Reviving Scotland's Atlantic Rainforest: Volunteers Harvest 11 Million Seeds

The Tree Seed Collection Project, launched in 2023 by Trees for Life and the Woodland Trust Scotland, seeks to increase native tree material for western Scotland’s Atlantic rainforest. Volunteers hand-picked seeds from ten species—hazel, sessile oak, dwarf birch, willow, juniper, birch, wild cherry, wych elm, yew and elder—across remote Highland-island sites. By June 2026 the effort had gathered over 11 million seeds, enough for 7.8 million saplings. Initially funded for a single year, the programme secured a fourth year of financing from the Postcode Lottery, the BrITE Foundation, the Clean Planet Foundation and the Woodland Trust Scotland, extending it for at least another year.

“Remote Area Volunteers Handpick 11m Rare Seeds to Revive Scotland’s Native Woodlands and Rainforest”The Guardian

About 100 volunteers—including retired teachers, doctors, office workers and families—have spent thousands of hours in remote western Highlands and islands, using NatureScot and Scottish Forestry maps to locate seed-bearing trees. They climb exposed hillsides, record species and micro-climate data, while coordinator Roz Birch provides informal biology lessons on distinguishing sessile oak and observing moss-laden bark that hosts unique bryophytes and lichens.

The Guardian

Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland say the seed-collection programme fills a gap left by commercial forestry. Funding comes from the Postcode Lottery, the BrITE Foundation, the Clean Planet Foundation and other donors. As members of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, they have urged the Scottish Government to declare Scotland a ‘Rewilding Nation’, targeting a 30 % increase in nature restoration and doubling native woodland cover.

“Remote Area Volunteers Handpick 11m Rare Seeds to Revive Scotland’s Native Woodlands and Rainforest”

Scotland’s native woodland cover is about 4 % of land, with less than 2 % of the historic Caledonian forest remaining. Only roughly 30,000 hectares of the original Atlantic temperate rainforest survive. Trees grown from locally adapted seeds are more resilient to disease and climate change, supporting species such as red squirrels, capercaillie and crossbills. Expanding native woodlands thus boosts biodiversity, aids climate-mitigation and offers job and health benefits.

“Remote Area Volunteers Handpick 11m Rare Seeds to Revive Scotland’s Native Woodlands and Rainforest”

The project, now extended beyond its original three-year term, will keep collecting seeds in the western Isles and expand distribution to more accredited nurseries. It also backs the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest’s call for a national rewilding strategy, with monitoring planned to track sapling survival and ecosystem recovery as planting spreads across the Highlands and islands.

“Remote Area Volunteers Handpick 11m Rare Seeds to Revive Scotland’s Native Woodlands and Rainforest”

• “We need to regenerate for the generations coming behind us,” — Sheena Macaulay, volunteer

The Guardian

• “You do have really extreme high winds and storms that will pass through. Again, the trees are pretty well adapted to that environment,” — Roz Birch, Project Officer

The Guardian

• “I mentioned it to my neighbours and one actually joined up as well. Another friend down in Glasgow, she joined a group down there. So, rather than moaning about climate change, actually do something.” — Roz Birch, Project Officer

The Guardian

• “You’re literally growing the future. And that’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? I don’t think people really understand the significance of the rainforest, even people who’ve lived here their whole lives,” — Laura Corbe, volunteer

The Guardian