Cone Picking

Cone picking is not a common job in the silviculture field, and only a very limited number of contractors specialize in doing these projects. Typically, when a project is undertaken, it might only last for a month or two, and the goal is to recover enough seed to last for several years. Seed from some collections, when stored properly, can last for as long as twenty years or more and still remain quite viable. Due to the logistics in setting up a project, it makes sense to harvest fairly large quantities at one time, and store the excess for years until it runs out. The seed is then used by forest nurseries to grow new seedlings. Sometimes, it will be the nursery that buys the seed from the contractor, and at other times, it will be a public or private mill that runs the cone picking operation (or contracts it out) to have seed to give to the nurseries, for their own seedling orders.

There are several variations on cone picking operations. One common method is for a crew to work from a central landing. A helicopter with a high-topper attachment will fly around and cut the top couple metres off a tree that has a lot of cones, and will fly the tree back to the landing. Pickers will then strip the cones by hand and fill buckets, to be given to the contractor in return for pay. This is typically a piece-rate position, so the more buckets you pick, the bigger your paycheque. Pickers will sometimes coat their hands with oils such as margarine to prevent the resins on the cones and trees from sticking to their hands and fingers. It sounds odd, but you don't want your fingers to become all gummed up. The faster you can pick, the better.

On other projects, the pickers will walk through freshly harvested cut-blocks and pick cones from the discarded tree tops laying around the block. It is important to note that picking operations usually happen in winter, so it can sometimes be pretty tricky moving through the blocks. Sometimes, pickers will need to work while using snowshoes, to facilitate getting around.

Of course, cone picking in the field is not the only source for nursery seed. Some licensees have their own orchards with trees that have been selected as genetically superior (don't confuse this with genetically modified), and seed is obtained from within the orchard. Seed for specific sites is selected based on its original elevation, and upon latitudes/longitudes. Deviation from these parameters has been shown to result in poorer survival and performance. A google search of "forest nursery" for your specific province will likely result in a number of useful results.