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Help Great Britain grow vital trees for the future

Scientists and policy experts have provided vital evidence on how the government can help industry grow more trees across Great Britain

The Woodland Trust, Horticultural Trades Association, National Trust and Royal Horticultural Society have collaborated in a project called Strong Roots to put together evidence-backed recommendations to Government to show how vital the tree-growing sector is for Great Britain, and how it should be and can be supported by the Government.

Trees play an essential role in sustaining biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and enhancing public wellbeing. They improve air quality, provide habitats, store carbon, reduce flooding, and support local economies.

Britain planted over 20,000 hectares of new woodland across 2023 and 2024, the highest number in 35 years. However, meeting future planting targets will require a dramatic increase in domestic tree production.

A diverse supply of homegrown trees is essential for thriving landscapes and enabling environmental commitments

- Arit Anderson
The Strong Roots group of scientists and policy experts have explored the key barriers to domestic tree production and identified solutions to increase the availability of homegrown trees.

The Strong Roots report, published on 14 October 2025, highlights barriers that are stopping Great Britain grow the trees they need. It identifies a labour and skills shortage, which stops the tree growing sector from expanding. There is also not enough research and innovation, which could have an impact on production efficiencies. The report identifies that many community tree nurseries face financial and regulatory barriers – which stops them growing as many trees as they could.

This is essential to ensuring healthy and resilient treescapes to benefit people and nature, now and in the future

- Sara Redstone, RHS Head of Biosecurity
The report also suggests that more government-funded tree production grants should be given to help produce a greater diversity of trees. The tree production grants currently provided have aided production of forestry saplings, but need to be expanded to cover other types of tree production.

Great Britain also lacks a rootstock production sector, and seed supply can be limited because of natural environmental fluctuations. Efforts to scale up UK-grown tree production are locked in a stalemate: growers need strong market demand to invest, but demand won’t build without a reliable, homegrown supply.

“Support to increase the supply of UK-grown productive and ornamental trees will bring many benefits,” said Sara Redstone, RHS Head of Biosecurity. “It will help create employment opportunities and enhance the economic value of the horticultural sector, while significantly reducing the biosecurity risks associated with the import of trees (introducing new pests and diseases).

“A holistic approach like this is essential to ensuring healthy and resilient treescapes for the benefit of both people and nature, now and in the future. This is why the RHS is proud to have contributed to the Strong Roots project.” 
 
Garden designer and RHS ambassador Arit Anderson said: “Working with our tree nursery sector for a diverse supply of homegrown trees is not just a matter of preference; it is essential for thriving landscapes and enabling environmental and nature commitments.”

The research involved a desk-based review of existing evidence, two online surveys, and stakeholder interviews.

The Strong Roots report recommends the following measures:

  1. Establish a GB Tree Procurement Unit.
  2. Conduct a feasibility study on what percentage of imported material could be grown in Britain.
  3. Develop an action plan for productive and ornamental trees.
  4. Establish a tree production research group with research institutions. 
  5. Create and promote a logo for British-grown trees.
  6. Increase alignment between tree supply, demand, and planting grants.
  7. Support landowners to contract-grow trees when using government planting grants.
  8. Publish regular and clear data on imports of woody-stemmed species, such as trees, shrubs, topiary, and hedging.
  9. Commit to the establishment and management of seed sources.
  10. Sensitively revisit seed collection procedures on protected sites, including SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest), to open up the genetic resources of these sites.
  11. Revise the current outdated seed provenance zones.
  12. Support competition and diversification of seed supply.
  13. Aid uptake of automation (specialised machinery) by funding bespoke innovations and bridging the gap between research and commercial application.
  14. Ensure courses and apprenticeship opportunities meet current and future skills needs.
  15. Embed tree production across the national curriculum as part of horticultural education.
  16. Increase tree production skills using publicly owned facilities.
  17. Launch a project on how impacts of climate change may affect tree production.
  18. Provide accessible government funding for Community Tree Nurseries (CTNs) and other small nurseries.
  19. Commit to sustained funding to support CTN networks.

The report has been delivered to government via a launch event at RHS Garden Wisley on 14th October 2025.
 
Read the full report here.
 
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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.