by Phil Knott
You may recall that the Broadford Community Tree Nursery was just a one year pilot fund, generously supported by Crown Estate Scotland until the end of July 2025. That has now come to an end. However, we are delighted to announce that through the fantastic support of the Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation we now have another year to help things thrive. The role has changed, with my title now shifting to Woodland Restoration Project Officer (9.5 hours a week), but keeping the tree nursery ticking over is an important part of that role. See our press release here.
Our volunteering sessions ended in June, with many hundreds of trees pricked out by our volunteer team throughout the spring. It was a really positive spell, and the volunteer Wednesdays enabled us to get a lot of young trees headstarted. It has been a good summer for growth, with a lot of watering needed to keep everything alive! The trees we have growing will be part of the first tranche ready to plant out in Autumn/Winter 2026/27. Locally collected Oak, Hazel and Birch have done particularly well, but we will be keen to collect more, now that all of the infrastructure is in place.
Many of you have been asking about the next volunteering opportunities, and we will continue to offer volunteering, with an increased program available. The focus will be shifting a little more to the practical conservation tasks in the community woodland itself, but with something for everyone. We are very keen to get a broad level of interest in our community woodland (pictured left), and have big plans for its restoration for people and biodiversity. Our practical aims align excellently for volunteering in the next year:
- Survey species and habitats to create a biodiversity baseline
- Remove invasive and non-native species such as fuchsia and self-seeded Sitka
- Test low-cost deer protection methods such as brash fencing
- Trial ways to create small-scale new habitats
- Create informal paths to improve access
I am also keen to offer more seed-collecting sessions after their success last winter. I would like to suggest Torrin again, so propose Wednesday 17th September as a seed collecting event for Hazel, Rowan, Birch and possibly Hawthorn. Contact me on phil@broadfordandstrath.org for the meeting time and other details.
Do get in touch if you would like to be included in the volunteering planning emails. I am keen to see who is wanting to help out, what they would like to be involved in, and importantly what days and times they can and cannot do. Drop me an email or a message in the first instance.
I would be happy to run short courses too, and can repeat the ones we ran last winter. I can create new ones too, just ask! Last year’s included:
– Growing Trees and Shrubs from Seeds and Cuttings
– Trees and Shelterbelts for Crofters and Growers
– Boosting Biodiversity with Trees and Shrubs
There won’t be an Apple Day this autumn, but we will have an autumnal event in mid-October to cover all aspects of the Community Woodland; more of that in a few weeks.