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This year, we want to grow more Oak trees than ever and we want local schools to be involved in the great acorn hunt.

The Oaks at 80 project encourages local communities to collect acorns and other seeds from the local area to plant up and grow into tree saplings.

Oak trees have traditionally marked 80-year milestones and the trees grown by the local community will be planted in sites across the Mersey Forest in 2025 to commemorate 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

Do you have an oak tree growing on your school ground that you could gather acorns from to grow oaks for other schools to plant? Or could you take a walk to an oak tree near your school? Then you could help grow more oaks to share!

The seed gathering season traditionally starts on the autumn equinox (22 September) and lasts for about a month.

There are lots of resources about seed gathering on the Tree Council's website.

It's a great opportunity to get out in nature, learn about the benefit of trees and play your part to commemorate the end of World War II, whilst helping to grow the Mersey Forest for future generations to enjoy.

Growing your collected seeds

To grow your acorns, the whole class can collectively plant the collected seeds and look after them through winter, before potting them in spring for us to collect and grow on.

All you'll need is:

• A couple of large planting pots or a builder's bucket
• Soil or peat free compost
• Sharp sand
• Plastic tray
• Paper or hessian bag
• Small bucket
• Wire mesh
• Plastic plant pots or large yogurt pots

See The Tree Council's guide for how to gather and plant your seeds.

• The Tree Council - Growing trees from seed

Follow up activity

The Mersey Forest plant thousands of trees each year and we would love to plant the trees that you have grown. Following The Tree Council's guide, in spring, when you check to see if your seed have germinated, rather than planting your seeds in the ground why not let us plant them for you at a site somewhere within the Mersey Forest. If you would like to be involved in this stage simply follow the stages below and get in contact. We'll then let you know details of a local drop off point to take your saplings for us to grown on for the following winters' planting season.

1. Collect and gather large yogurt pots or large plastic containers and put some small holes in the bottom. Fill these with two-part peat free compost and one-part sharp sand mix and make a hole in the middle of the soil with your finger
2. Empty your acorns from their large pot and find the ones that have roots or a shoot on them and put them in hole you've made in the soil
3. Cover the acorn lightly with soil and gentle press it down before watering thoroughly
4. Put the pots back against a cold north facing wall to germinate further, keep them well watered while they carry on growing
5. Once you have all your seeds potted on, contact us and we will let you know where you can drop them off locally for us to grow them on to be planted in the next winter season.

Treemendous trees!

Trees give us clean air to breathe, provide homes for wildlife and help tackle climate change. In our communities, trees cool our streets, reduce flooding by soaking up rainwater and make our neighbourhoods more beautiful places to live and work. By planting and caring for trees, we're making the world a healthier, greener place for everyone.

As well as collecting seeds this autumn you could also incorporate some fantastic stories about trees into your learning.

Discover the wonder of trees: Recommended books

Explore the magic of trees through these captivating books, tailored to inspire pupils of all ages.

Primary age recommended:

• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss – This classic tale highlights the importance of trees, showing the devastating effects of a world without them. It encourages us to care enough to make a positive change for the planet.
• The Oak Tree by Julia Donaldson – Follow the life of an oak tree, from a tiny seed to its final moments, as it witnesses the world change around it. A beautiful story about the importance of trees in our environment.
• The Promise by Nicola Davies – This powerful story of a young girl and a bag of stolen acorns shows how even small actions, like planting a tree, can bring hope and transform communities for generations to come.

Secondary school in-depth reading:

• The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono – This short story illustrates how one person's daily dedication to planting trees can transform both their life and the world around them.
• The Wild Trees by Richard Preston – Discover the true story of a man who climbed one of the world's tallest trees and became captivated by trees, dedicating his life to their study.
• Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin – A global journey to understand humanity's deep connection with trees, exploring the natural and spiritual significance they hold.

Prompting thought:

• Belonging by Jeannie Baker – Through stunning illustrations, this wordless picture book shows how trees can transform a neighbourhood and brighten our world with the changing seasons.

