Work to begin on Peak District's first native tree nursery - with up to 10,000 trees grown each year

The Peak District National Park Foundation launched ‘Team up for Trees’ as part of this year’s Earth Raise campaign to create the site in Ashford-in-the-Water.

Campaigners raised £27,320 which unlocks match-funding to hit their £40,000 target.

The money will enable the team to begin phase one of the project, covering the costs of purchasing and installing essential equipment such as a polytunnel, irrigation system, raised beds and potting benches.

Roisin Joyce, Director of the Peak District National Park Foundation, said, "We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who teamed up for trees and donated to our Earth Raise campaign. We're delighted to have raised such a fantastic amount of money and excited to start work on this important project."

Locally grown trees at the nursery will help restore woodland across the National Park as trees come under increasing threats from weather extremes and disease

The campaign comes at a time when trees are increasingly under threat from climate change, pests and disease, with ash dieback hitting particularly hard.

Many of the woodlands in the White Peak are made up of around 80% ash trees, and current estimates are six out of seven ash trees will die as a result of this disease.

The new Peak District tree nursery will reduce reliance on ash and grow resilient, disease-resistant native species, including oak, birch, rowan and field maple. This will help restore woodlands for the future.

Trees grown in this nursery will be made for the Peak District’s specific soils, rainfall, altitude and temperature. As such, they will be more likely to survive drought and disease than trees brought in from nurseries elsewhere.

Roisin Joyce, CEO of Peak District National Park Foundation said: “Trees provide so much. From the air we breathe and habitats for wildlife, to the landscapes that define the Peak District. But they are facing increasing threats, from extreme weather to fast-spreading diseases such as ash dieback and phytophthora, which have already led to the loss of large numbers of trees across the National Park."

Last year, the Peak District National Park Foundation raised over £20,000 to support woodland connection work in White Peak.

The Foundation will continue to fundraise to support the work of the tree nursery and Roisin added, "Although the opportunity for match funding has passed, it's absolutely not too late to support this project. If you care about trees and all that they can do for us, you can donate any time."

Donations can be made via their website - https://www.peakdistrictfoundation.org.uk/support-us/make-a-donation/

Other National Parks such as Exmoor, Cairngorms and Eryri are already benefitting from local tree nurseries, but this will be the first in the Peak District.

The 8,000 square metre nursery will produce between 5,000 and 10,000 trees each year.

It will also provide opportunities for volunteers to get involved and learn new skills.