The PMC Update for October 7, 2021
Sales
The PMC has booked sales for 1.3 million plants for the upcoming harvest-and-sales season so far. That is spread out among 237 orders. Jacquie and Lori are busy helping the customers place their orders, entering them into the sales program, invoicing for deposits, and working on the timing of when the plants will be needed. The volume of sales is unprecedented thus far.
September Financials
Lori has completed the financial reports. Since it is only three months into the fiscal year there is not much that is out of line with previous years. Seasonal wages exceed last year due to more weeds than usual this summer. An interesting side fact is that other bare root forest and conservation nurseries in the northwest are also reporting the same thing. It is probably a coincidence since the nurseries reporting higher than usual weed pressure this year are far apart from one another with significantly different weed problems and weed management strategies. Chemicals are over budget but there should not be too much need to purchase many more chemicals this fiscal year.
Live Stake Harvest Has Started
A crew of eight people was brought in to start the live stake harvest on October 4th. One of the orders for next week is fairly large and it looks like it will be necessary to bring on two more. This is more than usual for October so expect seasonal wages to be further over budget than it is, but there will be a corresponding increase in revenue once these orders ship.
Gravel Bed Research Continues
Assistant Nursery Manager John Knox has been researching a way to hold bare root seedlings thru the summer by heeling them in beds of pea gravel. This approach is based on research conducted by ornamental bare root growers. This is the second year John has been investigating this practice. Surplus seedlings are placed in beds of pea gravel that have soaker hoses in them. They have been pulled out and planted both in the summer and the fall in controlled beds and in actual restoration plantings. The survival rates look promising. In time, John will write up a more detailed description of what he has done and publish the results.
Upcoming
Fall seed planting will begin on October 8th. Last week was too wet but it has dried out enough here to work the ground and put seed in it. The large majority of broadleaf, deciduous species grown from seed are planted in the fall. That allows the seed to undergo a cold wet season which is necessary before most species grown here will germinate. If all goes well there will be approximately 4 to 5 acres of seedbed by Friday afternoon that are not evident today.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Jim Brown, WACD PMC Nursery Manager
https://wacdpmc.org/about-us