Thousands of acorns sown as part of national green initiative

Planting Common English oak acorns (Quercus robur) in a field on Rue de Samarès, St Clement, by Robin Waymouth (left) and workers Picture: ROB CURRIE. (35432922)

JERSEY’S efforts to tackle climate change have received a boost with the planting of more than 180,000 acorns collected by the public.

Robin Waymouth, who has proposed using the Island as a nursery to help the UK fulfil its aspiration to plant 60 million broadleaf saplings annually for 30 years, said he wanted to thank the public for their support.

It resulted in the delivery to Acorn Enterprises of acorns collected by members of the public and pupils in Island schools during what was a ‘mast year’ for the English Oak when trees produce a very large crop of seeds.

The acorns were planted in fields in St Lawrence and St Clement.

Planting Common English oak acorns (Quercus robur) in a field on Rue de Samares, St Clement, by Robin Waymouth and workers Picture: ROB CURRIE. (35432914)

Now, Mr Waymouth hopes that the majority will germinate around the time of the coronation of King Charles III, something he thinks would have a particular resonance given the inspiration provided by the late Queen’s patronage of the Green Canopy project launched across the Commonwealth.

‘I’m very happy that it’s all going really well and it would be very fitting to have evidence of germination around 6 May, because this is all about the Crown’s involvement in the Green Canopy project,’ Mr Waymouth said.

He added that he now had the involvement of a UK public relations firm in designing material to help identify a company that might support his broader vision to transform unused agricultural land in Jersey for sapling growing on a much larger scale.

Mr Waymouth has argued that the Island’s advantageous position two degrees further south than the UK mainland makes a substantial difference to the growing environment for certain plants and trees.

He said its weather patterns – the combination of sunshine and comparatively rare frosts – and the absence of natural predators such as deer and grey squirrels, make it the ideal location to grow saplings for export.

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