When one grows seeds outside, there is always a mortality rate. Is he direct seeding into the soil, or is he using a greenhouse for germination? A few more details, please.

The first place that I would start is to call the Vermont County Extension agent for your uncle's county. They have many resources and much information to help ag residents. Perhaps your uncle can get in a coop where they buy seedlings in bulk for little cost. Also, there might be subsidized programs to check out. I would also check in with the VT Christmas Tree Association for information. With those in mind, growing evergreen seeds to have a productive tree farm is almost beyond challenging. The seeds require stratification and other conditions, which, by themselves, are set up to produce failure when regulated by man and Mother Nature. At a 60% loss, although it sounded good to grow from seed, it might be more sound to get in a wholesale program than to germinate evergreen seeds while keeping your fingers crossed, so to speak. Also, the ag extension could help him with improved farming practices to have higher success yields.

http://www.umaine.edu/animalsci/States/Vermont/vermont.htm

http://www.nh-vtchristmastree.org/

Great advice from tuscanseed above. It always pays to utilize all the local resources. ;)

if there was cost effective alternative available beyond greenhouses

Yes. Several. Seeds can be germinated in the house in any warm place - trees being no different than any other seed. And the FAQ's here cover all the basics.

Another option is poly-plastic tunnels/cloches outside where a semi-artificial protected environment is created to protect them until established. Inexpensive to build and maintain and can be as small as a milk jug to as big as a greenhouse. See pics.

Cold frames is another option he should explore - many different types and forms of them from a small wood box with an old storm window on top to fancy in-ground pits with artificial heat sources.

In his environment even an unheated shed of some type with plastic or lots of windows on the south side would improve his odds vs. outside growing.

Hope this is of help and wish him luck for me.

Dave

Some people seem to have luck winter sowing trees.

Started in that manner, what matters if you only get 60% germination of the seeds? It's costing nothing when you think about it...no heated greenhouse, and there are usually plenty of other sprouts in the container to grow on.

Mark-

Thank you for the quick replies.

tuscanseed- He is using direct seeding yes, I apologize for not clarifying in my original post. Right now he has the Cooperative Extension doing free yearly soil tests and samples. Other than that he buys 2 year old seedlings from the state reforesting program for .24 a seedling which is a fantastic price (IMHO).

Does 60% mortality seem high to you? Or would that be about average for out door seed starting?

digdirt- Thank you for the extra info I will print off your ideas and show him.

zengeos- Based on cost that's pretty much his point of view at the moment. Even at 60% he's still germinating double what he normally would then plants that same amount he would if he were buying seedlings.

I think it just comes done to him wanting to improve his germination rate and have less reliance on the state or county for seedlings. Thank you again for quality info!

Check out the winter sowing forum. There are quite a few people who grow trees that way over there.

Can you clarify...is the mortality rate with seeds not germinating or is it with seedlings not thriving? Conifers usually have a low germination percentage to begin with, and as Mark pointed out, you're still getting 4 out of 10 seedlings to survive. Below are some links with helpful ideas about improving the germination of the seeds, if that is where the 60% mortality rests. It seems that pre-treatment of conifer seeds whether through water soaking, GA, and/or moist stratification increases germination rates. If you are losing 60% of seedlings, then Dave had some great suggestions. If you increase germination percentages and protect young seedlings, that 40% survival rate might grow, err go, through the roof!
ps be sure to see the last link about germination for specific species
pss be sure to visit the Conifers Forum here, too
FYI:
http://www.lyonia.org/downloadPDF.php?pdfID=283.486.&PHPSESSID=d269ec27137da86e29ba1da85169ff18

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1982.tb03374.x?cookieSet=1

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hti/publications/misc/FDC038SSEN.pdf

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hti/publications/misc/FDC038SSEN.pdf

http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/56/418/2253

http://forestry.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/4/335

http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/Content/Articles/5-1NPJ18-24(3).pdf

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2682141

http://www.rootrainers.co.uk/growers/guides/conifers

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/bonsai-info.htm

gardenluv- Thanks for the advise I've actually been searching around the whole forum!

tuscanseed- Thank you for all the links, it's going to take me a while to go through and print them all but I appreciate you taking the time to put them all down for me.

As for the mortality question, it is not germinating or eventually germination with fall off to death. That's why he was looking for more options to control the germination process and because of our harsh winters a way to have year round new seedling growth.

The germination rate is lower, he has Douglas Fir(Pseudotsuga menziesii) which he was getting the 60% death rate from. According to the website he bought the seeds from (sheffields Seed) they were achieving a 83% germination rate. I'm sure there germination methods would explain the differences in success.

Thank you again for the links!

How certain are you of the percent viable seed in what he's sowing? That obviously affects the apparent survival rate.

annebert- I'm not 100% certain. The information came from the seed supplier. They said 83% germination rates, but they really don't tell their germination method or any other information to support those numbers.

Just to clarify to because I think I made a typo in my previous post. IT IS germinating or eventually germination with fall off to death that is the problem. I'm attempting to find a way to make a control factor that might be able to bump up the survival rating to closer to 55-60% as opposed to the 40% right now. After going through all the great information everyone gave me it would be nice to see something in the ballpark of the 83% the seed supplier has. Maybe 70-75%?! That would be more than adequate! :-) Thank you again!