For consulting forester Will Tulloss, choosing seedlings is a decision shaped by the property, the landowner’s goals, and the future of the stand. Each planting calls for a recommendation that fits the client – and having a range of genetics to choose from helps him deliver that personalized approach. 

Will, President of Mazur & Tulloss Associates LLC, has worked with ArborGen since 2017. What keeps him coming back is a combination of seedling quality, product choices, and attentive service.  

“Hard to beat the quality and service you get with ArborGen,” he says. 

More Choices for a More Personalized Planting 

Will’s interest in loblolly pine genetics began while attending North Carolina State University, through work with consulting forester Bob Mazur and a summer internship with Rayonier’s genetics team. Today, that interest informs the recommendations he makes for his clients. 

He considers how different genetics fit a site and the landowner’s objectives, alongside the management decisions that will guide the stand’s development. ArborGen’s selection gives him options across regions and price points, helping him tailor those recommendations. 

“You can ‘customize’ your pine plantation like never before!” Will says. 

For the landowners he serves, that means seedling selection receives the same personal attention as the other decisions made for their property. 

Following the Results in the Field 

Will continues to follow the trees after planting, returning to observe growth, stem form, and straightness across different seedling families. On a client’s tract in eastern Wilson County, North Carolina, he is monitoring containerized ArborGen MCP Pro+ seedlings planted on March 13, 2023. It was one of the first tracts where he deployed that family, and he has been particularly encouraged by the growth rate, stem form, and rust resistance he has observed so far.  

He has also noticed the importance of early establishment. In his experience, strong first-year growth seems to make a difference, particularly with early planting using container seedlings. 

A longer view is taking shape on a client’s tract along the Tar River in southern Nash County, North Carolina. There, ArborGen MCP Pro+ bareroot seedlings planted on February 2, 2018, have grown into a stand Will is revisiting as he checks on his early planting projects.  

“It has been really cool to see them go from seedling size to where they are now,” he says. 

These return visits allow him to follow how his planting decisions develop over time and bring those observations to future recommendations. As his early stands approach thinning age, he is eager to continue watching their progress. 

Service That Supports the Decision 

Alongside the seedlings, Will values the relationship he has built with ArborGen Reforestation Advisor Austin Heine, Ph.D. The feedback and attention to detail he receives help support the personalized approach he takes with his own clients. 

“I have always felt taken care of and attended to despite being a smaller customer,” he says. 

That experience is an important part of why he continues to choose ArborGen. He values having both seedling options to consider and an advisor he can turn to as he plans a planting. 

For Will, the goal is to help landowners establish a forest that fits their objectives and then stay involved as it develops. ArborGen’s seedlings and service are part of that work – from selecting a family to returning years later to see how the trees have grown.