Tsemeta Nursery is a branch of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Forestry Department, and provides the Hoopa Tribe the ability to re-plant it's recently logged units with native seedlings. The Tsemeta Forest Nursery is located in the heart of the beautiful Hoopa Valley. It is wholly owned and operated by the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Construction began on the nursery in 1987. Today, the Tsemeta Forest Nursery is a state of the art container facility designed for the production of forest planting stock. Tsemeta grows a variety of plants and trees for reforestation and restoration. They also have various types of medicinal herbs, ornamentals, and native grasses. Tsemeta is certified organic by the California Certified Organic Growers as an orgainc producer of medicinal herbs. Tsemeta has a glass-covered greenhouse system that is recognized for its ability to transmit full-spectrum light, which is vital for full plant growth and development. Tsemeta also has a state of the art effluent capture and recycling system that exceeds regulatory requirements and protects the environment while conserving resources. Planting stock from Tsemeta is used to restock Tribal forest lands, and is sold to Federal, state, and private customers for their own reforestation planning. The nursery also grows native plants (trees, shrubs, grasses, and herbs) from seed that have been gathered from the wild. These plants are available for restoration projects, most are done under a contract. The warehouse facility provides services in processing and packaging specialty plant material, including floral greenery and medicinal herbs. The nursery also provides custom services such as: cone and seed collection, seed cleaning and processing, seed stratification, and vegetative cutting collection and sprouting. Tsemeta is constantly updating and changing what products they are growing. Please call them for an updated list or if you have a special request or any questions.

Click Here for the Tsemeta Website

The Recovery of Fire-Affected Riparian Areas
A Case Study during the Megram Fire

Six Rivers National Forest has worked with Tsemeta Nursery, a Native American owned and operated nursery located in Hoopa CA, for approximately 12 years. Specific tasks done by the nursery include seed and cutting collection of approximately 100 species local native plants, seed pre-treatment (scarification and stratification), the culture of a wide range of native plant species (trees, shrubs, grasses).

During the SRNF 12 year association with Tsemeta Nursery, we also continued to operate our own nursery in McKinleyville. This begs the question, why contract out a significant portion of the restoration work when it might be kept "in-house?" Reasons: greater flexibility. The McKinleyville Nursey produced strictly bare-root stock, wheras Tsemeta produces exclusively container stock. Many of the sites we wished to revegetate are difficult to reach during spring, due to snowpack and/or high water. McKinleyville's mild climate retards the onset of plant dormancy; therefore most year the plants cannot be lifted until mid-late November, just about the time our inland sites are snowing in for the year. Container stock offers to us the following advantages: Plants can be planted prior to late November. Should any number of elements conspire to thwart our planting efforts, container stock can be returned to the nursery for spring planting, without running expensive tree coolers all winter.

The proliferation of micro-purchasing authority with most everyone on the Forest having purchasing authority for those purchases less than $2,500, has streamlined our ability to quickly order and administer the procurement of less than 8,333 plants. We've found Tsemeta more responsive to experimenting with non-traditional plant species such as toyon, elderberry, and several species of ceanothus. And, when we find a paucity or absence of reference literature, they are willing to experiment, such as charate (fire) seed pre-treatment for manzanita, etc. Our association with them has provided socioeconomic benefits as well. Rural rancheries and reservations often suffer high unemployment rates; our association with them has helped to foster meaningful work. A less tangible; albeit personally satisfying -- benefit for me has been the cultural exchange. I feel now that I better understand their culture. Our relationship with Tsemeta has been one of mutual professional growth. Contrary to the adversarial relationships I've sometimes had with other nurseries, I'm proud to count Tsemeta as a vital member of our restoration team The Meagram Fire.

Click Here for the Six Rivers National Forest Webpage

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The Hoopa Valley Tribal EPA departement recently completed a cooperative feasibility study with Community Power Corporation based out of Littleton, Colorado. The study was a research and development phase of a multi-tiered project funded by National Renewal Energy Laboratories (NREL), and the California Energy Commission (CEC). The goal of the project was to use local wood waste (biomass) from Tribal timber operations to feed a small modular biomass unit which in turn would power the Tsemeta Nursury facilities. The beauty of the project was the closing of the biomass loop. Wood residue generated from timber slash was used to power a bio-fueled generator which powered the Tsemeta Nursery to grow more trees which would later be planted in these recently logged stands.

Robb Walt- Owner CPC, Billy Colegrove- Vice Chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Pliny McCovey Jr.- TEPA Coordinator