Sprouting up new business from seeds.

The science of upgrading tree seeds may seem like "voo-doo magic" to some in the forestry industry, but one Thunder Bay seed technologist is gaining more converts all the time.

Mike Long, a co-owner with Haveman Brothers Forestry Service, a Kakabeka Falls-based silviculture firm, admittedly knew nothing about priming tree seeds for faster germination until a year and half ago.

Although he holds an Honours Degree in biology from Lakehead University, he held little knowledge of how seed physiology works.

"When I wanted to get into it, I was totally green."

But he immersed himself in the process, learning from one of the best experts in Canada.

Through a Haveman spinoff company called Seedtek Innovations, the IDS (Incubation, Dry and Separation) technique he employs improves the chances of tree seeds germinating and there for establishing faster.

His three-stage process is a technique of identifying and separating out dead or damaged seeds through a screening process that sorts by weight, indicating which ones have the best chance of germinating to almost 100 per cent.

Long, who oversees Haveman's forestry contract work, believes they are only commercial outfit in Ontario using this treatment.

Seed enhancement is still a relatively new for Canada, but Long believes it has much capacity to expand.

"We've been high grading our forests and it's tougher to come across good seed."

He was taught by Kim Creasey, a top Ontario tree seed technologist.

Long purchased about $50,000 worth of Creasey's equipment, shipped it north and assembled it in his home-based laboratory, which he runs with his wife, Karen, the lab's head technician.

In his 500-square-foot home shop, he handles millions of pine and spruce seed from clients that include Bowater Inc., Abitibi Consolidated and Buchanan Forest Products.

The process is focused on the principle that dead or damaged seeds are not able to retain moisture to germinate while living seeds easily do so.

The seed arrives the nurseries with low moisture content (around five per cent), the first step is to "imbibe" them with a 24-hour water soak and spin-dry before placing it inside a "misting cabinet." At 5 Celsius, the chamber replicates the cold and moist spring conditions needed to germinate seeds.

That activates the metabolic process in a healthy seed. After a month in the cabinet, seeds are placed on a dryer bed where the dead ones are separated. The healthier seeds are fed into a water bath.

"The more dense seed will fall (sink) first because they hold the water most tenaciously." The junkier ones float.

The bottom fraction are the best growers.

Besides handling seed from big forestry clients, growers from New Brunswick and Sault Ste. Marie are sending him batches. But in Ontario's troubled forest industry, less wood is being cut and fewer areas reforested.

The industry is making strides toward investing money into culture improvement to identify 'plus' trees in the field that have good form in branching, limbing and good diametres.

Those cones and seeds are gathered to stablish orchards of jack pine or black spruce and cross-bred to produce 'improved seed.'

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This summer, Long will be prospecting for business in Western Canada. Because of the devastating impact of the mountain pine beetle in British Columbia and Alberta, he suspects growers will be short on seed supply.

Though his lab work lasts for only a few months before and during the sowing season, he's investigating the possibility of developing storage conditions for primed seed.

"We want to see if seed will lose its vigour once it's been primed in water over six months."

Seed enhancement is only part of his larger and confidential R & D project to create a "delivery mechanism" to give seed it's biggest possible boost when it's deposited in the field. Long says it will offer an alternative to aerial seeding and tree planting.

Long also suspects the seed enhancement progress has applications beyond forestry to include Non Timber Forest Products.

Together with Lakehead University's Dr. Ladislav Malek, he's considering the creation of a bio-prospecting network with First Nation people to survey locations and collect bush products such as natural essential oils for both medicinal and non-medicinal purposes

If some government funding is secured, he's hopeful of getting the project started for July.

www.seedtek.ca

By IAN ROSS

Northern Ontario Business