Forestry

What are the benefits of cell grown trees?

Cell grown trees have many benefits including stronger roots, all year round planting, more disease resilience, higher establishment rates, drought tolerance, easier to transport and are more environmentally conscious. Making cell grown trees a great asset to any large scale woodland scheme.

Growing trees in cells ensures that they have a root plug which is never damaged during the lifting process. In addition, because there is no damage to the root systems, our plants do not need to be dormant when planted, which allows for year-round planting.

Cell-grown trees are proven to have higher establishment rates and do not 'check' on planting, so there is rapid early growth and less risk of weed competition, resulting in happier, healthier trees!

Traditional methods of tree cultivation often involve transplanting seedlings from nurseries to their final planting location, a process that can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Cell-grown trees, however, are propagated using advanced techniques that allow for the efficient production of healthy, uniform specimens in controlled environments. By bypassing these logistical challenges, cell-grown trees offer a more streamlined approach to large forestry projects, enabling faster growth rates and higher survival rates in the wild while reducing the workload of your team.

Why Alba?

At Alba, we strive for excellence. From the seed we select to the fertilisers we apply, everything must be of the highest possible standard. Having invested up to 3 years growing the best quality stock for our customers, we want to make sure we give the best help and advice to keep the stock in optimal condition until planted. 

As part of our expanded 24/25 season range, we have new varieties or “species” in production and we will also be offering bare root options for some species. 
For new woodland creation, we aim to offer at least 3 Scottish provenance options plus an English and Welsh option, subject to seed availability.

Our Sundries offer has also expanded, and we are now able to offer biodegradable alternatives from both Rainbow and Tubex, alongside our standard Tree Shelters offer. We offer a bespoke Albacote tree planting fertiliser and bespoke top-dressing fertiliser for improved tree establishment. We also offer our own Alba Bags which protect the trees from wind whilst allowing drainage. The handles ensure that the bags can be moved easily so that delicate roots are not damaged by dropping plants from a height.

With raw material cost increases over the last 2 years, we recognise that there has been significant inflation in Sundries costs. We therefore now offer a Price Match Guarantee across all our Accessories - if you have been quoted any cheaper prices on Tree Shelters or Stakes, we guarantee to match that price, subject to you placing your tree orders with Alba. We also offer 2 spray treatments which we can apply at the Nursery - Gazelle to offer protection against Hylobius (Pine Bark Beetle), and Trico - to deter deer grazing.

Check out some of our Wholesale Forestry clients below! 

Steve Liddle

Owner Greenbeard Forestry

“Greenbeard Forestry has been a customer of Alba trees for over 20 years. During this time they have supplied millions of trees to projects I have managed throughout Scotland, from Caledonian pinewoods and montane high elevation species to commercial conifers 

Simply put, if you order 2 million trees from Alba or 50 trees from Alba, they will be ready on time and of excellent quality, which is not always an easy task given the variable factors in forestry establishment”

Director- Forest Direct LTD

Jeremy Thompson

"Forest Direct Ltd has been working with Alba Trees for 20 years now, and they remain our most reliable supplier of plants. Their add on products such as fertiliser, deer repellent, and planting materials, mean we can get everything we need in one delivery to keep our clients happy"

Managing Director - Treestory

Gordon Brown

"Treestory has been working successfully with Alba on numerous large native woodland creation schemes over the last 5 years. The quality of the product and standard of service is always very high, from nursery to planting site. Requirements often change due to unforeseen circumstances and when they do, Margaret and the team are always ready to work with us to find solutions."