Why do we plant trees on Dartmoor?

We’re on a mission to restore the lost woodlands of Dartmoor by planting trees on Dartmoor with a vision of a connected mosaic of habitats where native woodland sits alongside marshes, meadows, sustainable farming, archaeological features, and other habitats.

Did you know that Dartmoor used to be covered in rainforest? Before humans started to settle in the area and deforest the land for homes, firewood and other creations, native broadleaf woodland used to stretch along river valleys, leaving only the tops of the tors and high peaks bare. Wooded corridors provided safe habitat for an abundance of wildlife including pine martens, wild cat, boar and lynx!

However, nowadays only small fragments of temperate rainforest are left, isolated and aging. Wistman’s Woods is a good example of this as it is cut off from other woodlands around, so any wildlife within may find it tricky to ‘travel’ from one area to another. As a result, many woodland species are endangered as their habitat diminishes.

Growing native trees from seed

We start the process of growing trees by collecting local tree seed with the help of volunteers and bring it back to our two community tree nurseries for processing. We grow 20 different native tree species including alder buckthorn, crab apple, and rowan. We then grow the seed into trees which will be planted out about two years later (depending upon the species). We provide advice and assistance to landowners about which trees are suitable for their land and ensure all trees are sympathetically planted.

Our charity was created in 2000 by two people who were determined to add native broadleaf trees back into our landscape. Since then, we have grown and planted over 130,000 trees and have expanded with each year that has passed.

We’re now aiming to grow 60,000 trees in our community nurseries a year. 60,000 trees covers 120 football pitches and can store 30,000 tonnes of CO2 in their lifetime.

Trees are wonderful and can do much more than store carbon, they:

• provide habitat—an oak tree alone can cater for 2,300 different species
• reduce flooding and hold back water using its roots
• keep soil healthy and hold it together, enabling exchanges of nutrients, water and mycorrhizal interactions
• also protect livestock with shelter from the wind and rain and act as medicines too

Grow trees and get stuck into DIY

If you’d like to join us, we run three volunteering sessions a week which revolve around seasonal activities. A session is held at each of our nurseries on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where we grow the trees and get stuck into DIY projects, weeding, potting on, propagating from cuttings and more. On Sundays we go out and complete various seasonal activities such as tree planting in the winter; tree monitoring and ecological surveying in the spring and summer; and seed collecting during the autumn.

We provide a free minibus service from Plymouth on our Wednesday and Sunday sessions. We provide all the tools and equipment needed, as well as lots of hot drinks and cake! We’re a friendly bunch and very willing to teach new skills and learn from you too. No experience is necessary and all ages are welcome.

Will you help us to restore our lost woodland? Check out our website for more information and get in touch if you have any questions volunteering@moortrees.org