Skip to content

Cal Forest Nurseries

Cal Forest Nurseries is the largest independent container reforestation nursery in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact Us

Customers Served

We produce between 20-25 million conifer seedlings per year for private timber companies, non-industrial private landowners, indigenous communities, and public agencies throughout the western United States.

1978

year founded

471 million

trees grown

40 years

of operation

20k bushels

annual processing capacity

About Cal Forest

Cal Forest Nurseries was established in 1978 in Covelo, California by Tom Jopson to grow conifer seedlings for reforestation. Tom grew 200,000 seedlings that first year. In 1988, the business was moved to Scott Valley in Siskiyou County in order to better serve the reforestation activities of its expanding customer base.

Since then, our production capacity has grown in step with our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Lorem ipsum placeholder caption

Meet the Team

Meet our leadership team. They are supported by an exceptional group of individuals who care deeply about the important role Cal Forest plays in reforestation and the quality of the seedlings we produce.

Nik Larum
General Manager, Cal Forest

Provide more details here.

Use text and images to tell your company’s story. Explain what makes your product or service extraordinary.

Stock placeholder image with grayscale geometrical mountain landscape

The Program

Screenshot 2026-05-27 at 11.47.07 AM 1
Cal Forest seedlings are grown under contract, with locally collected or improved orchard seed being provided by the purchaser of the seedlings. Seedlings are grown for one season in a facility designed and managed specifically to grow high quality conifer seedlings in containers for outplanting.
CalForest-586
Critical components of the nursery include a highly uniform irrigation system, accurate fertigation equipment, maximum exposure to ambient conditions, daily crop records, and production equipment that allows for rapid and accurate sowing and packing. Cal Forest has specialized in minimizing seed use, particularly with scarce and valuable seed lots.
Screenshot 2026-05-27 at 11.27.28 AM
We pride ourselves on our exceptional service and the transparency we provide customers. Notably, seed and seedling data are provided online so that our customers can assess how well their lots are performing as they plan for outplanting. We encourage our customers to visit us and inspect their lots throughout the season.
Screenshot 2026-05-27 at 11.38.50 AM 1
At the end of the season, seedlings are packed, put into cold storage, and ultimately shipped by refrigerated truck to customers for outplanting.

Seedlings

Cal Forest has successfully grown a wide array of conifer species over the years, including:

Incense Cedar (Calocedrus)
Lebanese Cedar (Cedrus libani)
Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)
Alaskan Yellow Cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Baker Cypress (Cupressus bakeri)
Sargent’s Cypress (Cupressus sargentii)
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 

Bigcone Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa)

Red Fir (Abies magnifica)
White Fir (Abies concolor)

Noble Fir (Abies procera)

Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis)

Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
Western Larch (Larix occidentalis)
seedlingcutout_updated
Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
Coulter Pine (Pinus coulteri)
Knobcone Pine (Pinus attenuate)
Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana)
Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi)
Monterrey Pine (Pinus radiata)
Stone Pine (Pinus pinea)
Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)
Giant Sequoia (Sequoia giganteum)
Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Brewer Spruce (Picea breweriana)
Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
PP-Ellepot-Seedling-Isolation (1) 1
Incense Cedar (Calocedrus)
Lebanese Cedar (Cedrus libani)
Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)
Alaskan Yellow Cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Baker Cypress (Cupressus bakeri)
Sargent’s Cypress (Cupressus sargentii)
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 

Bigcone Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa)

Red Fir (Abies magnifica)
White Fir (Abies concolor)

Noble Fir (Abies procera)

Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis)

Subalipine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
Western Larch (Larix occidentalis)
Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
Coulter Pine (Pinus coulteri)
Knobcone Pine (Pinus attenuate)
Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana)
Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi)
Monterrey Pine (Pinus radiata)
Stone Pine (Pinus pinea)
Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)
Giant Sequoia (Sequoia giganteum)
Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Brewer Spruce (Picea breweriana)
Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)

Cone and Seed Services

Under the Siskiyou Seed brand, Cal Forest offers comprehensive seed services, including processing, testing for purity, germination rate and moisture content as well as seed lot upgrading and long-term freezer storage. We also provide cone services including scouting, monitoring, and collection coordination. Annual cone collections are conducted to build and maintain a retail seed bank.

NEWS & BLOG

Latest at Cal Forest

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
CUSTOMERS

Who We Serve

Cal Forest is proud to serve the reforestation and restoration interests of private timber companies, non-industrial private landowners, and public agencies across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including:

Connect With Us

Reach out to start growing your seedlings.

Cal Forest Nurseries

P.O. Box 719

Etna, CA 96027

contact@calforest.com

For inquiries relating to Spec Seedlings sales please contact solutions@calforest.com

530.467.5211

Cal Forest Nurseries

1838 Eastside Road / PO Box 719

Etna, CA 96027