Next generation increasing access to tree seedlings

Access to tree seedlings for commercial plantations and biodiversity plantings has just become easier with the next generation at Hills Transplants growing the business. From what started 60 years ago as a humble backyard market garden at the family home in Don, Stephen Hill has morphed what his father John started into a multi-layered commercial enterprise.

Not only do the Hills grow seedlings for the forestry industry and agriculture producers, and raspberry cane propagation, but they supply the nation’s biggest grocery chains with herbs and other leafy greens year-round using the latest techniques and technology.

And now Stephen’s sons Josh and Sam are looking to diversify Hills Transplants even further and make it easier for Tasmanian landowners to access tree seedlings for commercial timber and biodiversity or riparian area purposes, trading as S & J Seedlings.

“We believe there is a market out there for us to grow to order certain species for landowners and farmers to plant trees on their land,” Josh said. “The approach is customer-focused, catering to specific orders and delivering seedlings when required.

“If a farmer comes to us with a particular order for a specific species, we have quality seed for, we’re more than happy to pack the right amount and get them out the door exactly when they want them. Two or three years ago, we just started selling a few extra pines and eucalypts that we had surplus of at the time after we finished our pack out for the year. It was like we’d put in a hook we caught shark. It was that successful. 

“We’re fairly new at it, and we will be kind of relying on someone to come to us with different lines that we could potentially use so, therefore, we can trial it and get the seed and then grow it.”

More >>

Source & image credit: Private Forests Tasmania