Tree-mendous effort Campaign for 2,020 saplings exceeds target
ACAMPAIGN launched by BBC Radio Gloucestershire in July to plant 2,020 saplings in the county has exceeded its target.
The ‘Ourboretum’ scheme was launched on July 6, and was initiated in response to the upsetting number of trees we could lose to ash dieback - a devastating fungal disease which, according to the Woodland Trust, will kill 95 per cent of all ash trees in the country.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire challenged its army of volunteers to collect seeds from oak, beech and hazel trees this autumn and plant them before nuturing them over the winter.
They will be planted in locations identified by the Cotswolds National Landscape team next winter.
Ash dieback is incurable and doesn’t just put the trees themselves at risk, but the many species supported by them - including the lesser stag beetle, owls, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.
People from all corners of the county from all walks of life invested their time into the project: one woman planted a tree in memory of her late mother, a Forest of Dean gardening group planted 50 saplings, and Pulhams Coaches got their staff involved as a symbol of new beginnings.
The children of Drybrook Primary School also got stuck in, and Sherborne Brook Support Group potted a whopping 300 acorns and 100 beechmast.
Not only has the grassroots project hit its target of 2,020 saplings, but it has exceeded it by a long shot, with BBC Radio Gloucestershire announcing on Friday that the dedicated green fingers of Gloucestershire have planted 2,700 saplings.
Chris Sandys, a journalist for BBC Radio Gloucestershire, said: “What a phenomenal response, the enthusiasm from our local communities towards Gloucestershire’s great outdoors never stops surprising me.
“We wanted to be growing 2,020 trees before we headed into 2021 - at this rate we may collect far more than we ever expected, helping keep Gloucestershire green and leafy for generations to come.”
The seed collection window will close in just a few weeks, so if you want to get involved, here’s how:
» Use the guidance online to collect seeds
» The website will give you all the advice you need to start growing the seeds at home
» The homegrown saplings will be planted across Gloucestershire next winter (2021/22).
» BBC Radio Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds Conservation Board will identify locations where the fledgling trees can be planted and aim to log each one to create a permanent record of where they are growing.