A DEVON conservation charity has marked a year of significant achievements in woodland creation, community engagement and habitat restoration.

Moor Trees, which has spent more than 25 years working to restore native woodland across Dartmoor and South Devon, has highlighted the vital contribution of volunteers, partners and landowners in helping to expand woodland cover and support biodiversity throughout the region.

According to its new Impact Report 2025/26, the charity was supported over the past 12 months by 285 volunteers, the majority of whom live locally.

Together they contributed more than 6,400 hours of their time to a range of activities, from seed collection and tree nursery work to woodland monitoring and planting projects.

As part of its mission to restore native woodland on Dartmoor, Moor Trees supplied 24,362 trees over the winter from its Community Tree Nurseries in South Devon.

These trees have been used in a number of important woodland creation and restoration projects, including the expansion of the internationally recognised Wistman’s Wood and the creation of Devon Wildlife Trust’s new Bowden Pillars temperate rainforest near Totnes.

The charity also supported projects funded through Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest, including sites near Holne and Bickington.

Additional support for the planting season came through a partnership with the Utility Warehouse Foundation.

One of the standout achievements of the year was Moor Trees’ most successful seed gathering season to date.

Working alongside local landowners and supported by the Woodland Trust through funding provided by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, volunteers collected and processed more than 352,000 seeds, weighing a total of 368 kilograms.

The bumper harvest has helped boost the charity’s growing stock to more than 104,000 young trees currently being nurtured in its community nurseries, with thousands more continuing to germinate.

To meet increasing demand for locally sourced native trees, Moor Trees has also expanded its growing capacity through improvements funded by the Forestry Commission’s Tree Production Capital Grant.

Launching the report, Chief Executive Helen Aldis praised the dedication of volunteers and supporters who have helped the charity achieve lasting environmental change.

She said: ‘For over 25 years Moor Trees has been increasing the area of woodland and tree cover in the local area, tree by tree.

‘With the dedication of our committed team of volunteers, we have now successfully created more than 167 hectares of woodland and 5.6 kilometres of hedgerow.

‘These sites help to form a mosaic of habitats which in the coming years we are committed to further expanding and connecting them to existing woodland to help nature recover on Dartmoor and create a more resilient and vibrant landscape’.

The report also highlights the charity’s ongoing citizen science monitoring programme, which helps ensure newly created woodlands are thriving while educating volunteers and providing advice to landowners.

During the year, Moor Trees also provided 162 opportunities for people to take part in its volunteering programme.