In mid February, we headed across the Tasman to join the Australian Forest Nursery Association (AFNA) on a field trip across Victoria and South Australia. It was a chance to connect with growers, see large-scale operations up close, and make new introductions within the forestry sector.
For our PrimeHort customers, staying across forestry and nursery developments in Australia helps us bring fresh insights back home.
World-class production in action
We really enjoyed catching up with the team at HVP Plantations forest nursery at Gelliondale in South Gippsland. This nursery employs 22 full time staff and up to 80 seasonal staff from Mar-Sep each year. Crops include Pine, Ecualyptus and California Redwoods and it’s a fully integrated facility producing around 14.1 million plants annually.
It was rewarding to see Transplant Systems trays operating at that scale. Despatch occurs April through to August each year and is upwards of 250,000 trees per day in either the TS-45 or TS-48 trays. Seeing our trays supporting production in an environment like this reinforces how durable and high-performing they are. They’re also easy to handle, stack and clean, which is super important too.
We also visited ArborGen’s Colac Nursery in Colac East, leading producers of tree seedling products with a focus on tree breeding and trial programmes, nursery efficiency and plant quality.
Mount Gambier and Hamilton
The second leg of the field trip took us through Mount Gambier and Hamilton, where we visited several more progressive nurseries. Across the region, it was great to see the TS-45 firmly established as the seedling tray of choice.
Just a quick background on the TS-45, this tray was originally developed in response to foresters asking for an air root pruning tray as a replacement for the old Hiko 40 tray. To be viable, the replacement tray had to fit existing benching and tray handling systems. The result was a tray with the same width of the Hiko but with an extra row at the end which gave it a dramatic 12 percent more seedlings per tray movement, plus square cells with air pruning of lateral and bottom leader roots. The TS-45 has been hugely well-received in the industry and the cost of the tray is quickly recovered through its long-term use (which is also a tick in the box towards reducing plastic in the industry).
For nurseries who are curious about the TS trays, we are happy to provide a free sample if you are interested.
What stood out most about these visits was the openness among both the group attending and the nurseries hosting. Growers are a generous lot! We really enjoyed all the insights and info shared around production systems, automation, labour management and crop planning. This willingness to exchange knowledge is one of the strengths of the AFNA community.
We also had the opportunity to attend the AFNA AGM and it was a pleasure to contribute with sponsorship over the bar. Catching up with such a passionate group reinforced our belief that the future of forestry is in safe hands.
This trip also reminded us as that our focus for customers in both NZ and Aus remains crystal-clear:
- High-quality trays and nursery supplies designed for performance and longevity
- Benching systems for efficiency and comfortable work
- Practical nursery automation solutions with strong aftersales care
- All with competitive pricing and genuine support on the ground
More than just trays & machines…
Visiting, listening, and understanding regional challenges across both Aus and NZ is essential to our team. Every nursery operates slightly differently, and our role is a partnership one… finding solutions that truly boost productivity and yields.
And of course, no visit to Mount Gambier is complete without a quick stop at the Umpherston Sinkhole and the Blue Lake. It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the local landscape.
It was a great few days on the road, thank you to the nurseries who opened their doors and to AFNA for facilitating such a valuable event. We look forward to continuing the conversations.
