree measurements particularly it's straightness or "Form" Also any insect damage or resistance, it's aspect and the general environment and soil type and depth. This tree's seed will be the future of our seed orchard. In seed orchards seed is easily collected near ground level and only from the "best" trees.

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THE BEST TREES - The best tree for building materials is one that is tall fat straight with little side branching (ie. few knots) and it must be able to resist insects and frost and drought in the particular location that it will grow. A "tall" order. A lot will depend on the plantation preparation and management, the weather and luck! BUT also GENETICS. The DNA in that seed is unique and highly evolved and selected by nature and man to point it in the right direction to become the best tree.

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STORAGE - The seed is separated from the capsules and carefully labelled and stored as 95% - 98% pure seed with minimal chaff .There maybe hundreds of seeds and potential trees from one gram of pure seed. If stored correctly (usually at 4 degrees C)the seed should retain full viability for years. This must be regularly tested together with the vigor of the seedlings that will grow from it.

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