Grow tree seedlings

Commercial forestry and reforestation

The perfect environment for tree seedings

Meeting rising demand and addressing sector-wide issues across both commercial forestry and environmental reforestation projects is a challenging balancing act. Growers integrating IGS vertical farming technology can reap the benefits of a controlled growing environment to produce high-quality, locally grown tree seedlings.

The challenges

Common issues facing tree seedling producers

Inconsistent germination

Tree seedling nurseries often suffer from inconsistent germination rates and high seed loss

Seasonality

Conventional outdoor methods depend on the seasons, making it difficult to forecast growth cycles

Disease and pests

Exposure to pathogens and pests, such as the bark beetle, alongside other external environmental threats creates losses

Labour

Labour costs are increasing globally, with seasonality further reducing the available workforce

Survivability

Weather-dependence and high loss rates lead to fewer seedlings reaching germination and maturity

Long lead times

Existing practices take many years to produce seedlings, adding risk and uncertainty for forecasting demand years ahead

The IGS advantage:

Future-proof your production

Higher germination rates

Control every environmental variable and enable far higher and more consistent germination rates

Faster growth cycles

Enable tree seedlings to grow significantly faster. Broadleaf species can grow up to 600% faster, while conifers achieve up to 30% faster growth compared to conventional methods

Reduced waste

By growing seedlings in a biosecure environment, operators decrease waste and improve seedling health

Reduced labour costs

We use integrated automation tools and commercial off-the-shelf equipment to reduce manual labour, lowering operational costs for nurseries

Energy efficiency

Our system is among the most energy-efficient vertical farming platforms on the market, backed by more than 35 patents on energy-saving technologies

Scalable production

By decoupling growth from seasonal cycles, our technology enables substantially higher volumes of seedlings than standard methods, helping meet large-scale forestry demand

Trees we have trialled

We’ve successfully trialled a number of tree species at our Crop Research Centre, from native Scottish species to varieties more at home in North America and New Zealand.

Rowan

Silver birch

Oak

Alder

Who we help

Forestry

Grow in a precision-controlled environment for the highest quality, locally produced tree seedlings with significantly quicker growth cycles.

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Energy producers

Redirect your energy to a vertical farm for a more efficient, stable commercial agreement.
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Pharmaceutical  

IGS vertical farms can produce high quality, consistent raw materials as inputs for products.

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IGS x Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS)

Case Study

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) collaborated with IGS to research how controlled indoor environments can optimise seedling growth and maximise survival rates once trees were planted outside. This was to help them meet government-set climate and forestry goals.  

Key findings included:
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  • conifers grew to 75mm 33% quicker than traditional systems
  • higher germination rates across all species
  • broadleaves grew to 20-40cm spec in 3 months (as opposed to 18-24 months)
  • higher survivability across all species

How an IGS vertical farm can help you create a hybrid growing solution


Download our guide to find out more.

Interested in learning more about our systems?

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