PEI REPORT: Forest Seeds - A New Opportunity
by Ken Mayhew

In August 2007, the Watts woodlot located in Kilmuir in southeastern PEI, hosted a large group of land owners and entrepreneurs who were interested in the potential of a new forest product. While the Watts family grows Christmas trees, blueberries, and a range of high value hardwood and softwood products, their visitors were interested in the potential of forest trees, shrubs, and plants to produce another commercial product - seeds! 

Jim and Karen Verboom from Nova Tree Company in Truro, Nova Scotia conducted the workshop. They explored the potential of a number of common forest plants and shrubs such as bunchberry, wild raisin, and beaked hazelnut. Participants discussed stand types and conditions associated with these species as well as the life cycle of the plants and how to collect and store seeds and berries. Additional attention was spent on trees species such as sugar maple and beech, both of which are well suited to landscaping needs of land owners in eastern North America.

Most of these plants are easy to find in a typical Island forest but forest cover and growing conditions will affect their abundance and seed production capabilities. Some participants were interested in propagating more plants in their forest, but as a rule, there are no silviculture techniques specifically designed for these species. Landowners can often encourage new growth by opening up the stand to increase sunlight on the forest floor, but care must be taken to do it over a period of years in order to prevent sun scald or overheating of the forest floor. As well, some landowners have had success transplanting shrubs and plants from other areas of their forest to sites better suited to the needs of the species. 

The market for native forest plants is blossoming across North America as more and more people discover the benefits and pleasures of using native plant materials for their gardening and landscaping projects. Many native species produce vibrant flowers in a range of colours, beautiful spring and fall foliage, or edible berries and nuts. These species also tend to be very hardy because they are suited to local growing conditions, soils, insects, and diseases. 

Traditionally, most gardening plants originated from Asian or European sources. Over the years, they were bred to produce more colourful and longer lasting flowers, provide shade, stabilize soils, and provide a host of other uses. However, in many cases these new species required a great deal of attention because of their lack of resistance to native insects and diseases or their inability to compete against native vegetation. For many property owners, this meant spending extra time weeding plant beds or increasing their reliance on pesticides to keep the non-native species healthy. In other cases, non-native plants were able to escape into the wild where they quickly became a nuisance or even threatened entire ecosystems. 
These issues are not a problem when using native plants. There are more opportunities for native species such as staghorn sumac, red osier dogwood, striped maple, red oak, American mountain ash, eastern white cedar, white pine, and more. Each of these trees and shrubs adds colour, character, and beauty to our landscape and help to conserve our natural environment. 

Forest seeds are another product that people can collect and sell to offset the costs of owning and managing forest land. While the returns are not huge, seed collection can be a fun and rewarding activity for young and old alike.