Encourage your students to delve into these stories and discover the vital role trees play in our lives, sparking curiosity, understanding, and a deeper appreciation for nature!

Further reading incorporating trees:

• Tree by Britta Teckentrup
• The Magic and Mystery of Trees – RHS
• Meetings with Remarkable Trees
• The Night Life of Trees - Tara Books
• The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
• The Tree: meaning and myth – Frances Carey
• Magic Faraway Tree collection - Enid Blyton
• 13 Storey Treehouse books
• How to be more Tree - Annie Davidson
• Leaf by Niggle – Prof JRR Tolkien

A popular ice cream farm in Cheshire is set to introduce more flavours to its menu thanks to a selection of fruit and nut trees that have been planted on their farm this year as part of a wider agroforestry project.
 
Snugburys, a family run ice cream parlour based near Nantwich, operates alongside the organic grass farm business. The owners were keen to introduce more trees to the farm and worked closely with local farm advisors, ELM Associates to design a tree planting scheme that would benefit both businesses. Using funding through The Mersey Forest's Trees for Climate programme they've planted over 2,300 trees on their 45ha farm.
 
Cheryl Sadler, from Snugburys, first learnt about agroforestry from a project in the Amazon. After visiting a farm in Wem and a two-day visit to the Agroforestry show last year, she decided it was something she'd like to introduce on her family farm.

Generations of communities across Cheshire and Merseyside will benefit from the creation of new woodland across the Mersey Forest, following a bumper tree planting season over the winter.
 
Tree planting takes place between November and March every year and, this season, over 264 ha of woodland have been planted across the Mersey Forest area, that's the equivalent of 380 football pitches.
 
The Mersey Forest, the area's Community Forest, has worked with a range of partners including Forestry England, Forestry Commission, The Woodland Trust, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, local authorities, community groups and individual landowners to plant over 185,924 of trees in the area.
 
Planting sites have ranged from local schools and parks to larger agroforestry projects, where farms have incorporated trees on their land as part of a sustainable agricultural system. All trees planted are helping to grow The Mersey Forest and the wider Northern Forest, which stretches from Liverpool in the west to the East Yorkshire coast.
 
Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said:
 

"We've been growing The Mersey Forest for 30 years, creating woodlands and greenspaces that our communities will benefit from for years to come. Partnership working is the key to our success, as we've seen particularly this year. We're all working towards the same goal to increase tree cover in the area for the benefit of the local environment and the people who live, work and visit here. This is one of the busiest planting seasons we've had in recent years, and I'd like to thank all the partners, suppliers and community groups we've worked with to help us achieve this."

 
Paddy Harrop, Regional Director, Forestry England, who have created 53ha of new woodland at Hondslough and Lunt in 2024, said:
 

"I am delighted that we have created another 53ha of forests extending Delamere Forest with the creation of Hondslough Wood and 13ha at Lunt.  These new forests will deliver more timber for industry, homes for wildlife and more greenspace for people to enjoy."

 
Keith Jones, Area Director for the Forestry Commission in the North West and West Midlands, said:
 

"We work closely with The Mersey Forest and other local partners to help farmers and landowners to establish healthy woodlands. Incorporating woodland into the landscape provides many benefits for landowners and land managers, the environment and the local community, and it's great to now see an increase in woodland being created across Cheshire and Merseyside."

 
The Mersey Forest is continuing to look for areas of land across Cheshire and Merseyside that would be suitable for planting. If you are a landowner with land that could be suitable, The Mersey Forest's experienced Woodland Advisors can visit you on site and provide advice on woodland design, species selection, funding and ongoing maintenance.
 
Our Trees for Climate programme, which is funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the Nature for Climate Fund, can fund up to 100% of tree planting costs, including tree guards and associated infrastructure, such as fencing and gates. Plus, our grants cover up to 15 years of maintenance payments.
 
Find out more about our work and the support we can provide landowners:

• Woodland advice and grants for landowners

Get in touch today for advice and guidance on your planting project, email: mail@merseyforest.org.uk or call: 01925 816217.
 

