Overview

Tree seed production in Tanzania began in 1902 under German rule at the Biological and Agricultural Research Institute called Das Biologisch Land Wirtschaftlichen Institute, which is located in the Tanga region.

This project was established to serve its primary responsibility, which is finding alternative sources of wood and wood products to meet the demand for timber and other wood-based materials, without solely relying on harvesting from natural forests.

A large-scale industrial forest plantation establishment in the 1950s under British rule afterward followed this. However, in 1927 during the British rule in Tanganyika, the Biological and Agricultural Research Institute was renamed the “East African Agricultural Research Station (EAARS) and it was in 1948 moved to Muguga, Kenya to form the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organisation (EAAFRO).

Research aside, the organization catered to tree seed-handling activities, which were common for the three partner states under British rule.

Different problems that were unique to individual countries were addressed on a national basis. This paved the way to establishing the Silvicultural Research Station at Lushoto in 1951.

A sub-section of handling seed activities was formed to supply small quantities of tree seeds of mainly Pines, Cypress, and Eucalypts for research purposes and for establishing Government plantations.

Later in the 1970s, the Government launched national tree-planting campaigns to restore the degraded environments. This created a high demand for local and exotic tree species seeds for various uses.

The Silviculture Research Station was at the time not well placed and could not handle such large quantities of tree seed. The Government recognized the alarming situation and decided to establish the National Tree Seed Programme (NTSP) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in 1989 to enable a sustainable supply of high-quality tree seed and other propagating materials.

In 2004, there were Government reforms under the Civil Service Programme that led NTSP to be transformed into the Tanzania Tree Seed Agency (TTSA) and later in November 2018, TTSA was merged with Tanzania Forest Service.

It became a Directorate of Tree Seed production within TFS, which inherited all objectives such as to sustainably produce and supply high-quality tree seed and other propagating materials for different end uses.

Deforestation across the country is estimated at approximately 475,000 ha annually, almost 0.2% of forest cover.

The rehabilitation of the degraded environment in Tanzania requires 440 million seedlings, which equals 40 tons of seeds per year. Successful plantation and reforestation, largely depend on the supply of healthy and quality seeds and seedlings.

TFS through the Directorate of Tree Seed Production has four tree seed production stations in Morogoro, Lushoto, Iringa, and Shinyanga and the sole purpose of these stations is to sustainably supply forest products and environmental conservation by producing, procuring, and market quality tree seed and other propagating materials to meet the end needs.