SCOTLAND — Volunteers have collected 11 million seeds by hand to help restore parts of the Atlantic rainforest in Scotland, leading to the growth of nearly 8 million native trees. Approximately 100 volunteers have participated in this seed collection effort.

The volunteers have spent tens of thousands of hours gathering seeds in the western Highlands and islands of Scotland. They use detailed maps compiled by NatureScot and Scottish Forestry to find pockets of ancient woodland, searching for trees such as hazel, sessile oak, dwarf birch, willow, juniper, birch, wild cherry, wych elm, yew, and elder.

Trees for Life collects, grades, and checks the seeds at its tree nursery at Dundreggan near Inverness. Finished saplings are then sent back to distinct seed zones devised by forestry experts. The Woodland Trust has received saplings for reforesting projects, including Glenn Shieldaig and Assynt in Wester Ross, and the 30,000-hectare Beò Airceig restoration around Loch Arkaig in Lochaber. The Woodland Trust has also sold saplings to crofters for planting small woods on former grazing land.

Sheena Macauley, a volunteer and biology graduate from Oban, discussed the regeneration efforts. "We need to regenerate for the generations coming behind us," Macauley said. "Rather than moaning about climate change, actually do something."

Roz Birch, the volunteer coordinator with Trees for Life, uses seed collection outings to provide biology lessons to volunteers. "The uniqueness of the rainforest zone is there will be bryophytes, lichens, whole ecosystems on these trees and within these woodlands, that you can't really find anywhere else apart from the west coast of Scotland and Wales and the south-west of England," Birch said. She also stated that climate heating means seed ripening happens earlier.

Laura Corby, a volunteer and marine biologist, emphasized the direct impact of the work. "I don't think people really understand the significance of the rainforest, even people who've lived here their whole lives," Corby said. "You're literally growing the future." The project has received funding for a fourth year from a coalition of donors including the People's Postcode Lottery via Woodland Trust Scotland, Trees for Life appeals, the BrITE Foundation, and the Clean Planet Foundation.

Why It Matters

Surveys suggest that only 30,000 hectares of original Atlantic rainforest survive. Ecologists state that these native trees have inherited genetic resilience to survive in specific microclimates and soil types along Scotland's Atlantic coast. The efforts to collect 11 million seeds and grow nearly 8 million native trees contribute to the restoration of this ecosystem.