Seed day is sow beneficial Advice on collection and planting

TreeLink Stirling held a tree seed collection event beside Loch Lomond at the Cashel Forest Trust on Saturday.

The Royal Scottish Forestry Society has planted beautiful native woodlands at the spot.

Ann White, a trustee of TreeLink Stirling, arranged the day there because she knew members would be welcomed and have opportunities to learn from the knowledgeable staff.

“There is a huge demand for native trees now as people respond to the climate and nature emergency,” said Ann. “As well as collecting much needed seed, we learned how important it is to source trees locally and to prevent the spread of tree diseases.”

TreeLink members were collecting seeds for its ‘dispersed tree nursery’ which sees members grow trees from seeds and cuttings. Once they are big enough, they will be given to community groups that are establishing new woodland.

To support the dispersed nursery, TreeLink is also establishing a nursery hub in Braehead Community Garden in Stirling.

Paul Dumbleton, chair of TreeLink, said: “Not everyone has room to grow saplings on from seed. The hub at Braehead will provide a space for the seedlings to be grown on until they are ready to be ‘re-homed’.

Simon Stuart, an experienced forester and Cashel trustee, led the morning session. After collecting seeds, the day at Cashel included a demonstration of preparing and planting seeds for the best results by TreeLink trustee Judi Legg of Wildside Adventures.

Judi demonstrated techniques for maximising germination from easy to grow acorns to those which need a bit more preparation before planting such as rowan.

Allan Parlane, one of the tree nursery volunteers, said: “I am an experienced gardener and have been an allotment holder, but have not grown trees from seeds before now. Trees are a new challenge. I learned a lot today and enjoyed a day on Loch Lomondside.”

Emma Sandhu, the ranger at Cashel Forest Trust, was delighted to share the day with TreeLink members.

“It is always great to see people at Cashel learning and working together for a wider good,” said Emma.

“We’re keen to support initiatives like TreeLink and have our own dropin volunteering group which meets every Tuesday from 10am until 2pm. All are welcome to come along. Anyone curious about Cashel can also join us on Saturday, October 2 from 10am for The Cashel Bash autumn festival. See our Facebook page for further details.”