Nursery Technology Cooperative

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Seedling Quality Evaluation Services
Background & Organization

Origin

Because of the importance of the forest nursery industry to reforestation success, the State of Oregon Chief Forester and the Dean of the College of Forestry, Oregon State University (OSU), appointed a task force in 1979 to study and report on the status of technology for forest nursery management in the Pacific Northwest. The task force found that the forest nursery industry lacked the necessary research support and educational assistance, and proposed that a nursery technology center be established at Oregon State University to address these needs. The Nursery Technology Cooperative (NTC) was officially established July 1, 1982.

The first director of the NTC was Dr. Mary L. Duryea, who is now a Professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Mary established the high standards by which the cooperative is managed today. She was Director from 1982 until 1985. The current Director is Dr. Robin Rose, who took over in March 1986. Prior to his arrival at OSU Robin was the Forest Regeneration Scientist for Westvaco Corporation in Summerville, SC. Diane Haase joined the NTC in 1989 as a graduate student and was hired in 1991 as the Associate Director.

Objective

The Cooperative objective is to improve the productivity of the Northwest's forests through the use of advanced seedling technology to achieve optimal regeneration. With an integrated program of coordinated studies, information sharing, and technical assistance, the Cooperative focuses attention on all aspects of nursery management, especially its consequences for seedling field performance. The NTC helps members meet both immediate and long-range goals. They are:

  1. To develop techniques that maximize the seed quality required to grow vigorous seedlings
  2. To develop nursery cultural practices that consistently produce the best quality seedlings for specific sites at the lowest possible cost.
  3. To develop better techniques to define seedling quality.
  4. To develop regeneration techniques to maximize seedling growth.
  5. To promote information sharing among nurseries and other nursery-related groups such as reforestation personnel.

Organization

The members of the NTC leadership group are assisted by representatives from each cooperating agency/company. The representatives advise the NTC Staff on decisions concerning program strategy, size, and support; help to identify problems; to set priorities for their study; and to plan, install, and conduct Cooperative studies.

Membership categories and annual membership fees are: large nurseries (over 5 million seedlings annual production), $8,000; small nurseries (less than 5 million seedlings annual production), $4,000; large landowners, $5,500 (more than 100,000 acres); and small landowners, $4,000 (less than 100,000 acres). All members are directly involved in nursery and outplanting studies.