The Resources for Tree Planting Platform explains how to go about sourcing good quality tree planting material for growers carrying out land restoration, agroforestry, plantation establishment and other tree planting activities. By ‘planting material’ we mean seeds, seedlings and vegetatively propagated materials (clones). The resources on the Platform are mostly practical ‘how to’ guidelines for extension workers, tree seed collectors, nursery operators and tree growers. But they also include information useful for the planners of tree planting, for tree researchers and for government policy makers. For each resource listed on the Platform, we explain its use and the user group.

The intention of the Platform is to support more effective tree planting for livelihoods and the environment, with an emphasis on low-income tropical and sub-tropical nations, and smallholder growers. The present lack of knowledge about how to deliver high-quality planting material is a major constraint in achieving successful tree planting. It is this gap that the Platform seeks to help fill.

Many of the resources on the Platform were first published some time ago, but they remain relevant for use today. One of the purposes of the Platform is to make sure that these older resources are not forgotten, so that we do not ‘reinvent the wheel’ during the current renewed focus on forest restoration planting.

Resources on the Platform are organised into three different headline categories that provide different entry points for finding information: Seed and seedling handling; Extension resource type; and Subject area. The last of these headline categories provides a broader view on a topic than the other headline categories. The headline categories contain sections on different topics as shown on the Platform’s home page. Clicking on one of these topics will reveal resources organised further into relevant subject sub-sections.