WILTSHIRE trees have contributed to a project to help save the world's trees, after the Wildlife Trust hosted staff from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, who were collecting the seeds of alder buckthorn, silver birch, Midland hawthorn and wild service.

The tree seeds will be banked in the underground vaults of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world, to form the UK’s first national collection of tree seeds, after they were collected from Ravensroost Wood, in the Braydon Forest area near Malmesbury and Clattinger Farm, which is also near Malmesbury.

Silver birch, one of the UK’s most common trees, and alder buckthorn, a once prized wood for charcoal, were easier for Kew’s seed collecting team to find. Midland hawthorn proved more of a challenge. It can easily be confused with common hawthorn and is much scarcer than its widespread relative due to the loss of ancient woodland habitat over recent centuries.

The wild service tree was also difficult for the team to collect seed from, as although easier to identify it is relatively uncommon in the UK.

Ellie Jones, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Reserves Field Officer for North Wiltshire, said: “We were really pleased to be able to support the important work of the UK National Tree Seed Project. Midland hawthorn is a particularly tricky plant species to find, as it readily hybridises with common hawthorn, so we were thrilled to find a number of good specimens from which to harvest seed to pass on to the project.

"WWT nature reserves are refuges for a number of scarce and threatened species, but even our woodland trees face challenges from climate change, pests and diseases, so further research into these topics is vital to conservation efforts.”

When it comes to birdies and eagles members of North Wilts Golf Club are experts, but now they are doing their bit to help a different kind of wildlife.

The club has joined forces with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to boost conservation work and has so far raised more than £2,000.

It is close to Morgan’s Hill nature reserve which is maintained by the trust and is a much loved area for walkers to enjoy the countryside and views.

Lady Captain Lizzie Selby has raised £2,311 so far this year to help preserve species such as the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

Mrs Selby has now teamed up with Rebecca Goddard from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s fundraising team to put on bird, butterfly, bee, and orchid walks for golfers.