Services

From seed to free-growing.

Free to Grow Contracting Ltd. is an owner-operated silviculture company based in Valemount, BC. We execute a vertically integrated silviculture model, managing the entire reforestation lifecycle from initial seed procurement to final free-to-grow surveys.

Pre-harvest and seed procurement

Comprehensive block layout, danger tree assessments, cone caging, and targeted seed collection for both commercial forestry and species-at-risk recovery.

Planting operations

Planting over one million trees annually across the Robson Valley and throughout BC and AB. We specialize in navigating rugged terrain with an uncompromising focus on planting quality and seedling health.

Stand maintenance

Strategic stand tending, spacing, and integrated pest management to maximize seedling survival and accelerate growth rates.

Compliance and reporting

Rigorous, accurate silviculture surveys that ensure all legal and operational obligations are met without delay.

Refrigerated trailer used for on-site seedling cold storage — Refrigerated storage on site — cold chain held from nursery to block

Shaded summer tree cache with seedling boxes under shade cloth — Shaded summer cache — stock kept cool and watered

Helicopter and slung seedling boxes on a landing below a burned hillside — Heli delivery to remote polygons

Experienced planting, stand tending, block layout, cone collection and survey crews working across the full range of biogeoclimatic zones and topography found in western Canada.

Planter working a high-elevation block with a glaciated peak above the cloud line — High-elevation whitebark pine planting

Planter working a fire salvage block above a river valley — Fire salvage ground

Planter with full bags working steep ground below a snow-covered ridge — West Canoe

Crew member brushing dense regeneration with a clearing saw — Stand tending

Crew member stand tending with Mount Robson behind — Stand tending below Mount Robson

Climber collecting scion from a high-elevation pine above snow-covered mountains — Scion collection

Mesh cone cages fitted to a high-elevation pine above a valley — Cone caging for seed collection

Planter crossing a wet cutblock in high-visibility gear below snow-covered peaks — Spring planting, fresh cutblock

Crew member burning hand piles beside decked logs in winter — Winter pest control

Planter working a block below a limestone mountain face in late season — Late-season planting

Planter working rocky high-elevation ground above a scree basin — High-elevation whitebark pine planting

Planter working burned ground below a glaciated mountain range — Planting whitebark pine S/N Canoe glaciers

Planter working a steep burned slope above a river — Planting up the Hugh Allen burn

Planter working a subalpine block with fresh snow on the peaks behind — Subalpine polygon, first snow on the peaks

Crew member brushing in a mixed birch and spruce stand in autumn — Autumn stand tending, mixed stand

Young larch stand turning gold above a lake — Some larch in stand turning

Aerial view of a block part way through stand tending, treated ground curing tan against untreated brush — Stand tending part way through a block — treated ground cures tan against untreated brush, conifers free to grow

About us

Established 2017.

We eliminate the administrative friction, logistical delays, and quality-control drops that happen when a cutblock is passed between multiple, disconnected contractors. From initial planning to final regulatory sign-off, we provide a seamless, turnkey solution.

Operating areas

We work throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

Side-by-side utility vehicle on a muddy skid road below a snow-capped peak

Based in Valemount, in the Robson Valley, with crews operating across the British Columbia Interior and into Alberta.

We work on the traditional and unceded territories of the Simpcw and Lheidli T'enneh peoples in the Robson Valley, and on the territories of many other First Nations across British Columbia and Alberta where our crews operate. We are grateful to work on these lands and are committed to building lasting relationships in the communities we work in.

Health and safety