Determining How Many Cones To Collect

The size of the collection depends on the amount of seed needed. Refer to the section on Planning the Collection to help determine the amount of seed needed.

Converting pounds of seed to bushels of cones

[Pounds of seed] divided by [pounds of seed per bushel of cones*] = Bushels of cones

*Pounds of seed per bushel of cones: Average yield of clean seed from a bushel of cones, generally a local average. If local information is not available, check the Seeds of Woody Plants of North America for estimates.

Example: if 21 pounds of ponderosa pine seed are needed, and local conversion charts estimate the yield of ponderosa pine seed per bushel of cones is 1.2 pounds, the following equation applies:

[21 pounds of seed] divided by [1.2 pounds of seed per bushel of cones] = 17.5 ( rounded to 18) bushels of cones