2015

Preparing seedlings for winter

During the autumn season, seedlings grown at tree nurseries of JSC “Latvia's State Forests” are sorted, packed, and placed in the nurseries' freezer rooms – the seedlings are prepared to be brought to the forest in the coming spring.

Freezer rooms are turned on for winter storage in the middle of October. When the average air temperature reaches +6 °C, the seedlings are packed and placed in freezer chamber rooms at -4 °C. The seedlings freeze up in about one week. The said temperature ensures preservation of the seedlings, protecting them from winter thaws and frosts, as well as ensuring that the seedlings are sold to customers timely in the spring.

The freezer chambers are located at three largest “LVM Seeds and Seedlings” tree nurseries – in Strenci, Mazili, and Podini. The storage conditions are the same in all three places. The freezer rooms on average hold 16 – 18 million sellable seedlings, depending on when subzero temperatures arrive. The most optimal time for storing the seedlings, in both physiological and economic terms, is until the end of May; in some cases – until the Midsummer Jani festival.

The majority of plant material (up to 10.5 million seedlings) is stored at the Strenci tree nursery's freezer, while Podini tree nursery holds up to 3.5 million seedlings, and Mazsili tree nursery – up to 4 million seedlings.

One can say that the nurseries' greenhouses during this winter period are “relaxing” – they are being cleaned, disinfected, and repaired in order to enable them to produce new seeds at the beginning of March.

While seedlings are being packed and “put into winter hibernation”, active cone collection work is under way at the company's seed plantations. December is marked by the scent of cones that are dehumidified at cone-drying facilities, while the seed processing lines prepare new harvest of pine seeds. Seed storage rooms hold seed reserves for the next 5 to 10 years.

Ahead of the winter solstice, tree nurseries with lower yields and no freezer rooms are preparing organic decorations for the upcoming Christmas celebrations.