Chief Forester’s Standards for Seed Use

The province's chief forester established the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use in accordance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and its regulations. These standards came into effect on April 1, 2005.

These standards require that seed used to establish a free growing stand on blocks subject to Forest and Range Practices Act must be registered and stored with the Forest Improvement and Research Management Branch. Seed must meet specific collection, genetic diversity and physical quality requirements to be eligible for registration. Seed that has been genetically modified cannot be registered.

The standards require the selection of seed with a genetic worth (level of improvement) of 5% or greater for the trait that best meets the forest management objectives of the stand. Seed must also be transferred from its source to a planting site in accordance with the areas of use and/or transfer limits as prescribed in the standards. Seed transfer standards are specific to a species and seed source (for example, natural stand or parent trees located in a seed orchard). 

Collectively, these standards maintain the identity, adaptability, diversity and productivity of the province's tree gene resources. For more information, see:

• Amendment Policy
• FRPA General Bulletin #1: Collection, Registration, Processing and Disposition of Seed
• Methods for Estimating Gamete Contributions to Orchard Seed Crops and Vegetative Lots in British Columbia

For more information on Climate Based Seed Transfer (CBST), visit the Climate Based Seed Transfer webpage.

The Standards

Consolidated Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use (April 2018)

Note: Further changes (based on April 2019 amendments) were not required to this document. 

Areas of Use

To learn more about tree seed areas of use applicable under the Standards, visit  Area of Use {webpage}.

Amendments 

Amendments may include changes to the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use, seed deployment areas (areas of use) and/or seed procurement areas. 

• Chief Forester letter announcing amendments April 2019 (PDF 262 KB) April,  2019 - New!
• Climate Based Seed Transfer Areas of Use April 2019 v1 (3.9 MB)

Alternatives

Under section 169 of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), and regulations pertaining to seed use (FPPR section 43 and WLPPR section 32), a person who uses seed may submit for approval an alternative to any standard established by the Chief Forester. For more information, see:

• Alternatives Policy
• Parent Tree Information Policy
• Procedure for Updating Parent Tree and Lot Information

Archive

Documents and materials listed below are provided for historical reference.