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 seed collection through to planting.

To enable this, we’ve put in place the biggest tree growing contracts in our history, investing more than £10 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. These saplings are then distributed to individuals, schools, communities and other landowners for planting.

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 exclusively 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 woodlands. 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 plant 64 million trees by 2025. It also enables us to get the best value from our supporters' money and to develop productive partnerships with the wider UK forestry sector.

UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown (UKISG)

Our UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown Assurance Scheme (UKISG) is a voluntary initiative for forest nurseries. It identifies the provenance of stock to buyers and assures that trees have been raised from seed sourced and grown solely within the UK and Ireland for its entire lifespan.

While not a licensed industry standard, UKISG is the benchmark for tree procurement at the Woodland Trust. As a major wholesale buyer of nursery stock, we’re proud to buy British and believe strongly that all new trees planted in UK woodlands and forests should be UKISG.

We appointed auditors to inspect and approve participating nurseries, so all saplings sold as UKISG are independently audited at every stage of their production. 

Participating nurseries may identify and market UKISG on qualifying stock, and are not excluded from growing non-UKISG stock.

The nurseries below have qualified for UKISG assured status – including some of the largest producers in the UK.

Scotland

• Alba Trees, East Lothian
• Akre Limited, Fife
• Arkaig Community Trust, Inverness-shire
• Cheviot Trees, Scottish Borders
• Corrary Farm, Highland
• Darroch Nurseries, West Lothian
• Elsoms Trees, East Lothian
• Horshader Community Development, Western Isles
• Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, Highland
• Little Assynt Tree Nursery, Sutherland
• Shetland Amenity Trust, Shetland Islands
• Stark's Ark, Western Isles
• Taynuilt Trees, Argyll
• Woodland Crofter Trees & Shrubs, Argyll and Bute

Wales

• Green Trees Nursery, Powys
• Maelor Forest Nurseries, Clwyd
• Meithrinfa Goed Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri, Gwynedd
• North Wales Wildlife Trust, Denbighshire
• SAF Woodland, Pembrokeshire
• Stump, 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 Londonderry

England

North

• J. A. Jones & Sons, Merseyside
• Thorpe Trees, North Yorkshire
• Trees Please, Northumberland
• Premier Plant Producers, East Riding of Yorkshire
• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP Kirkham, HMP Haverigg, HMP Humber)

Midlands

• Aveland Trees, Lincolnshire
• British Hardwood Tree Nursery, Lincolnshire
• Crowders Nurseries, Lincolnshire
• Heathwood Nurseries, Shropshire
• RJ Trees and Hedging, Herefordshire
• Wyevale Nurseries, Herefordshire
• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP North Sea Camp, HMP Brinsford)

South West

• Bee Happy Plants and Seeds, Somerset
• Bleadon Trees, Somerset
• Bowhayes Trees, Devon
• Emmaus Community Tree Nursery, Cornwall
• Exmoor Trees, Somerset
• Forest Wild Trees Limited, Gloucestershire
• Heydon Hill Tree Nursery, Somerset
• Moor Trees, Devon
• Tamar Trees, Devon
• The Grower, Cornwall
• WeeTrees, Somerset

South East

• Barcham Trees, Cambridgeshire
• Botanica, Suffolk
• Hillier Trees, Hampshire
• Rymer Trees, Suffolk
• Prison Industries Tree Nurseries (HMP Huntercombe, HMP Woodhill)

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.