Maelor Forest Nurseries Study Visit: Propagation, Sustainability & Nursery Innovation

Event overview

Join us for a tour of the Maelor Forest nurseries (part of Tilhill Forestry Ltd  ) Wrexham site. Maelor Forest Nurseries is the largest forest nursery within the UK. They grow over thirty million bare root and cell grown trees annually to the forestry and woodland creation and agricultural sectors. 

We will be given an introduction to the business in the visitor centre covering the nurseries history and the increasingly important role that timber will play in the construction sectors in the future, including how different species have different uses post felling. We will be taken on a tour of the nursery site, viewing their miniplug and field production, some of the onsite seed orchards and seed processing unit. We will learn from their growers about their production methods, and how they propagate at scale to meet demand; we will view automated seed sowing at scale. We will also hear about the company’s use of cover crops in their production system to boost soil health and increase levels of soil organic matter.

Learning Objectives:

·       Understand propagation techniques used in container and field production of commercially important tree species (including broadleaved species)

·       Understand the nutrition requirements of trees and other nursery stock

·       Understand the space requirements for trees in a nursery production setting

·       Understand how sustainability practices have been incorporated into their growing operation, and how to replicate this in your business.

·       Understand pest and disease prevention and management of young trees within production nurseries.

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