A SUCCESSFUL tree nursery has finished planting 150,000 acorns – 30,000 of which were collected from hedgerows and fields.

Thorpe Trees has planted them in its nursery at Thorpe Underwood, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where they should be ready for planting as seedlings in two years.

The task was partly for National Tree Week, but also their own programme of growing and selling highquality native trees, such as English oak.

Much of the 700 kilos of acorns were supplied by a specialist seed company, but 20 per cent were collected by the nursery.

Caroline Taylor, company director and owner, said: “As well as being great fun to do, it is also a serious part of our whole business philosophy to use seeds of local origin wherever possible, which produce hardy, healthy and robust stock of northern provenance.

According to the Tree Council, planting of new trees across Britain has fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades and we need more trees planted now if we are to see any benefit for forthcoming generations.”

Thorpe Trees was established in 1985 and claims to be the leading tree nursery in the north of England for barerooted trees, hedge plants and woodland shrubs.

It grows more than 1.2 million trees a year – more than 60 species – on its 50-acre site.

They include traditional British trees such as native broadleaves, conifers, hedge plants, woodland shrubs, fruit trees and willows, as well as ornamental and specimen varieties, woodland bulbs and grass seed mixtures.

More than half of its business is supplying farmers and landowners with trees and hedging for forestry and woodland planting projects.