The local charity Moor Trees is celebrating a record-breaking seed gathering season with a staggering 368kg of fruits, nuts, acorns and berries collected this year.

Moor Trees works on creating and expanding native broadleaf woodlands on Dartmoor

Since August, 89 Moor Trees volunteers have given over 800 hours collecting seeds from a total of 23 different sites on Dartmoor and the surrounding area.

Once the seeds have been gathered, they are brought back to Moor Trees’ two Community Tree Nurseries where they are weighed and recorded.

With this bounty of a harvest the volunteers worked harder than ever.

Earlier in the year the charity invested in a special piece of equipment to help with processing seeds such as from hawthorn and blackthorn and hosted a demonstration event for other Community Tree Nurseries on Thursday, October 30 which was supported with funding from the Woodland Trust.

The more specialised species such as Guelder Rose and Small Leaved Lime need to be processed by hand by the volunteers.

Volunteers seed processing at Dartington Community Tree Nursery.
Volunteers seed processing at Dartington Community Tree Nursery. (Moor Trees)

Sam Manning, rainforest project officer, for the Woodland Trust, said: “Creating biosecure sources of tree seeds genetically adapted to Dartmoor is key to establishing the healthy, resilient forests of the future. The funding of a network of local tree nurseries and seed collection is a crucial part of this vision, that the Woodland Trust is delighted to support.”

Seed gathering is a key feature in the volunteer calendar and was supported by funding from the Woodland Trust thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery with funds awarded by Postcode Green Trust.

Moor Trees operations manager Dave Lewis said: “It has been an incredible year for seeds and the woodland floor has been covered with acorns.

“Having access to an abundant supply of local provenance trees is essential to create more woodland to respond to the climate and nature crisis here in Devon and we are enormously proud of our role in producing these trees.”

To support the charity’s ongoing work, please donate at www.moortrees.org/donate or to volunteer, register via the website.