The next round of the Domestic Seed Sourcing Grant of £747,000 is set to be allocated in England.

The grant is designed to enhance the quantity, quality and diversity of tree seed sources in England. Most tree seed planted in the UK is of British origin, but evidence suggests that British seed sources may struggle to meet future demand across all species and there are known to be global shortages of tree seed.

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The grant will boost domestic tree seed production and support green jobs, helping meet the increased demand for trees.

In line with the GB Plant Biosecurity Strategy, the Biosecure Procurement Requirement Pilot has been extended to further Government tree-planting funds to address risks to biosecurity.

Applicants to these funds, such as local authorities, must commit to sourcing their trees from suppliers who are either accredited under the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme or who have passed a Ready to Plant assessment, as provided by Fera Science Ltd for their order, to ensure they are disease and pest free to minimise future threats of invasive species and tree loss.

Trudy Harrison, Forestry Minister, said: “This funding will improve the diversity of England’s seed supply, increasing the range of species.

“This will be crucial for creating diverse and resilient woodlands, which are better able to adapt to future climate conditions as well as emerging pests and diseases.

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“Increasing seed supply will also be essential to meeting our target to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament.”

Nicola Spence, Chief Plant Health Officer, said: “A healthy, high quality, and diverse treescape is integral to meet our target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“This vital funding will diversify our domestic seed source supply and reducing the need to import seeds from abroad. In addition, by extending our Biosecurity Procurement Requirement for applicants to the government’s tree planting funds, we will bolster our biosecurity standards and improve the resilience of our trees against harmful pests and diseases.”