Reviewing the issues associated with procurement of good quality tree seed, this paper observed that the few international organisations supplying free seed limited distribution to formal scientific trials. Individual farmers had no means of acquiring free seed of high quality, a situation which the Henry Doubleday Research Association Tree Seed Distribution Project sought to redress in Africa. The project pursued a number of approaches to improving seed distribution: bulk collection and storage of tested seed, widespread advertising, advice on appropriate species for different uses and environments and collation of feedback information from participants.