Let’s grow our own trees!

Everyone’s agreed we need more trees but how easy is it going to be to source saplings and meet demand.

Well, Adam Gretton, the founder of More Trees BANES,  says the answer is to establish small tree nurseries in local communities. Adam said: “Large corporations, Local Authorities and groups like ours are pledging to plant hundreds of thousands of trees in and around our region.

We always try and source our trees locally, but even though the commercial tree

At this time of year, many of us are busy pulling up weeds from our gardens – including self-seeded trees. More Trees BANES want to create a network of community nurseries, where these saplings can be grown on, as well as growing from seed and cuttings collected locally.

They can then be planted out after a couple of years. A nursery could be as small as a spare raised bed, or as large as a field.  Everyone can help with this. We need people who can offer a bit of land, people who can collect seedlings from gardeners and replant them; and we need volunteers to help them to grow.

Above all, we need some expertise, both in terms of managing tree nurseries as well as administration and coordination of activities.”

Adam was speaking on the new webinar Climate Conversations with Cllr Sarah Warren. Cllr Warren said: I was delighted that Adam was able to join me for a Climate Conversation, and I am really excited about his ideas for community-based tree nurseries. This is something we can all help with. It’s a chance for residents to come together, those who have land but no time, and those who have time but no land, but who all want to help.

So, nursery managers, administrators and people who like planting trees, there’s room for everyone. I know More Trees received offers from our webinar attendees, and I look forward to working with everyone to get this fantastic initiative off the ground.”

Adam Gretton again: “More Trees for BANES was established in 2008, and has been planting native trees and hedging across Bath and North East Somerset ever since. We’ve planted in public and private land in a wide variety of places. We always plant native species, and once a year we give away fruit trees for people’s gardens.

The idea for community-based, tree nurseries grew out of our relationship with the Dry Arch Project, where we have supported them with a mini tree nursery there, which has resulted in over 1,400 trees being grown on and planted out in a short space of time. This is what we’d like to reproduce across our region.

Climate change is the biggest threat to human life on this planet, clearly not the most prominent threat at the moment, but whereas we hope Covid-19 will be solved in a matter of months, climate change is going to be a perpetual challenge for us to get our heads around for the foreseeable future, for human life to sustain itself.  Tree planting isn’t the only solution, but it’s a vital part of what needs to be done.  This project gives everyone a chance to get involved in a small or big way.  Let’s dig!”