Lifting & Storage Crates

Forestry and Land Scotland have appointed a Framework Agreement for the Supply of galvanised storage & lifting crates for the transportation of tree seedlings following the redevelopment project at our Newton Nursery, Elgin.

Newton Nursery was established by the Forestry Commission in 1931, and it has not seen significant investment since the early 1980s, when the facilities were developed to service a growing programme of three (3) to four (4) million trees per year.

The annual requirement has doubled since then, and will need to double again in the coming years. The redevelopment project is seeking to utilise innovative technology alongside developing the physical estate to meet these needs, now and into the future.

Part of the redevelopment is the construction of a new state-of-the-art 12,000m2 Glasshouse, which will be around the size of two (2) football pitches and capable of growing up to nineteen (19) million trees per year. This modern addition will revolutionise our approach by providing a controlled environment to nurture our seedlings. By shielding them from invasive weeds and curious critters, the Authority anticipate a significant boost in our germination success rate, aiming to achieve an impressive 80% germination rate for our seeds.

Now that the redevelopment is complete, Newton could have up to twenty-five (25) million trees growing on site in any one year, a significant increase from the seven (7) million trees FLS are currently able to produce.