CambridgeHOK has announced that it will be playing its part in a £14.5m Forestry England project to upgrade its tree nursery near Delamere Forest, Cheshire, including building a brand-new seed extractory.
The new facility, which is due to open in spring 2025, will be one of the largest in the UK, testing and processing up to four tonnes of tree seeds each year. It will replace Forestry England's current seed extractory at Alice Holt Forest in Surrey which was built in 1964.
Douglas fir, western red cedar and Norway spruce will be amongst the focus species because they are expected to grow well and become more prominent as sources of high-quality timber in England's future climate conditions.
Expertise will provide 'miniplug' growing facility
The new seed extractory building will be equipped with "the best available" processing machinery alongside expanded areas for cold and dry seed storage that will enable several tonnes of seeds to be stored in the best conditions before germination and planting.
As well as building the new seed extractory, Forestry England is creating a new miniplug growing facility at the nursery, built by our team at CambridgeHOK, which will more than double the capacity of the 'standing out area'.
This is the protected area where tree seedlings continue to grow after they leave the glasshouse and become acclimatized to outdoor conditions. This will complement the glasshouse which Forestry England opened in 2018 as its first major project to build resilience against changing weather patterns.
This computer-controlled environment uses a combination of fans, shade screens, and roof ventilation to regulate the temperature, humidity, and light levels of the growing trees. Cell-grown trees can be planted all year round and so help in extending the planting season in the nation's forests. Together, these tree nursery investments support Forestry England's work growing, planting, and caring for sustainable, wildlife-rich, productive forests across the country.
This will include a production line and irrigation system within the existing glasshouse operation and a new building for equipment, packing, and dispatching trees ready to be planted. The specialist equipment and machinery are being provided by Swedish company, BCC.
Jason Tether, Project Manager for CambridgeHOK, said: "We're delighted to work with Forestry England on this innovative project. We have designed and are installing a specialist conveyor system which will allow the heavy containers of growing trees to be moved seamlessly between different zones during the growing cycle."
Net zero carbon operation
Lead contractor Willmott Dixon has begun construction on the Cheshire site and recently completed the facility's timber frame which covers almost 2,000m2. Adopting best practice construction principles, the facility has been sustainably designed to achieve excellent levels of environmental performance and will be net zero carbon in operation.
Imam Sayyed, Forestry England Head of Plant and Seed Supply, said: "This investment marks an exciting next phase in developing our forest nursery and seed processing operations. It's vital that we continue to grow millions of resilient trees which will be well suited to the climate we expect in the decades ahead and these new facilities will help us meet that challenge head-on."
Millions of trees to be supplied to nation's forests
As well as processing seeds and growing trees for the nation's forests, Forestry England also supplies other forestry organizations.
In 2025, depending on the seed crops, they expect to supply around 450 kg of conifer seeds to the private sector as well as around 7.5 million trees for planting in the nation's forests. "Building a secure supply of high-quality tree seed from diverse species over the years ahead will significantly improve availability for UK nurseries and reduce the amount of seed imported from overseas."
Source: CambridgeHOK