Imagine if your local forest was disappearing. What would you do? Plant new trees? Move away to find a safer place? Or maybe gather seeds and grow new forests yourself? Well, that is exactly what two environmental charities decided to do recently.
South West Lakes Trust and Moor Trees celebrated their 25th anniversaries together by organizing a special seed collecting event at Venford Reservoir. They invited regular people like you and me to help restore Dartmoor’s native woodland.
Volunteers walked through the moorland and woodland to collect seeds. These seeds included acorns from oak trees, hawthorn berries, holly berries, and crab apples. Sounds simple, right? But it may affect the nature more than we can ever imagine, and here is how.
The Rebound
For decades, Venford Reservoir was surrounded by conifer plantations. These were not forests in the traditional sense. They were forests grown for profit. Companies planted them, waited for them to grow big enough, then cut them down.
Then in 2023, something good happened. The old conifer plantation was cut down. Yes, cutting down trees sounds bad, but in this case, it was necessary. The land needed to be cleared so that native trees could take over.
After the conifer trees were removed, the real work started. Over 1,000 native trees were planted in their place. This was not done by a few workers with machines. Instead, volunteers from the local community joined forces with Moor Trees staff. Families came together. Young people helped. Elderly people participated. Everyone worked side by side to plant these 1,000 trees.
What happened next was like magic. As these trees grew, they started connecting habitats around the reservoir. Before, the area was fragmented. Now, animals and plants could move between different areas.
Butterflies could fly from one patch of native plants to another. Birds could hop from tree to tree. This connection is super important for biodiversity. When an area has high biodiversity, it is healthier and stronger.
The new forest also helped with climate resilience. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, provide shade that cools the surroundings, and their roots hold water in the soil. During dry periods, this water helps keep the ecosystem alive.
So by planting 1,000 native trees, they were not just making the area pretty. They were making it stronger and more able to handle climate challenges.
For the Forest
Here is where the October 2025 event becomes really important. James Platts is the boss of South West Lakes Trust. He explained what happens to all those seeds that volunteers collected. The seeds are not just put in a box and forgotten. They go to special nurseries run by Moor Trees.
The seeds are planted in soil and given water and care. Scientists and gardeners watch them closely as they grow. Over time, seedlings emerge from the soil. These baby plants are watered, protected from pests, and given everything they need.
But here is the really cool part. These trees are grown from seeds collected at Venford. This means they are local trees. They come from the local area. Scientists call this “trees of local provenance”.
Why does this matter? Local trees are perfectly adapted to the local weather and soil. They have evolved over thousands of years to survive in Dartmoor’s climate. This makes them much more likely to survive and thrive than imported trees.
Once the trees are big enough to handle life in the wild, they are planted back on Dartmoor. This continues the restoration work that started in 2023. Platts called this a “lovely legacy that will last for years to come.”
A legacy is something you leave behind for the future. The trees planted today will grow for a hundred years or more. They will provide homes for wildlife. They will clean the air. They will help fight climate change. Long after the volunteers who collected the seeds are gone, these trees will still be standing and helping the planet.
Why Does This Matter?
Helen Aldis runs Moor Trees. She explained why this seed collecting event is so meaningful. She said that working together on projects like Venford shows how important charities are for protecting nature. They often lead the important environmental work that governments and businesses do not do.
Aldis said seed collecting is “a wonderful way to be a part of Dartmoor’s future.” By spending one afternoon collecting seeds, volunteers became part of something much bigger. They were not just having a nice outdoor activity. They were planting the seeds, literally and figuratively, for a healthier future.
Here is something that might surprise you. This type of environmental work does not require fancy degrees or expensive equipment. Regular people can do it. You can walk through nature, collect seeds, and help create forests.
This makes environmental conservation something everyone can participate in. It does not matter if you are young or old, rich or poor, experienced or a beginner. If you care about nature, you can help.
A Celebration
Two charities celebrating their 25th anniversaries together by organizing this event was significant. Twenty-five years is a long time. These organizations have been fighting for environmental protection for a quarter century. By joining together for this event, they showed that they are not tired. They are not done. They are stronger than ever.
But this event was not just about the past. It was also about the future. The seeds collected in October 2025 represented hope. They represented the belief that we can fix environmental problems.
They showed that communities can work together to heal damaged ecosystems. The volunteers who participated were not just collecting seeds. They were saying yes to the future. They were voting with their actions for a world with more forests, more wildlife, and more beauty.
When you walk through a forest years from now and see trees growing tall and strong, you will know that ordinary people made that possible. Maybe you will be one of those people. Maybe next time there is a seed collecting event near you, you will go and participate.
You will bend down, pick up seeds, and become part of a legacy that will last for generations. That is the real power of events like this. They show us that we are not helpless. We can create change. We can save forests. We can help nature heal. All we have to do is show up and do the work.
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