Forest ReCONEissance Guide

Empowering Community Science

Prepared by UCCE, CAL FIRE, USFS and American Forests through the Reforestation Pipeline Cooperative

2024 Seed Needs

Seed collection is critical to reforestation of California's forest landscapes. In addition to seed orchards and laboratory propagation, collection of natural seed helps ensure the state can meet its growing reforestation needs.

Support local reforestation efforts by conducting cone surveys in your area.

Each year, regional seed needs are determined based on current availability for each species in each seed zone and elevation. Click on each species below to identify seed needs in your region.

Submit Cone Observation

Complete this survey to share your cone observation. This tool works best through the Survey123 App on your mobile device. You can use the link below to download this survey tool onto your phone to use in the field.

Open Survey in App

Click here to open the Cone Observation and Collection survey on your device

https://survey123.arcgis.com

Observe cones at a stand level (except under special circumstances such as rust resistant Sugar Pine). Collectible stands consist of at least 10 cone-bearing trees of the same species within a 500' elevation range.

Only account for the top 2/3s of the crown when surveying, monitoring, and collecting cones.

For more instructions on how to asses cone condition, scroll to the Cone Pocket Guide .

Take a photo of this QR Code to download the App!

01 / 09

Download Cone Pocket Guide

The Cone Pocket Guide is a handbook of helpful information when surveying collectable cone crops

Cones must be immature - fully developed (brown) cones cannot be collected.

Clusters of crop trees to ensure higher likelihood of collection success and genetic variability.

(Preferred) Cone crops located in High Priority areas are particularly valuable due to current gaps in genetic variability.

(Preferred) Crop trees should have a Medium or High cone crop due to limited number of collection crews. Due to seed loss from insect and pest damage, prioritizing areas with large volume of seed is preferred.

What to avoid

Isolated trees (Trees located far from others of the same species are likely to be self pollinated and have poor genetic quality

Spent cones (open cones which have dropped seed)

Trees with obvious defect such as forking, spiral grain, or damage from insects and disease pathogens

Trees with thin crowns and poor vigor often have cones with poor fertility when the seed is collected.

White fir Cone Characteristics

Cones are 3-5 inches long and greenish-yellow to golden when immature. Cones are found in the top 4-5 branch whorls of a tree and are stand erect above the branch.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 40

^{(Left) Heavy cone crop, (Right) Ripe cones}

Incense cedar Cone Characteristics

Cones are 0.8-1.5 inches long and yellowish-green to golden tinged with shades of brown when immature. Cones are most prolific in the top 2/3 of trees and heavy crops will be visible apparent as branches droop from weight of the cones.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 20

^{(Left) , (Right) Cluster of heavy cone crop}

Sugar Pine Cone Characteristics

Cones are 12-22 inches long and yellow-green to light brown when immature. Cones may be found along the entire crown, but are most productive in the top half of the tree. A heavy crop will have 3-4 cones in each cluster at the terminal branch end.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 40-80

^{(Left) Upper crown of a heavy crop, (Right) Cluster located at terminal end of branch}

Ponderosa Pine Cone Characteristics

Cones are 3-6 inches long and range from pale yellow-green to light brown-green when immature. Cones are found in clusters in the upper 2/3 of the crown.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 15-20

^{(Left) Immature cone cluster ready for collection, (Right) Ripe open cones with no seed remaining}

Douglas-fir Cone Characteristics

Cones are 2-3 inches long and pale yellowish-green when immature. Cones are found in the upper 2/3 of the crown and generally found near the end of each branch in small clusters of 3-6.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 20-25

^{(Left) Branch with light cone crop, (right) Branch with heavy cone crop}

Redwood Cone Characteristics

Cones are 0.5 to 1.1 inches long and greenish-yellow when immature. Cones hang pendent-like at the end of branch twigs and generally found in the top 2/3 of the crown. Heavy crops will be visibly apparent with branches drooping from the weight.

Onset of Cone Bearing Age: 15

^{(Left) Heavy cone crop, (Right) Immature cones are round to ovoid shaped}

Learn more with CalFire's Reforestation Training

For more information, please visit: ucanr.edu/Reforestation

Next Steps

Once initial observations are collected, State, Federal, and Industry reforestation specialists will continue monitoring cones through their development stages.

To ensure cones are collected at the optimal time, potential collection sites will be periodically monitored until cones reach a maturity level at which they can be collected.

End of March

Priority Seed Needs will be Identified and Announced

April-June

Conduct Initial surveys to identify potential cone crops for collection

July

State, Federal, and Private cone crews will monitor the development of cone crops to target ideal collection time

Late July to October

Once cones begin to ripen, tree climbers will be sent out to collect cones. All collection must be completed within a narrow window of 1-2 weeks.

August-September

Collected cones are processed and tested for quality, and stored if suitable for future reforestation needs.

Germination, Site Prep, and Planting

Collecting seed is only the beginning of the reforestation process. Each year, state, federal, and private nurseries prepare for the following years' reforestation needs. Seeds are taken out of storage to be germinated and grown into seedlings. Simultaneously, foresters, loggers, and field technicians work to prepare the forest for planting, maximizing the chances of survival for new seedlings. Even then, the reforestation process is not complete, and planted areas must be monitored and managed over the next several decades until the seedlings grow and mature into a new forest.