APEAM branches out with 650,000 pine seedlings for avocado regions

The Association of Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers of Mexico (APEAM) has opened applications to distribute 650,000 pine seedlings in key avocado-producing areas of Michoacán and Jalisco. The move is set to reinforce forest conservation efforts tied to the United States avocado supply chain.

For the 2026 season, the program plans to deliver 570,000 pine seedlings in Michoacán and 80,000 in Jalisco, according to the organization. The plants come from seven forest nurseries—six in Michoacán and one in Jalisco—located in Ciudad Hidalgo, Uruapan, Nuevo Urecho, Zirimícuaro, Morelia, Zirahuén, and one site in Jalisco. 

Ciudad Hidalgo accounts for the largest share with 150,000 plants, followed by Uruapan with 120,000 and Nuevo Urecho and Zirimícuaro with 100,000 each.

APEAM selected species based on their adaptation to local growing conditions and their role in forest recovery. The pine seedlings include Pinus michoacana, Pinus moctezumae, Pinus pseudostrobus, Pinus leiophylla, Pinus douglasiana, Pinus oocarpa, and Cupressus lusitanica, also known as cedar.

New pine seedlings in the program

For the first time, the association has added a broadleaf plant initiative, producing 20,000 seedlings intended for warmer climate zones. The organization says the addition aims to diversify species used in reforestation and strengthen long-term conservation outcomes.

The application window to obtain the pine seedlings runs from January 5 through May 15 and targets avocado growers and packers affiliated with APEAM, as well as communal lands, Indigenous communities, ecological reserves, and municipal governments. The program focuses on protecting forested areas in strategic avocado-producing regions of western Mexico.

With the initiative, APEAM says it continues to support the "Path to Sustainability” of Mexico’s export avocado industry, emphasizing collaboration and partnerships as central to forest protection in producing communities.

*Photos courtesy of APEAM.

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