Walcha is one location that will receive seedlings from one of the state’s largest crops, for a timber plantation. Source: Walcha News
More than seven million pine seedlings will be dispatched from Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Blowering Nursery near Tumut this winter.
Minister for Lands and Forestry Paul Toole said it was the largest crop of seedlings produced at the nursery in more than a decade.
“The 7.2 million seedlings grown at Blowering Nursery will be sent out to restock timber plantations near Tumut, Bombala, Bathurst and Walcha, which will then be used for house frames and other timber products,” Mr Toole said.
“Forestry Corporation replants the equivalent of almost 300 times the area of Sydney’s CBD to pine plantations each year and around 85% of the seedlings replanted state-wide are grown at Blowering.”
Chair NSW Forest Industries Taskforce Rick Colless said the seedlings will go on to create homes and furniture for future generations.
“Staff at the nursery go to great lengths to ensure we deliver high quality, robust seedlings that will produce strong, straight timber when they are ready for harvest in 30 years,” Mr Colless said.
Member for Wagga Wagga Daryl Maguire MP said the Blowering Nursery has 18 staff to help with the three-month long dispatch program.
“At the peak of the operation, the team sent 1.7 million seedlings out the gate in just two weeks,” Mr Maguire said.
The record dispatch will also mark the 130 millionth seedling Nursery Manager Dean Page has personally sent out the gates.
“In my time here, I’ve been involved in growing enough trees to replant around 130,000 hectares. We have grown the trees currently standing in almost half of the State-owned radiata pine plantations across NSW,” Mr Page said.
Mr Page said preparations for the massive seedling dispatch began last October, when the team at the nursery planted more than 340 kilograms of seed into individual cells.
“Over the past eight months we have carefully fertilised, watered and nurtured these seedlings. We’ve regularly measured the stem diameter, height and nutrient status of seedlings in sample plots throughout the nursery. Each individual seedling has been assessed to ensure it meets our high standards
