Little Assynt Tree Nursery

17/05/2023

Check out this week's Landward on BBC Scotland featuring Little Assynt tree nursery

23/01/2023

Nick Clooney will be speaking at an online webinar tomorrow evening (Tuesday 24th). You can register at the eventbrite link below or it will be available on their website later https://fellowshipofthetrees.org/ctnc/

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/growing-wild-which-trees-are-best-for-nature-and-wildlife-tickets-503397504487

This online session is focused on the benefits of growing particular varieties of trees for supporting wildlife and Nature as a whole.

25/11/2022

Here's nice Tiktok video of a day in the life of one of our fantastic assistants
https://www.tiktok.com/.scot/video/7164695543434759429?_r=1&_t=8XGR82Yy8co&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7164695543434759429

27/10/2022

18/08/2021

Here's a useful job you can combine with your daily walks! You can follow the instructions to send them or you can drop them direct with Little Assynt Tree Nursery if you're passing

Join our team of tree seed collection volunteers for our Scotland Tree Seed Collection pilot project and become an important part of this exciting new work.

We want people who live in or visit a vast swathe of Western Scotland to collect acorns and hazelnuts to help maintain a steady supply to tree nurseries. Volunteers will be asked to note grid references as they send in their haul of nuts with pre-paid postage labels. These will then be grown into saplings available for planting back in the area where they originated.

Read more about the role requirements and how you can apply: http://www.woodlandtru.st/A5jC9

You’d be starting your role with us in August 2021 and there’s no need to be an expert - all training and equipment will be provided. Expenses will be reimbursed for return journeys from home based upon public transport cost or mileage at standard rates for the Woodland Trust.

01/04/2019

Amid the unrelenting grey of March these primroses decided it's definitely spring. We grow these from wild collected seed and they naturalise well in grass or woodland from moderate shade to full sun. They give us a lift every time we pass them

13/03/2019

We went to have another look at the aspen that had flower buds today. The catkins are unfurling now and it's a girl! If there happens to be any males in the vicinity there's a chance of getting some seeds later on.
There are lots of records of flowering aspens all over the Highlands this spring but this is still the only aspen I have found with catkins in Coigach and Assynt. They are on a single branch of a single tree in a small stand on an island. There may not be many others but they should be easier to find now that the catkins are out. We want to know if there are any more so let us know if you see any or if you see something you're not sure of.

08/03/2019

...coincidentally, this just in. Better pics than mine too

08/03/2019

It's quite unusual for aspen to flower in NW Scotland but here are some pics of aspen that is about to do just that. (Picture quality not great, think there was rain on the lens). Last summer's warm dry weather has most likely triggered this event. The first 2 pics show the stems full of fat round buds which will burst out as catkins in the next few weeks. The last one is a branch with no flowers so you can see the difference. This stand is on an island in a loch in Coigach.
Aspens are either male or female so unless this one finds a partner there will be no seeds produced. I haven't seen any others with flower buds round here but maybe you have. If you see some when you are out and about make a note of the location and let me know.

15/01/2019

The far NW Highlands are thankfully free of many of the tree diseases that have spread through the rest of the UK......so far. There's no room for complacency, if you see anything you're not sure about don't ignore it and be sure to clean muddy boots, dogs, cars, etc after visiting other woodland areas.

There are hundreds of pests and diseases that are currently a potential threat to UK trees. The Observatree project aims to harness the power of citizen science to establish a tree health early warning system in the UK.

This month there are several pests and diseases to look out for. Bark lesions caused by Phytophthora lateralis, Phytophthora austrocedri, Plane Wilt, and Chestnut Blight are all visible in January. Old nests from the Oak Processionary Moth, feeding damage caused by the Pine Processionary Moth, and galls caused by the Oriental Chestnut Gall Wasp will also be evident.

Find out more about the tree pests and diseases in the UK and how to report them at http://www.woodlandtru.st/ZExLl.

01/01/2019

Many commemorative events are happening in the Western Isles on the 100th anniversary of the Iolaire tragedy. We were privileged to play our small part in supplying 201 trees for a planting in memory of the 201 lives lost that day.

Children from Laxdale Primary School were among the volunteers braving the cold this morning to help plant 201 trees near the War Memorial in memory of the Iolaire lost. A crowd of more than 30 had gathered at the lower reaches of the path to the War Memorial from Memorial Avenue at 11am for the fi

09/12/2018

This week we're all about holly berries.We're heading out collecting some for the nursery on Wednesday 12th. All welcome to join us, come for an hour or stay all day. We'll meet at the car park by the church in Lochinver at 9am. Some of the collection sites are rough so dress for a day out on the hill and bring lunch if you plan to stay all day.
I'm sometimes told I'm curmudgeonly and Scrooge-like, dunno where that idea comes from but here I am collecting holly - it doesn't get more seasonal than this.
See you then