Mr. Fern was established in 1980 by the current Managing Director and founder, Les Vulcz. The production fern nursery was built in 1985 and Mr. Fern became a member of the Nursery Industry Association of
Victoria and Australia in 1987.
Mr. Fern could see the need to drive the tree fern industry towards best environmental practice and so conceived a vision of creating a “sustainable tree fern plantation. The first plantings of tree ferns in the
plantation, which is based on the principles of ecosystem mimicry, commenced in 1996. This was a challenging project as it was the first tree fern farm of its kind with no precedent to follow. The Otway Agroforestry Group assisted with the scoping study while Environment Australia (DEW) and the Victorian Department of
Sustainability and Environment (DSE) provided valuable advice. The exporting of ferns and tree ferns to Europe and Asia since 1996 has funded the experimentation and establishment of Mr. Fern’s unique tree fern farm.
The latest innovation by the company to ensure the highest of standards at Mr. Fern Nurseries includes:
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establishment of a new growing and processing area specifically designed to meet European Union standards |
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implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) to ISO 14000 standard
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established a Horticulture Export Program Approved
Arrangement with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS)
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development of treatments to replace the use of Methyl Bromide in line with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
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(Note: the use of methyl bromide is being phased out internationally as the bromines in MB are fifty times more destructive to ozone than the chlorine found in CFC’s) | 
