The new tree nursery, which is based at Broadclyst, East Devon, is part of the Saving Devon’s Treescapes – a project led by Devon Wildlife Trust.
Since 2020 the project has worked with local communities, schools, landowners and businesses in its quest to plant and nurture 250,000 trees in five years, helping to restore losses of wild trees due to the devastating impacts of ash dieback disease. It is a partnership project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and One Tree Planted.
The tree nursery is based at the National Trust’s Heathfield Farm, Broadclyst which is run by local charity Devon Link-up. It is the second nursery to be established by Saving Devon’s Treescapes, following the success of a similar nursery at Meeth Quarry nature reserve, near Hatherleigh in 2020.
The Heathfield Farm nursery will grow native broadleaf species of trees including rowan, hazel and birch. After spending their first two years being nurtured at the nursery, the young trees will be distributed free to local landowners and community projects to be planted across Devon’s countryside.
Rosie Cotgreave leads the Saving Devon Treescapes project and has overseen the nursery’s set-up. Rosie says:
“This is a big step forward in our work to help restore the treescapes of Devon. Within two years the nursery will be producing 10,000 young trees. These will then become an important part in our work to create tree cover where it has been lost to disease and to establish new trees where they are most needed.
The long-term benefits of this for wildlife are significant. Trees offer homes and food to countless insects, birds and small mammals, as well as hosting lichens, mosses and fungi. We know too that people benefit from seeing and being among trees. The beneficial legacy of this nursery will be felt for decades to come.”
