Where do our trees come from?

Our procurement processes ensure that every tree we use and supply has been sourced and grown within the UK and Ireland. Each one is fully traceable from planting material through to planting.

To enable this, we’ve put in place the biggest tree growing contracts in our history, investing more than £15 million since 2014.

How does it work?

Seeds are collected across the UK and Ireland and sent to nurseries to be grown on into saplings, or even into semi-mature trees. These trees are then used in our planting projects, or distributed to individuals, schools, communities and other landowners for planting. We also provide trees which may be grown in different ways, such as from cuttings.

Behind the scenes, we obtain seed certificates for all collections so the source can always be identified. Seed deliveries to nurseries are coded and batched, and sown into seed beds and growing areas designated for Woodland Trust stock.

These stock codes are retained right through to dispatch using computer records and physical labelling. This means we can track individual trees at every stage of their journey,  and we have full visibility of the supply chain.

Why is this important?

Responsible tree procurement is central to developing resilient landscapes. It limits the risk of spreading arboreal diseases and pests through plant imports. 

Large-scale procurement of appropriate stock is a cornerstone of our goal to establish 60,000 hectares of native woodland by 2030. It also enables us to get the best value from our supporters' money and to develop productive partnerships with the wider UK tree nursery sector.

UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown (UKISG)

Our UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown Assurance Scheme (UKISG) is a voluntary biosecurity initiative for tree nurseries. We developed the scheme in response to the ash dieback outbreak, to try and prevent this happening again. It provides the necessary assurances that the trees have been grown solely within the UK or Ireland. This includes ensuring material used to grow the tree, such as a seed or cuttings, is also UK or Ireland sourced.

We ensure that every tree we sell, plant or fund is sourced and grown in the UK or Ireland and UKISG provides the most reliable source of these trees. We also advocate for all tree buyers to prioritise sourcing of UKISG stock. 

UKISG does not only apply to native species, as there are many UK sources of non-native species too, including ornamental trees.

We appoint auditors to assess participating nurseries, so suppliers selling stock as UKISG assured have been independently verified to meet the requirements of the UKISG Standard.

Participating nurseries may identify and market UKISG assurance on qualifying stock and are not excluded from growing non-UKISG stock, or from importing plants and plant material provided there is strict segregation from UKISG stock.

The nurseries below have qualified for UKISG assured status, including some of the largest producers in the UK and Ireland. This list is updated each autumn.

Scotland

• Akre Limited, Fife

• Alba Trees, East Lothian

• Arkaig Community Trust, Highland

• Cheviot Trees, Scottish Borders

• Corrary Farm, Highland

• Couldoran Tree Nursery, Highland

• Darroch Nurseries, West Lothian

• Elsoms Trees, East Lothian

• Glenfalloch Trees, Perth and Kinross

• The Hebridean Tree Ark, Western Isles

• Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, Highland

• Little Assynt Tree Nursery, Highland

• Rivertrees Nursery, Highland

• Shetland Amenity Trust, Shetland Islands

• Stark's Ark, Western Isles

• Stornoway Tree and Plant Nursery, Western Isles

• Taynuilt Trees, Argyll and Bute

• Trees for Life, Highland

• UHI Orkney, Orkney

• Uist Community Tree Nursery, Western Isles

• Underground Trees Ltd., East Lothian

• West Coast Trees, Inverclyde

• Woodland Crofter Trees & Shrubs, Argyll and Bute

Wales

• Goetre Villa Ltd., Ceredigon

• Maelor Forest Nurseries, Flintshire

• Meithrinfa Goed Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri, Gwynedd

• North Wales Wildlife Trust, Denbighshire

• Planet Trees Nursery, Powys

• Re-Genus, Pembrokeshire

• Stump up for Trees, Monmouthshire

• Trees for Tomorrow, Pembrokeshire

Ireland

• None-So-Hardy, County Wicklow

Northern Ireland

• Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Tree Nursery, County Down

• Magilligan Tree Nursery, County Derry~Londonderry

• Mourne Heritage Trust CTN, County Down

• Papervale Trees, County Down

• TCV, County Down

England

North

• Aveland Trees, Lincolnshire

• Bloomin Forests (T & E Forshaw Ltd.), Lancashire

• British Hardwood Tree Nursery, Lincolnshire

• Crowders Nurseries, Lincolnshire

• J. A. Jones & Sons, Merseyside

• Premier Plant Producers, East Riding of Yorkshire

• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP Haverigg), Cumbria

• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP North Sea Camp), Lincolnshire

• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP Wymott), Lancashire

• Rooting4Change, West Yorkshire

• Thorpe Trees, North Yorkshire

• Trees Please, Northumberland

Central

• Barcham Trees, Cambridgeshire

• Botanica, Suffolk

• Cutlers Wood, Suffolk

• Heart of England Forest, Warwickshire

• Heathwood Nurseries, Shropshire

• King & Co The Tree Nursery, Essex

• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP Brinsford), Staffordshire

• Rymer Trees, Suffolk

South West

• Bee Happy Plants and Seeds CIC, Somerset

• Bleadon Trees, Somerset

• Bolghen Trees, Somerset

• Bowhayes Trees, Devon

• Exmoor Trees, Somerset

• Green Leaf Trees, Wiltshire

• Heydon Hill Tree Nursery, Somerset

• Lanjeth CTN, Cornwall

• Moor Trees, Devon

• Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest, Devon

• RJ Trees and Hedging, Herefordshire

• Tamar Trees, Devon

• The Grower Ltd, Cornwall

• WeeTree, Somerset

• Wyevale Nurseries, Herefordshire

South East

• Hillier Trees, Hampshire

• Oakover Nurseries, Kent

For queries or more information please email treeprocurement@woodlandtrust.org.uk.  

Extra security against tree pests and diseases

Imported pests and diseases pose a significant threat to our native trees, and the focus of the UKISG scheme is biosecurity.

By endorsing British-grown plants we hope to promote a reduced reliance on imported planting stock and limit the associated risk of pests and diseases being introduced from abroad.

In this way the scheme gives further protection for our native trees, complementing the range of measures already in place at borders and across the UK.