The Mersey Forest has been working closely with children from schools in the north west on a Treescapes: Voices of the Future project, to gain a better insight into young people's understanding and imaginings of the treescapes around them.  
 
As part of this project a tree manifesto has been developed by Year 5 children at Seymour Park Community Primary School in Old Trafford, Manchester, to share their dreams and demands for trees and nature in their community. Collectively the group have said

"Plant more trees, now! Let us have a future." 

Images from the manifesto have been displayed at key locations throughout Merseyside and Manchester this summer. Many thanks to Clear Channel for providing this free advertising space across a range of sites, through their Platform for Good scheme. 
 
The children's tree manifesto, developed in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University and City of Trees, with illustrations curated by Maisy Summer, shows the children's commitment to a greener, cleaner and fairer Earth.
 

How will the children's manifesto be used? 

Information will be taken from the manifesto, and wider Voices of the Future project, to feed into The Mersey Forest's strategic Forest Plan, which is currently being redrafted. It will also inform our work with schools, as we deliver forest school and tree planting sessions across Merseyside and Cheshire.
 

What action can you take to support this work? 

The challenges associated with the climate and nature crises can feel overwhelming for individuals but there are things we can all do to help increase tree cover and give nature a helping hand in our communities. Below are some ideas to get you started.
 

• Plant a tree in your garden – if you have the room consider planting a tree in your garden. If space doesn't allow, you could plant some pollinator friendly plants instead. Read our guide to planting trees in your garden for advice on how to plant and care for your tree. 
• Join a local 'friends of' group – there are lots of fantastic 'friends of' groups in the area that are playing their part to care for local parks and green spaces. Find out about some of the local groups in the area. 
• Join a community planting day – tree planting takes place between October and March each year. We'll post details of any community tree planting events taking place in the area on our social media channels. Follow us to keep up to date. 
• Share our tree planting grant offer – The Mersey Forest provide tree and woodland creation grants that cover up to 100% of the cost of planting and associated infrastructure, plus up to 15 years maintenance payments. If you know someone with land that might be interested share our website with them. 
• Become a citizen scientist – Take part in one of many national citizen science projects that will help researchers understand more about the natural world and how it is adapting to a changing climate. The BBC, Wildlife Trusts, and Record all have information about how to get involved on their websites. 

Get in touch with us

• mail@merseyforest.org.uk
• Telephone: 01925 816217

This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council  

For more information about Treescapes: Voices for the Future visit Manchester Metropolitan University Website.

View the full manifesto by Seymour Park Community Primary School.

The Mersey Forest has worked closely with local farming advisors, ELM Associates for several years, and supported a number of local farmers to design and establish woodland on their land that works for both the farm business and local environment.

Graham Dimelow's farm is set on the edge of west Cheshire, near the market town of Malpas. His family have been farming here since the 1970's, when it was a diary farm, and it is now used to rear young stock.

Graham explained:

"When we finished with the dairy herd, we had a bit more time to consider what we could do with the land. We've always had a very wet corner of one of the fields, where there are a number of ponds, and we thought it would be an ideal place to create a woodland, without taking any of the productive land out of use."

In total 4,067 trees and shrubs have been planted over two sections. A shelter belt in the north and a larger woodland in the south. A mix of native broad-leaf trees were selected, including oak, silver birch, field maple and rowan. The new woodland, alongside the current ponds, will provide ideal habitat for local wildlife, providing a corridor for mammals and invertebrates to move along the valley.

Graham continued:

"It was great to have the support of The Mersey Forest's Woodland Advisors and Elm Associates, helping us with the tree species selection and design of the woodland. We even got a pedestrian gate onto the site funded through the grant, which was a bonus."

The Green Taskforce, an organisation that works with ex-service men and women, helped to plant the trees on this site.

For advice on woodland creation funding in the area visit our woodland advice and grants page.

ELM Associates are farming advisors that supported this scheme. Visit ELM Associates website to get in touch or call: 07794 082860.