The policy of the CSIRO Division of Forest Research 1 on the activities of its Seeds Section were reviewed in 1980. The most important points of the revised policy are:
The Division will act as the National Seed Coordinating Centre for forest trees, in terms of the FAO Forest Tree Seed Directory (the 1975 edition of the Directory shows the Forestry and Timber Bureau as carrying out this function for Australia.) The role of the Centre is:-
“to supply detailed information about species and provenances, and the addresses of individual seed suppliers; when appropriate, to forward requests direct to the most suitable supplier.”
The Seeds Section will continue to acquire, process and distribute tree seed for research. Emphasis will be given to the collection of seed of those species which are important for afforestation in developing countries or for special purposes. In general, small quantities of seed will be collected from individuals or groups of trees in specific localities; detailed information about the parent trees and the site will be recorded at the same time, and the viability of the seed will be tested as part of a routine processing.
This seed will be used for research within the Division of Forest Research or distributed to appropriate institutions or individuals for use in research, particularly on projects requiring a knowledge of the conditions of occurrence of the parent tree such as estimation of the genetic variation within species, or testing species and provenances in new conditions.
A new schedule of prices, based on the cost of collection and processing, has been adopted. The formula which has been used to determine prices is $5 per seedlot plus $3, $4 or $5 per 10 g of seed, depending on the species. The price includes postage or airfreight, as appropriate. A list showing the price category for each species will be available on request (see also point (7) below).
The basic information of locality of collection, viability of the seed and number of mother trees will be supplied with each seedlot. Additional information will be supplied on request.
The Division has limited stocks of seed which were collected under less strictly specified conditions than now operate. This seed may be sold at a lower price than that for current collections.
The distribution of some seed to developing countries on a free or exchange basis will be continued. This operation is regarded as a contribution by the Australian Government to international aid. Collection costs of such seed are partly offset by financial contributions from FAO.
The Division will no longer acquire seed for general distribution. There are now several private seed suppliers operating in Australia and it is expected that these will be able to supply the normal commerical requirements for seed. A list of Australian suppliers is maintained in this Division and copies are available on request.
1 P.O. Box 4008, Canberra A.C.T. 2600, Australia
