Volunteers collect 11m rare seeds to restore Scotland’s native forests

Trees gathered by hand from remote western areas and Scotland’s rainforest could help grow 7.8m trees for woodland recovery

Volunteers have collected more than 11 million rare native tree seeds by hand from remote parts of Scotland to help restore the country’s depleted woodlands and rainforest.

The project, run by Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland, has far exceeded its original target of collecting one million seeds after gathering enough to grow an estimated 7.8 million trees.

Around 100 volunteers have taken part since the scheme began in 2023, collecting seeds from hard-to-reach areas on the west coast, the islands and Scotland’s rainforest.

The charities said the work is intended to increase the supply of native trees with traceable local provenance, particularly from western Scotland.

Seeds from the west of Scotland and its islands carry genetic traits adapted over thousands of years since the last Ice Age.

Trees grown from those seeds are expected to have a better chance of survival when planted locally, helping woodland restoration projects withstand disease and climate change.

The seeds collected include hazel, oak, dwarf birch, willow, juniper, birch, wild cherry, wych elm, yew and elder.

They are checked at Trees for Life’s Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston, near Loch Ness, before many are donated to accredited nurseries across Scotland.

More than 20 nurseries have received seeds through the project so far.

The nurseries are part of the Woodland Trust’s UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown Assurance Scheme, which gives assurance that trees have been sourced and grown in the UK or Ireland.

Roz Birch, Tree Seed Collection project officer, said: “It’s a privilege to coordinate this project. Spending time in the woods with volunteers and colleagues is the highlight of my role – it’s inspiring to meet so many different people who all deeply care about native woodlands, nature and wildlife, and want to make a lasting, positive difference.

“Collecting these precious tree seeds is about hope. It’s about committing to a better future for ourselves and for future generations, and for Scotland’s biodiversity.”

The project was launched in August 2023 and was originally expected to run for three years.

It has now been extended for at least another year after surpassing its initial target.

Scotland is one of Europe’s least-wooded countries, with native woodland covering about four per cent of its land.

Less than two per cent of the Caledonian forest, a Highland habitat supporting wildlife including red squirrels, capercaillie and crossbills, survives today.

On the west coast, as little as 30,000 hectares of Scotland’s rainforest remains.

Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland said planting native trees is vital in areas where woodland cannot recover naturally.

The Tree Seed Collection project is funded by Woodland Trust Scotland, with support from Postcode Lottery players and other supporters, and by supporters of Trees for Life’s Big Give Earth Raise Appeal and Wild Seed Appeal, the BrITE Foundation and the Clean Planet Foundation.

Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland are also members of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, which is calling for Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation by committing to nature recovery across 30 per cent of the country, including a doubling of native woodland cover.

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