Protecting the future of Scotland’s trees at Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank

From 24 to 28 October 2016 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew were in Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute, collecting seeds from dwarf birch (Betula nana), downy birch (Betula pubescens), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and oak (Quercus robur). These seeds were collected as part of The UK National Tree Seed Project, set up by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank with funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Tree seeds collected as part of the project will be safely banked in the underground vaults of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank – forming the UK’s first national collection of tree seeds. These can then play a vital role in conservation work to protect UK trees and woodlands, including research against pests and diseases such as ash dieback among others. The collections, and associated data, will be available to researchers working on solutions to tackle the many threats facing our woodlands.

A team of workers collected dwarf birch (Betula nana) seeds – a particularly interesting collection as this is a rare species – from difficult to access parts of Rannoch Moor, while downy birch (Betula pubescens), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and oak (Quercus robur) seeds were collected from Glasdrum Wood. The team also visited Kilfinan Community Forest, a woodland owned and managed by the local community, who are working with children from Tighnabruaich Primary School and residents from King’s Court Rehabilitation Centre to collect seed for the project. The seed and fruits were picked by hand from the smaller species or pruned with poles from larger trees.

The seeds collected will be stored, before being cleaned, in a specially temperature and humidity controlled environment at the Millennium Seed Bank before being banked long term in deep-freeze conditions. They will be banked long term as part of the national UK woody flora collection which represents species from across the country. The seeds should remain viable for many decades, and will be available to support research and on-the-ground conservation activity.

Clare Trivedi, UK National Tree Seed Project Co-ordinator at Kew Gardens, says, “Building up our seed collections of the nation’s favourite and most important tree species is a vital step in combating the multiplying pests and diseases which threaten to alter our landscape dramatically.”

The UK National Tree Seed Project launched in May 2013 with the aim of securing genetically diverse collections of UK native trees and shrubs. The target species include many which underpin the UK’s wider plant and animal diversity, as well as supporting woodland industry, tourism and recreation, such as ash, juniper, Scots pine, alder, beech, silver birch and yew.