Throughout the world the majority of seed expertise originates from establishments concentrating on agricultural, vegetable and flower seeds. The very existence of these short-lived plants is down to humans. And years of skillful plant breeding and processing virtually guarantee good seed quality, easily stored seeds and seeds which readily germinate. This has led to the widespread belief that the seeds of all plants can be easily dried, stored and instantly resurrected when required. Unfortunately, the characteristics of tree seeds are quite different.
Tree seeds come from exceptionally long-lived organisms, mostly untouched by any human intervention. In nature, if a 500 year old tree leaves any more than one seedling behind, it has been highly successful. The combination of a trees immense size and extreme longevity mean that (in evolutionary terms) astronomical seed and seedling losses are inconsequential. Trees are such long-lived entities that erratic seeding is of little consequence. Trees are so massive that the apparently wasteful production of high proportions of dead and empty seeds doesn't matter. Few people are aware that the seeds of many trees die within days or weeks of dispersal and cannot be artificially dried or stored.
All of these tree seed characteristics mean that experience of farm or garden seeds is of little practical help in the collection, handling, processing, storage, testing, pre-treatment and germination of tree seeds. That's why you need a tree seed consultant.
