Tree Seed Collection
Tree Seed Collection Project
Collecting and verifying seeds for at least one million trees
The Tree Seed Collection Project, focuses on the critical task of collecting and verifying seeds for at least one million trees, with the aim to donate enough seeds to grow at least 500,000 trees across nurseries in Scotland.
A collaborative endeavour with Woodland Trust Scotland and Trees for Life, the Clean Planet Foundation are the largest private backer of the project.
May '26 Update: We smashed the project target - read more!
Next Update: December '26
Background
Planting trees is critical in supporting the expansion of Scotland’s Caledonian forest in areas where natural regeneration is not possible. For planted trees to have the best chance of survival, it's imperative to grow them from locally-collected seed. This maintains the species’ area-specific genetics, which bolsters resilience against disease and climate change.
Scotland has a shortage of native trees grown with traceable local provenance, particularly from the west coast – home to Scotland’s temperate rainforest.
Project Aims
This 3-year project aims to enhance the availability of native trees from western Scotland by organising volunteers and montane specialists to collect seeds from the specific geographical areas, predominantly in Scotland’s rainforest, where planting is planned. Local tree nurseries will receive assistance in growing trees from these seeds. The resulting trees will be supplied to Woodland Trust Scotland and Trees for Life for planting.
01
Expand geographical areas of seed collection in the west of Scotland
02
Focus on rare and montane tree species
03
Collect and verify seed for at least 1,000,000 trees over a 3-year period
04
Donate enough seed to grow at least 500,000 trees to nurseries across Scotland
Project
Supporters
The Clean Planet Foundation is the largest private backer of the project, Additionally, there are several other sponsors and supporters which enable this project to happen.
Latest
Updates
The Tree Seed Collection Project is a collaborative three-year project to enhance the availability of native trees. The project is working with over 100 volunteers to fulfil its aims.
Starting from Q2 2024, this page will provide updates on the challenges, success and general progress - in a bid to collect and verify seeds for at least one million trees:
Update Diary...
April 2024
Announcement
Announcing our 3rd flagship project to the world! To date, the project has already completed 79 collections, resulting in a total weight of 260.613kg in raw seed, marking a significant milestone towards an ambitious goal.
November 2024
We've smashed the projects one million target already!
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Over 2.2 million seeds collected: Surpassing our total-project targets, we've reached an important milestone. This achievement was celebrated across media outlets and through radio interviews, including BBC Highlands and Islands.
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Successful willow seed collections: Volunteers have been hard at work collecting and distributing willow seeds to nurseries, particularly in Glen Finglas and Dunollie, ensuring future generations of native trees.
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First collection on the Isle of Skye: We expanded our reach to the Isle of Skye, where we conducted our first volunteer-led tree seed collection. This is a vital step in widening our geographical impact.
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Aspen root propagation: At the Woodland Crofter Nursery, volunteers began the propagation of aspen root cuttings, a critical task in maintaining genetic diversity, which strengthens resilience against disease.
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Training and innovation: New tools, including a GIS Survey App, have been introduced to assist volunteers in tracking seed collection sites and tree observations. Additionally, seasonal training sessions have empowered volunteers with the skills to maximize the impact of their collections.
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Planning for the future: Site visits to Orkney and new collaborations with nurseries and landowners are setting the stage for even greater achievements in the coming year. Collection plans for 2024-2025 are already being developed.
May 2025:
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An estimated 5.2 million seeds have now been collected, representing the potential to grow over 3.5 million native trees across Scotland.
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244 kg of raw seed was gathered during the autumn collection season.
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Five dedicated collection locations were held at Loch Arkaig, Crinan Woods, Dunollie Woods, and the Isle of Skye.
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The project hosted the first-ever joint Western Isles and Isle of Skye volunteer weekend, creating new opportunities for community engagement in remote regions.
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Collaborations with local organisations like Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT) helped strengthen links between ecological restoration and regional economic development.
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The project’s work was featured in The Guardian, where a correspondent and photographer shadowed the teams to learn more about native tree species restoration and volunteer action.
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GIS mapping and botanical research, including contractor-led data collection on aspen and juniper populations in zones 102–106.
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Coordination with UKISG nurseries to prepare batches for stratification, germination, and sowing.
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Continuing propagation work from aspen root cuttings, with the second year of root collection beginning in Crinan and Dunollie.
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Enhanced data tracking through the Seed Depot system, ensuring accurate batch triaging, processing timelines, and nursery distribution.
May 2026:
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An estimated 9.3 million seeds have now been collected across the project, representing the potential to grow more than 6.3 million native trees across Scotland.
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505.988 kg of raw seed was gathered during the latest collection season, supported by a strong Oak mast year.
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The latest season added an estimated 4.1 million germinable tree seeds, representing the potential to grow around 2.8 million native trees.
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170 seed batches were collected, with 212 individual batches posted in by volunteers.
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38 kg of Hazel nuts were successfully stratified at Dundreggan Nursery and distributed to nurseries from East Lothian through to Orkney and Shetland.
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The project increased collections of Sessile Oak across western Scotland.
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Improved collections were also made of Yew, Wild Cherry and Elder from hard-to-collect locations and seed zones.
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The project piloted its first Wild Aspen Seed Experiment, including manual pollination in the wild at The Plock and Sandaig in Lochalsh.
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The team identified its first male Aspen tree in Kintail, supporting future work on Aspen propagation and genetic diversity.
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All seed batches have now been distributed to UKISG nurseries for sowing in spring 2026.
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68 seed batches were stratified, pre-treated and posted to support nursery propagation.
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All Master Certificates have been issued to UKISG nurseries, strengthening seed journey tracking from collection through to future tree sales.
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The project hosted its third Celebration Weekend at Dundreggan, bringing together 24 volunteers alongside Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland colleagues.
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An extension year has been agreed, allowing the Tree Seed Collection Project to continue until May 2027.
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Development is underway for the future Native Tree Recovery Project, with a focus on genetic diversity, accessible seed stands, natural regeneration, Montane seed stands and rarer native species.
Next Update:
December 2026