About
Growing high quality seedlings for almost 70 years.
The Harrington Tree Nursery started as a forestry research center but is now focused on growing containerized tree seedlings for the Ministère des Forêts,de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP). The main species grown are black spruce, white spruce, jack pine and white pine for reforestation across Québec.
- To be a leader in forest seedling production through improvement of our growing operations.
- To support the establishment of sustainable and productive plantations.
- To continue to give back and support our employees and community
- As a business located in a small town, community involvement is of utmost importance to us and includes donating resources and manpower to aid local non-profit organizations and individuals.
- Our employees are our company’s greatest asset. We work together to achieve our goals within a safe and enjoyable workplace.
- Our employees, customers, investors, and suppliers are our partners.
- The success of our company is directly linked to the success of our customers and employees.
Company History
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1952
Founded in 1952 by the Canadian International Paper Company (CIP) as an educational center to help landowners in the surrounding Rouge River Valley learn about the basic principles of forest management.
CIP Trademark
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1956
A tree nursery was established to produce bare root seedlings to be sold at cost to valley landowners and used to reforest large areas of barren land that had been unsuccessfully farmed since the end of the 19th century. -
1970
In the late 70’s the need for additional seedling production continued to increase. Containerized seedling production was added to the bare root production capacity at Harrington, making us the first private tree nursery in Quebec to switch to container grown seedlings. -
1980
In 1980, we implemented a tree improvement program and seed orchards were established in Harrington. White spruce, Norway spruce, Black Spruce and Hybrid Larch were the species selected and researched in the creation of these plantations. -
1986
In in the spring of 1986, the Quebec government and the Harrington Tree Nursery negotiated a large-scale agreement making the Harrington production complex one of the largest in Quebec. The bare root tree nursery activity was discontinued, and a two-million-dollar capital investment transformed Harrington into a state-of-the-art production complex. Production capacity was increased to 14 million seedlings per year. -
2000
In July 2000, the company was bought by local investors and privatized. The Harrington Tree Nursery also became a member of the Office des Producteurs de Plants Forestiers du Québec (OPPFQ). As a member of the association, we are one of only 12 private tree producers supplying seedlings for the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) in Québec. -
2016
Four new cold frames were installed, a new fertilizer and chemical storage building was added, and upgrades to our portable rail and table system were implemented to ensure quality seedling production for years to come. -
2017-2021
Following the introduction of the Programme de modernisation des infrastructures en pépinières forestières (PMIPF) in 2017, Harrington was able to receive funding to improve and modernize our infrastructure including:
- addition of 15 cold frame tunnels and 30 growing beds
- modernization of our seeding line
- updating the heating system and replacement of the polycarbonate siding of our greenhouse
With these additions we are now responsible for approximately 10 million of the 150 million trees produced annually in Quebec for the MFFP.