So after successfully importing the first set of Wollemi Pine trees to the US, I decided that those first few would not be enough, especially since the hard part was over, and getting a few more was going to be quick and fairly easy.  Also,  several friends were also interested, and signed up to have there Wollemi Pine shipped in at the same time as my second order.  So the second set of Wollemi Pine trees arrived, and it turns out they were much bigger than the first ones.

So by the middle of Summer 2011, and the arrival of the second shipment, I was feeling a little nostalgic for the chase.  After all, this project had literally become a quest, an obsession, and now that I had imported successfully twice, it seemed like an empty spot in the psyche needed filling.

So the next logical thing to do, is study and record as much information as I can about the trees, as there is not a lot of information out there.  So I have started to log the Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi Pine) progress, - note changes and quirks, and file away as much information as I can along with technical data notes, and lot of file photos.

And of course, the other logical thing to do was get back to the original quest to fill out the fossil and lazarus (extant) species display still happening, and another line of focus.  Now that importing has been figured out, how to search for, and legally import unusual and hard to find plants, The quest continues.  The two trees next on the list were just imported, and now on to the next on the list.

The search for Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi Pine) in the US, took me to the import/export realm of business, and I started to research importing the trees myself.  This process can take several months, and as it turns out, even years.  

There are a lot of forms to apply for. There are regulations at the country of origin and at the US port of entry.  There are quarantine requirements. There are inspections.  There are fees for inspections, and import duties, export duties.  There is the price of the tree itself, and freight charges.  Live plants have another set of issues of their own.  Another set of forms, and another set of forms, and yet another set of forms.  Some are required at the place of origin, and some are required in the US.  And more contacts, more correspondence.  

Importing to the US can be done if one follows the procedures and meets all the requirements.   This paperwork process alone took almost 2 1/2 years.  Then it was down to locating trees available for export.

Sometimes, when I thought I was almost there, someone would bring up another form or condition that had to be met.  I included every new hoop in my list of things to have ready and available.  One person might say I needed one form, and another department would say “no , not that one, you need this one”.  So I filled out both.  As it came to the end, this came in handy.  

My trees were at the port of entry. and I provided one form, the one most people said was the right one.  And they said I needed a different one.  So I reached into my briefcase and provided the other form, already filled out and photocopied.  I was not about to be foiled at the last minute if I could do anything about it.  The trees passed all that was needed and required, and I was able to look at real Wollemi Pine, complete with all their unique original numbers and paperwork.

Wow.  The Wollemi Pine is among the most beautiful trees in the world.  It is so unusual and different that it really does seem like it stepped out of history, something that time had forgotten.


It worked! I have my very own Wollemi Pine!

Feel free to comment, I am looking forward to hearing from viewers.

So it turned out that the Wollemi Pine official US site had been part of the bigger program, and then was discontinued as part of the official site.  The company had limited inventory, and was unable to import more to sell.  Many of the nurseries were having some technical issues with certifications, quarantine, and import/export glitches.  There was also the issue of all sales of Wollemi Pine being generated by the official program so that they could continue to afford to produce more trees.

I didn’t know it at the time, but the Wollemi Pine exports from Australia to the US had been suspended.   There were a number of reasons, a lot of them having to do with bugs and blights creating havoc in several Southern Hemisphere countries.  The hitchhikers were having devastating effects on local crops and forests of various South Pacific and area countries.  The US does not allow devastating hitchhikers. 

Crop insect infestations and various fungal and bacterial blights can be nearly impossible to get rid if once they get a foothold in a new environment.  Without natural predators, they reproduce unchecked and can quickly overtake a forest or field.

Any new exports would have to undergo lengthy quarantine in phyto-certified, clean conditions.  The new issues and subsequent regulations did not just affect Wollemi Pine, but many other pine species, and some non pines that had equal opportunity to be infected.

