What Silvaseed Company does

Silvaseed Company is a wholesale forestry nursery and seed banking operation headquartered in Roy, Washington, founded in 1871 (originally as Manning Seed Company) and renamed in 1968. It collects, extracts, processes, stores, tests, and stratifies conifer seed and grows container and bareroot seedlings for reforestation, Christmas tree production, and forest establishment. The company operates the largest privately held tree seedbank in the western United States, cataloguing thousands of seedlots by species, seed zone, elevation, and collection year, and it pioneered the seed zone concept in 1949 that remains the standard methodology for matching seed origin to planting site.

The company's revenue is generated through a diversified set of streams: contract sow orders (multi-year seedling growing plans placed by November 15 for delivery the following year), over-the-counter seedling sales, certified seed sales (including international export via APHIS), cone processing services priced per bushel, seed storage subscriptions, and laboratory testing (purity, moisture, x-ray, germination, TZ) plus stratification. Pricing per thousand seedlings ranges from $239 for 2A stock up to $848 for P+1 XL, with tiered deposits. The customer base spans national and state forest agencies, reforestation companies, Christmas tree growers, and private landowners, served through direct phone/email sales and a catalog-driven website funnel.

Since 2021 Silvaseed has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mast Reforestation (formerly DroneSeed), the nation's only vertically integrated reforestation carbon credit project developer. The integration channels no-cost reforestation project demand to Silvaseed while preserving the operator's standalone sales motion. Current stated leadership includes Grant Canary as President and Matthew Aghai as general manager of a workforce of 11-50, with seasonal hiring (November–March) to support peak nursery operations.

Name

Silvaseed Company

Legal name

Silvaseed Company

Website

https://silvaseed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1871

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silvaseed Company is a wholesale forestry nursery and seed banking operator in Roy, Washington that collects, processes, stores, and sells conifer seed and seedlings for reforestation, Christmas tree, and timber customers across the western US and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Nursery and Seed Banking

NAICS

Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (11321), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree Seed Collection & Processing (AFAMADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Nurseries & Tree Seedling Production (IMAMAAAC), Seed Collection, Processing & Storage (Provenance/Genetics) (AFAMACAB), Forest Seed Orchards & Breeding Programs (AFAMADAB), Seed Testing, Treatment & Certification Services (AFAMADAI), Seed & Nursery Stock Distribution and Logistics (AFAMADAL)

Keywords

• Conifer seedling production
• Certified tree seed banking
• Cone processing services
• Reforestation nursery
• Christmas tree seedling supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Roy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seedling Sales: Sale of container-grown and bareroot seedlings to customers for reforestation, Christmas tree production, and forestry projects. Seedlings are sold via contract sow orders (bulk) and OTC (smaller quantities). Stocktypes include Styro 2A, 4A, 5, 6, Paper Pot, 8, 10, 15, and P+1 variants.
2. Seed Sales: Sale of certified tree seed from their extensive seedbank. Seeds are stored by species, seed zone, elevation and collection year. International exporter of certified tree seed. Featured seed lots include Western redcedar, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, Noble fir, Ponderosa pine, and others.
3. Cone Processing Services: Specialized processing for custom orchard or wild-collected cone including kiln drying, tumbling, dewinging, and screening. Pricing varies by species and volume (per bushel or hectoliter).
4. Seed Storage Services: Seed storage as a paid service at their Roy, WA facility with monitoring and backup systems. Free with annual seedling growing contract of 20,000 seedlings or more. Fees include $55 one-time intake per shipment and $1.80 per pound per year.
5. Seed Testing and Stratification: State-of-the-art laboratory testing services including purity, moisture, x-ray, seed count ($75/lot), germination testing ($107/lot), and TZ testing ($119/lot). Stratification services at $65 for first 4 weeks plus $15 per additional week per lot.
6. Seed Collection Services: Services supporting cone collectors including scouting, surveying, collection coordination, and banking. Domestic seed transfers at $75 per seed lot plus shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Silvaseed Company is a wholesale conifer nursery and certified tree seedbank that grows and sells container and bareroot seedlings (Douglas-fir, Grand fir, Noble fir, Ponderosa pine, Western hemlock, Western redcedar, Sitka spruce, Fraser fir, Nordmann fir, and others) and sells certified tree seed from the largest privately held tree seedbank in the western United States. The company provides end-to-end reforestation support including cone collection, processing (kiln drying, tumbling, dewinging, screening), seed storage in monitored freezers, laboratory testing (purity, moisture, x-ray, germination, TZ), and stratification services for reforestation projects, Christmas tree production, and forest restoration.

