Climate-resilient forests boosted by new state-of-the-art tree seed processing centre

Friday 12 September 2025

Climate-resilient forests boosted by new state-of-the-art tree seed processing centre 

Forestry England has officially opened its new seed processing centre at Delamere in Cheshire. The cutting-edge facility will support creating climate-resilient forests for future generations and strengthen the UK’s forestry infrastructure.

Forestry Minister Mary Creagh formally opened the new timber-framed, net zero building, which will process up to four tonnes of tree seeds each year and represents a major investment in the UK’s forestry sector.

Built next to one of Forestry England’s tree nursery sites, the centre will significantly expand its capacity to process seeds from a wider variety of tree species, including those identified through research as better suited to thrive in changing climate conditions. Forestry England will publish later this autumn a list of tree species they will focus on  growing and planting for the future, and the research behind it. All the future tree species are expected to grow well and become more important as sources of sustainable, high-quality timber in drier, hotter conditions and play their part in storing carbon, improving air quality and mitigating flooding.

Tristram Hilborn, Forestry England’s Chief Operating Officer, said;

“Forest resilience is our most critical challenge, and this facility is a cornerstone of our strategy to plant and manage resilient forests that can withstand the threats of extreme weather, biodiversity loss, pests and diseases. The new equipment and huge additional capacity we now have, puts us in the very best position to tackle these challenges right from the start of the decades-long forest lifecycle. 

“Our nursery team dispatch millions of trees to our foresters every year as well as supplying others in the forestry sector. And each one started life as an individual seed that’s processed and grown with care. We need every single one of those trees and the many millions we will plant in the decades ahead to thrive. They go on to provide enormous benefits for wildlife, for people and for a green economy, playing a huge role in tackling our climate crisis. This new seed processing centre is where we’re building the genetic foundation for forests that will stand strong for decades. Building forest resilience in this way is our opportunity to make sure the nation’s forests continue to evolve, adapt, welcome people and contribute to a sustainable economy.”

The centre features advanced equipment including cone dryers for conifer tree seeds, gravity tables to sort and grade seed material, and climate-controlled storage that can preserve conifer and broadleaf tree seeds for up to 20 years. Forestry England is installing more machinery and upgrades including a 3D X-ray scanner which can measure seed quality and a laser sorter to further improve processing accuracy, speed and quality. 

Seed processed in the centre come from Forestry England’s network of 12 specially planted seed orchards and 29 seed stands that stretch across the nation's forests, covering just over 300 hectares. Forestry England is planting and identifying more of these to increase the supply of high-quality genetic material. 

Trees grown from the processed seed go to restock forests harvested for their timber and create new woodlands which provide rich habitats for wildlife and beautiful spaces for people to enjoy. Supported by government funding, this year Forestry England completed a four-year woodland creation programme which saw 16 new woodlands planted with approximately 1.8 million trees. 

Built by lead contractor Willmott Dixon, the 2,000m² building is timber-framed and has been designed to achieve excellent levels of environmental performance and will be net zero carbon in operation. Funding for the project came from the Government’s Nature for  Climate Fund alongside Forestry England investment.

Seed processing has already got underway, with Scots pine cones collected from Forestry England Thetford in East Anglia being among the first batch through the new processing machinery.

The centre has been named in honour of a long-serving and dedicated member of Forestry England’s plant and seed supply team, Vernon Stockton. He played a key role in the organisation’s plant and seed supply work for more than 40 years and passed away in 2022.