tech
‘Literally growing the future’: volunteers help save Scottish rainforest by collecting 11m seeds
Teams painstakingly combed endangered Atlantic habitat over several years, helping to grow 8m native trees
TL;DR
- Nearly 8 million native trees have been grown in Scotland from 11 million seeds collected by volunteers.
- Around 100 volunteers have contributed tens of thousands of hours to collect seeds from specific native trees in remote western Highland and island woodlands.
- The collected seeds are processed by Trees for Life at their nursery, with saplings replanted in their original seed zones.
- The restoration projects aim to revive the Atlantic rainforest, a rare temperate habitat, of which only 30,000 hectares are estimated to survive.
- Volunteers identify and collect seeds from resilient native species like hazel, sessile oak, and birch, which are adapted to Scotland's Atlantic coast conditions.
- The project is supported by organizations like NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, and The Woodland Trust, and has secured funding for a fourth year.
- Volunteers emphasize the importance of taking action on climate change and preserving the environment for future generations.