Product overview

Silvaseed Company is a wholesale nursery and seed banking operation offering a comprehensive suite of reforestation products and services. The core offerings consist of Seedlings (grown via contract sow orders or available over-the-counter in various stocktypes), Seed (including the largest privately-held tree seedbank in the western US with collection, extraction, storage, and testing), and Cone Processing (kiln drying, tumbling, dewinging, and screening). These are supported by ancillary services including Seed Storage (freezer facilities with monitoring), Seed Testing & Stratification (laboratory services), Reforestation (via parent Mast Reforestation), and Seed Transfer/International Shipping. The company specializes in western conifers and has operated since 1871.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conifer Seedlings Wholesale nursery-grown conifer seedlings including Douglas-fir, Grand fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Nordmann fir, Ponderosa pine, Western hemlock, Western redcedar, Sitka spruce, and other species offered in stocktypes (Styro 2A, 4A, 5, 6, Paper Pot, 8, 10, 15, Elle Pot, P+1, P+1 4A Plug, P+1 XL) for reforestation, Christmas tree, and forest establishment customers.
• Contract Sow Orders Custom seedling growing service where Silvaseed works with customers to produce seedling orders on contract ensuring the right mix of species and stocktypes for specific planting projects. Multi-year contracts with required deposits (40% for container orders; 30%/30%/balance for PLUG1 orders).
• Certified Tree Seed Sale of certified tree seed from Silvaseed's extensive seedbank of thousands of seedlots stored by species, seed zone, elevation, and collection year. Domestic shipping across the US and international export with featured seed lots including Western redcedar, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, Noble fir, and Ponderosa pine.
• Cone Processing Services Specialized cone processing including kiln drying, tumbling, dewinging, and screening for debris and low-quality seed, with quality control tests for moisture content, purity, x-ray imaging, and seed assessment. Pricing varies by species and volume (per bushel or hectoliter).
• Seed Storage Services Paid seed storage service at Silvaseed's Roy, WA facility with freezer storage equipped with monitoring and backup systems, including a one-time $55 intake fee per shipment and $1.80 per pound per year with a $27 minimum. Bundled free with annual seedling growing contracts of 20,000+ seedlings.
• Seed Testing and Stratification Services Laboratory testing services including purity, moisture, x-ray, and seed count ($75 per lot), germination testing via OSU ($107 per lot, postage included), and TZ (tetrazolium) testing ($119 per lot), plus stratification services ($65 first 4 weeks plus $15 per additional week per lot) to sanitize, imbibe, and prepare seed for shipment or growing.
• Seed Collection Services Coordination and support services for cone collectors including scouting, surveying, collection coordination, processing, and banking. Domestic seed transfers at $75 per seed lot plus shipping.
• Seed Transfer and International Shipping Domestic and international seed transfer services with APHIS certification for exports to Europe and other international locations, including phytosanitary certificates and customs documentation support.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 5 million seedlings grown annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mast ReforestationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Mast Reforestation (formerly DroneSeed) acquired Silvaseed in 2021. Silvaseed is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Mast Reforestation, the nation's only vertically integrated reforestation carbon credit project developer. This acquisition ensures continuity of the legacy of post-wildfire reforestation. Mast Reforestation offers no-cost reforestation options that may utilize Silvaseed's seed and seedling services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Weyerhaeuser: Weyerhaeuser is one of the world's largest private timberland owners with significant nursery operations and seedling production for its own reforestation needs. Comparable as it operates forest nurseries and is a dominant western US timberland owner, though at vastly larger scale.
• GreenWood Resources: GreenWood Resources is a timber investment management organization focused on Pacific Northwest and international forestry assets. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest forestry operator with internal seedling needs and long-term tree improvement focus.
• PotlatchDeltic: PotlatchDeltic is a timberland REIT owning/manageing ~2.2M acres in the US South and Pacific Northwest. Comparable as a major Pacific Northwest timberland owner with substantial internal seedling demand, though it does not commercially sell seedlings.
• Hancock Natural Resource Group: Hancock Natural Resource Group is one of the largest timberland investment managers in North America, managing over 6M acres. Comparable as a major institutional forestry operator with internal seed/seedling requirements and zone-based provenance expertise.
• Resource Management Service: Resource Management Service (RMS) is a leading global timberland investment manager. Comparable as an institutional forestry operator with similar seed provenance and seedling sourcing needs across diverse US geographies.

Direct peers

• ArborGen: ArborGen is a major commercial forestry seedling producer and tree improvement company supplying loblolly, slash, and other pine seedlings for reforestation in the US South. Directly comparable as a wholesale forestry nursery with genetic improvement programs, though geographically focused on the US Southeast.
• Mast Reforestation: Mast Reforestation (formerly DroneSeed) is the parent company of Silvaseed and the nation's only vertically integrated reforestation carbon credit project developer. Comparable as it shares customer base (post-wildfire reforestation) and provides Silvaseed's vertical integration into carbon markets.

Emerging players

• J Herbert Stone Nursery: J Herbert Stone Nursery is a US Forest Service nursery in Central Point, Oregon, producing seedlings for federal reforestation in the Pacific Northwest. Comparable as a public-sector nursery serving the same federal agencies and geography, though government-operated rather than private.
• Webster Forest Nursery: Webster Forest Nursery is the Washington State Department of Natural Resources' seedling nursery in Olympia, WA. Comparable as a state-operated forest nursery producing seedlings for the same Pacific Northwest reforestation market and customer base.

Others

• Southern Forestry Consultants: Southern Forestry Consultants provides forestry management and consulting services across the US South. Comparable only thematically as an adjacent forestry services provider supporting reforestation, but not a seedling producer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silvaseed-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silvaseed Company