THE first of a planned 150,000 home-grown trees are to be planted on the National Trust’s Holnicote estate between Minehead and Porlock with the help of volunteers and schoolchildren.

The trust’s first-ever tree nursery officer Zoe Hill is helping oversee the planting of 7,000 trees later this month to launch the programme.

Most of the trees were grown in a new tree nursery in the estate’s historic walled garden set up by Ms Hill, who joined the trust in 2023.

Ms Hill has worked with volunteers over the past two years to collect seeds from native trees across the 12,500-acre Exmoor estate and nurture them into healthy young saplings ready for planting.

The locally collected seed will help to create a sustainable, pest and disease-free supply of native trees.

About 60 per cent of trees being planted this year have been grown in the walled garden, with the figure expected to rise to 90 per cent next year as the nursery continues to expand.

National Trust staff will be joined by volunteers and local schoolchildren for the planting exercise.

Ms Hill said: “It is really exciting to see the first trees we have grown here at Holnicote being planted.

“By collecting local seed and growing the trees ourselves, we can make sure they are well adapted to the Exmoor landscape and reduce the risk of pests and diseases that sometimes come from buying trees in.”

The work marks a major milestone in the trust’s efforts to restore and expand Exmoor’s woodlands as part of a wider nature recovery programme.

The 150,000 tree target will help create new habitats for wildlife, improve flood resilience, and capture carbon, while supporting tenant farmers to make space for nature alongside food production.

Seed collection is now coming to an end as Ms Hill and volunteers gather acorns, hazelnuts, and other berries from 40 different species across the estate.

Once collected, seeds are processed and tested for viability using a simple ‘float test’, similar to checking if eggs are fresh.

Viable seeds are then stored in fridges to mimic winter and encourage germination before being grown on in the walled garden.

Among the volunteer team is Mark Woodger, a former oil-rig geologist who has swapped life at sea for hands-on conservation work on Exmoor, one of many local people contributing to the growing project.

Mr Woodger said: “I am helping with many aspects of the gardening and tree nursery work, from collecting seeds to caring for mature trees.

“That includes preparing the soil, pruning, weeding, and even building specialist beds to grow the wide variety of species needed to support a healthy ecosystem.

“Holnicote is the perfect place for this, surrounded by serene hills and abundant woodland, it is a world away from the stormy seas and noise of the rigs.”

The project supports the trust’s national goal to plant and establish 20 million trees across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland by 2030.

The Holnicote tree planting will become an annual cycle which will continue for years to come.