Provenance describes the area from which seed was collected and should not be confused with origin which describes that part of the natural range of the species from which the parent plant material originally derived. Specifications of plants in the past have been expressed in their physical characteristics such as height and root collar diameter only. Customers now insist that the genetic integrity of the plants be guaranteed through traceability. This is of equal importance to the environmentalist who may insist on local provenance as to the commercial forester who requires plants raised from a specific seed orchard or stand. For the commercial forester seed can be obtained via our contacts with major seed houses in the UK and worldwide. Local provenance collection can be made by our network of UK collectors or by advising you, our customer, to collect seed with your own staff and dealing with any documentation required. This documentation is the basic component of traceability thus ensuring genetic integrity. At Alba we have invested in the most advanced stock control system which guarantees traceability at all stages of production and delivery. This system is independently audited by the Forestry Commission on an annual basis and can be inspected by the customer at any time.  These inspections are a process which we strongly encourage. All our records comply with the EU’s Forestry Reproductive Materials Regulations. A list of the provenances we have growing on the nursery at any one time is available by clicking on the Latin name of a species in the price list or availability listings. We can supply full details on request. The Forestry Commission has devised a map of UK seed provenance zones shown here. This allows seed collectors, nurseries and customers to express themselves in the same terms.         Image supplied by courtesy of www.treetrader.co.uk