BSW Group’s Maelor Forest Nurseries has introduced a national delivery model for young trees that uses cold chain vehicles, specialist flatbeds and truck-mounted forklifts to protect saplings from the nursery to planting sites, according to BSW Group. The service covers bare root and cell grown trees and is now the standard delivery method for Maelor customers.
Maelor said the system is designed to reduce weather-related and handling stress during the period between lifting and planting, which it described as a high-risk stage for tree health and woodland establishment.
The nursery said bare root trees begin to respire when exposed to temperatures of 4°C and above, consuming carbohydrate reserves and risking damage to fine root tissues that can reduce the tree’s ability to re-establish after planting.
The company said cold chain transport maintains saplings in a dormant state by keeping temperatures consistently low, which it said suppresses respiration, preserves energy stores and reduces dehydration and disease risk so trees arrive on site in better physiological condition.
BSW Group said it expanded logistics capacity with specialist flatbed vehicles and truck-mounted forklifts to create a mechanised delivery system intended to improve access to remote or constrained planting sites and enable faster unloading without manual handling or additional machinery.
Andrew Henry, Nursery Director at Tilhill Forestry, said the delivery model combines cold storage, logistics and on-site mechanisation to improve quality and consistency in tree handling and to support establishment results within shorter and less predictable planting windows.
