Native Tree Nursery near Limavady receives £93,414 in funds over two years

Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT) have been awarded the Dormant Accounts Fund of £93,414 to continue developing the native tree nursery based at HM Prison Magilligan.
The initiative started in November 2022 with a one year funding by the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEARA).
The project aims to replant native UK and Irish trees over Northern Ireland.
HMP Magilligan hosts the only tree nursery in the Northwest Region.
“I am delighted that the tree nursery has received this financial boost as it bridges the gap between collecting seed and growing an actual saleable tree, therefore giving myself and the inmates time to make the tree nursery viable and be able to stand alone without seeking future funding,” said Aisling Gribbin, Tree Nursery Co-ordinator, Project Officer at CCGHT.
“HMP Magilligan has been a fantastic partner and I hope to continue long term to build a thriving Native Tree Nursery and help with the rehabilitation of those in the criminal justice system.”

Currently, many trees planted in Northern Ireland are imported from Europe. However trees from other parts of the world can bring in diseases and infect the local population of native trees.
Growing trees in the wild is not as easy as you might think. Left alone to the elements and diverse herbivores, a seed has little chance to survive by itself.
For centuries, trees were seen as mere resources to build houses and feed the fire or totally removed to create farmland. However, nowadays they are a necessity for our carbon storage and the fight against climate change.
Another problem with tree cutting is the disappearance of native woodlands. Woodlands are an essential habitat for wildlife such as birch, Scots pine, hazel, oak and ash.

With this program diverse varieties of plants that are in short supply will be grown such as holly, guelder-rose, hazel, crab apple, willow, bird cherry and wild cherry.

“You're trying to figure out how you can outsmart nature which doesn't really happen too often. We try to mimic what nature does," said Aisling.
"The team is often collecting the seeds by hand or buying small trees or seeds. Trees take time to grow and this operation is ‘not a quick turnaround’.
“It just takes time and every year you learn a bit more and get to know how each species acts and the weather or like a mild winter or cold winter can affect the germination rate of your species.
“Trees hybridise themselves naturally, so you might get kind of funny looking birch,” said Aisling. “I'm not really sure what it is because it's hybridised with something that's coming from Europe, but we do our best.”
Another important aim of this project is to connect people with nature by improving education opportunities and allow access to nature for prison inmates.
In the first year, the tree nursery achieved its UK and Irish Sourced and grown (UKISG) accreditation. It is set by the Woodland Trust who will be a key buyer of the project.