Strengthening nature by cleaning birch seeds. Seed Processing Holland (SPH) supplies a wide range of machines for the seed processing industry. From vegetable and fruit seeds to Field crops and hemp seeds. And sometimes something completely different comes our way. Namely the collaboration between Staatsbosbeheer and SPH for cleaning birch seeds.
Staatsbosbeheer (Forestry Commission)
Staatsbosbeheer is the largest forest and nature manager in the Netherlands. Commissioned by the national government, but largely financed by subsidies from the provinces and with its own income, Staatsbosbeheer manages approximately 270,000 hectares of forest, nature, and recreation areas.
Contact
The first contact between Staatsbosbeheer and SPH took place in 2016 with a colleague of Mr Lammert Kragt. At the request of Staatsbosbeheer, SPH then submitted a quotation for a Laboratory Seed Air Separator, CAM-4200.
In March 2017 Lammert Kragt and Johan Barendrecht visit SPH for a presentation and tour. From this visit follows a quotation for the Laboratory Seed Air Screen Cleaning Machine, CSM-4100.
At the end of May 2020, Sylvia Jorritsma, Sales Area Manager of SPH, is invited by Staatsbosbeheer to visit their Roggebotzand work location. At this location, trees and shrubs are put together so that natural pollination takes place. This allows fruits and seeds to develop. The seeds are collected again and used, for example, to strengthen existing nature with new growth.
Roggebotzand work location: Genenbank (Gene bank)
The Gene bank in Dronten, The Netherlands, secures original Dutch trees and shrubs for the future. Staatsbosbeheer collects the genetic heritage of native trees and shrubs here in Roggebotzand. For strengthening existing, vulnerable nature, but also for new nature.
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Birch seed
A bag of birch seed contains 1.5 kg of birch seed. Converted to approximately 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 potential birch trees. The birch is a true pioneer tree that often returns as the first type of tree in large numbers after felling, fire or other forms of forest loss. That explains something of the enormously high productivity!
Before the tree seeds can be used, these seeds must first be processed and cleaned. The biggest challenge here is the processing of birch seed. This seed is very voluminous and there is a lot of waste in the very small and light seed with small wings.
Testing
To give good cleaning advice and to be able to offer the right machine, we asked Staatsbosbeheer to send a sample so that we could do some tests.
After running some tests on the Laboratory Seed Air Screen Cleaning Machine, CSM-4100, in our Experience center, we returned the cleaned samples with a test report to Staatsbosbeheer.
Johan Barendrecht, the man who will be working with the Laboratory Seed Air Screen Cleaning Machine, visited SPH at the end of July 2020 to review the machine and discuss all possible options.
Thanks to the good contact and the possibility to test in our Experience center, Sylvia Jorritsma was able to provide substantiated advice for the most suitable machine with the right options for Staatsbosbeheer.
As a result, we have received this great assignment from Staatsbosbeheer. They did not make decisions overnight in this process. After all, a machine must fit in well with the wishes and requirements of the user and the product to be processed. Everyone at SPH is committed to that.
The machine was delivered to Staatsbosbeheer in November 2020 and after another visit and instruction from SPH, the Laboratory Seed Air Screen Cleaning Machine is running to full satisfaction. This way we like to contribute to a green society.
Contact
Would you like more information about this solution or do you have any questions? Then contact us!
