J. W. Toumey Nursery
Photo: Mechanically planted Jack pine seedlings from seed at J.W. Toumey
J.W. Toumey Nursery is a Forest Service Nursery and is part of the Ottawa National Forest. Established in 1935 in response to a growing need for tree seedlings. It was named in honor of professor, James W. Toumey, who was an internationally known authority on forest seedings at the Yale School of Forestry. As described on the US Forest Service Nurseries and Seed Extractories webpage, the purpose of the nursery is to “provide locally adapted plants and seed for reforestation projects, provide an assured source of desirable species and stock types for restoring native ecosystems, and maintain the agency’s position as a conservation leader.”
Today, Toumey provides many services for the National Forests in the Northeastern region. The fields grow approximately 12 million seedlings during the summer and around 4 million are lifted each year, then shipped to the Forests. The greenhouses produce another 600,000 plants, which are sent out every year. Toumey grows native trees, shrubs, grasses, forbs, and herbaceous plants in the field and in greenhouses. They also extract and clean seed, that is collected from the region it serves.
Toumey Nursery is the last remaining Forest Service nursery in the Eastern U.S. and serves the National Forests in the Northeastern region. In addition to the Ottawa, J.W. Toumey Nursery also provides seedlings and seed to many of the other National Forests in the Eastern Region.
Photo: Root pruner running under oak tree seedlings in the fields at J.W. Toumey
The Toumey Nursery covers 110 acres, with 66 available for planting. At full capacity,12 million seedlings are grown in the fields. About 4 million seedlings are shipped out each year to the National Forests for out-planting. The number of trees grown yearly is determined by the National Forest's projections of how many trees are needed for the upcoming years. Depending on the species of tree, it may take one to three years to reach the size specifications needed before being lifted from the field and sent to the National Forest to be planted. Principal species grown at Toumey include Red pine, Jack pine, White pine, Spruces, Tamarack, Cedars, Hemlock, Oaks, Maples and Birches.
The trees are started by planting seed collected by the National Forests. The seed is sown in late fall and early spring into fields with specially formed seed beds. A seven-row mechanical seeder sows the seed to a desired depth and density. As the season progresses, the soil and plants are monitored and cared for. Soil moisture is evaluated daily to determine irrigation schedules. The fields are monitored for pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies. Other activities preformed throughout the growing season include undercutting, vertical root pruning, top pruning, mechanical and hand weeding, pesticide applications, fertilizing, and seedling inventory.
Harvest is performed when the trees are dormant, in late fall or early spring. A tractor, with a mechanical tree harvester attached, lifts the trees from the ground and shake the soil from the roots. These trees are brought in from the field, graded, then packaged into boxes that are then shipped to the National Forests to be planted.
Photo: Inside a greenhouse at J.W. Toumey
J.W. Toumey Nursery has three 140ft long greenhouses, one hoophouse and the original 60ft greenhouse that was built in 1965. The larger greenhouses grow approximately 600,000 containerized seedlings annually. The original smaller greenhouse is used to grow native plants and for grafting operations. The nursery makes grafts using branches cut from trees that show increased resistance to pests and diseases. The grafted trees are planted at the Oconto River Seed Orchard. The seed harvested from the grafted trees is used to grow disease resistant seedlings for reforestation.
The greenhouses are equipped with grow lights, heat and irrigation booms. The seedlings produced in the greenhouses are grown in containers that are comprised of many cells. In late winter to early spring, seed is sown into each cell of the container, using a precision seeder. The seedlings grow in the container for one season. Soil moisture is monitored daily to determine irrigation schedules. Weekly growth measurements are taken to determine the type and rate of fertilizer to be applied. The greenhouses are constantly monitored for disease, pests, weeds, nutrient deficiencies, and irrigation needs. In the fall, they are removed from the container cells, graded, packaged in boxes, and sent to the National Forests for planting.
Photo: White pine pinecone, and seed before and after cleaning at J.W. Toumey
Toumey Nursery extracts and cleans a large variety of seed each year, using various types of machines and equipment. The seed is collected by the National Forests or the Oconto River Seed Orchard, using a variety of methods before being sent to Toumey.
Jack pine, Red pine, White pine and the spruces make up the bulk of the seed that comes to the Nursery. Most of the cones are opened at the Oconto River Seed Orchard where the seeds are extracted. When the seed arrives to the Nursery, several processes are performed to “clean” the seed in preparation for planting or storage. Most seed needs to be dried by putting it in wooden frames with screen bottoms. If the seed has a wing, a machine removes it and another machine uses air to blow it away, leaving just the seed behind. The seed can then be put into a gravity separator which removes any hollow seeds from the good seed. A small sample is sent to a seed lab to test the moisture content and germination rates. The seed is either stored for future use, sown into the field, or sown into containers.
Many other types of seed from native trees, shrubs, grasses, forbs, and herbaceous plants are extracted and cleaned at the nursery. All these types of seed require different techniques to clean them. They may need to be removed from pods, cones, or fruit, or they may need to be separated from wings or fibers. If the seed is cleaned properly, it will remain viable for many years in storage. Some of the conifer species may be stored in the seed cache beyond 20 years.
Photo: Native milkweed with a monarch caterpillar at J.W. Toumey
The Forest Service recognizes the importance of native trees, shrubs, grasses, forbs, and herbaceous plants, and promotes the use of native plant for the revegetation, rehabilitation, and restoration of native ecosystems. J.W. Toumey Nursery supports these efforts by growing native plants thet National Forests request for their ongoing projects.
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