SCA's Wifstamon nursery had its seed extraction premier this past winter. Using an in-house developed kiln and seed separator, SCA can now process cones to obtain seeds from its own pine seed plantations.

In the seed extraction process, the cones open up and release their seeds. It may sound simple, but it requires a quality-assured work method so as not to damage the valuable seeds. For many years, SCA has hired a contractor for its cone kilning, but as of this year, the company can process a large share of the cones itself.

"It's good to be able to do some of the extraction in-house," says Marlene Lagergren, who was the project manager for the project.

"In addition, we create employment over the winter in our otherwise very seasonal business. And we enhance our skills," adds Anders Tolblad, Manager at NorrPlant.