As far as I can figure out, the US distributor was reported to have gone bankrupt.  Online research gave various scenarios, part of which had to do with law suits when the name had been trademarked, and use of it became an offense.  Arboretums displaying the tree under the trademark came under fire, even though it was legally purchased from the Wollemi Pine Conservation group.

With exports from Australia suspended, the search switched gears and looked toward other sources, first in the US, and then from overseas.

Photo: new growth tip at the end of a young branch.  Note the leaves are still in spiral formation.

The Wollemi Pine America web site was listed on the Australian official site at first, through a link, and then it disappeared off the site.  Someone at the Australian site claimed the American site was not a part of their organization, even though it had the same format and logos and looked the same in every way.  They also claimed it never was, and that was confusing since they looked the same, and I had referenced it directly from the Australian site.

The Australian site used to list a school kit with a small tree and some teaching materials.  This was perfect, since the display being put together is for teaching and sponsored by a non-profit.  I placed an order.  Finally, a tree!

However, it turns out they could not ship the tree, and sent me the rest of the teaching kit without it.

My search for the Wollemi Pine was now becoming a quest. I spent hours on the internet and on the phone, and writing letters.  No one seemed to know where I could find a tree.  I called National Geographic again.  I emailed several nurseries all over the world.  I asked about seeds. No luck anywhere.

The search for a Wollemi Pine in the US, led me to ask a number of arboretums if they had any for sale.  No luck.  I tried a  number of tree nurseries to find out if they were available yet.  They were helpful, but didn’t have any themselves, and often referred me other nurseries where they might be found. Tough search, a lot of “good luck” encouragement, but the results were not as good.   I spent several months on the phone and on the internet.  

Internet searches have their own set of challenges.  The trick is to figure out what the best key words are, and even then, a species might appear on some obscure inventory list deep within the sight, that doesn’t pop up right away.  Wollemi Pine were difficult to find, but since they were so new to the market, I knew it was going to be difficult, just a matter of digging.  Meanwhile, I found a lot of other trees that could be very interesting, and put them on the list of acquisitions...

There were so few leads early on.  Of course, The official Wollemi Pine website listed a nursery in California, so I started to send emails with a few questions.  I sent emails for weeks, then months, and never heard back.  Then I found their order site, and tried to place an order.  For some reason, it wasn’t working.  They showed trees for sale, so I was getting close.

Meanwhile, I could find trees for sale at various places around the world, where the Wollemi were starting to show up in catalogues.  The contacts out of country were very helpful but, unfortunately, there were not able to ship to the US at the time.

The more roadblocks I ran into, the more determined I became to find a Wollemia nobilis of my own.  This effort was quickly turning into a quest.

In 2005 the Wollemi Pine was first offered to the public at auction to several botanical gardens.  Later in 2005, the Wollemi Pines were also offered to the general public. There were only a handful of trees available at first, but the propagation efforts quickly made more individual trees available to the general public, in addition to botanical gardens.

World wide distribution took place, and National Geographic offered the Wollemi Pines for sale in the USA.  National Geographic sold out fairly quickly.  The tree specimens were expensive, and small, and people complained about their size and condition.  This rare tree had only recently been propagated - a task that took ten years to come to fruition, so it should be no surprise that the trees would be small. They are brand new, after all...  It is also a rare tree - the operative word here being "rare". People should have expected it to be expensive.

Yearling Wollemi Pine trees can appear a bit thin and scrawny, by nature, and it is unfortunate that people were unhappy with the results.  First impressions can last a long time. In time, and a little care, the trees grow to become quite beautiful, and are so unusual and different, that it is more than well worth the wait for them to get bigger.  And they grow very fast!

I was out of touch with a family emergency for a while, and missed the announcement that they were up for sale through National Geographic here, and by the time I realized it, National Geographic had sold out.  There had been a lot of complaints, and they were not going to be carrying anymore, at the time of my inquiry.

So the search was on, to find out who else was going to be selling the trees in the US. Tune in for the next installment of my Wollemi Pine adventure.

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