MWT Tree Nursery at The Milntown Estate and Gardens

MWT Tree Nursery at Milntown

The MWT Tree Nursery at The Milntown Estate and Gardens produces 10,000 saplings a year from local stock to regenerate woodlands across the Isle of Man

MWT’s Tree Nursery operates thanks to a longstanding partnership with The Milntown Estate and Gardens, located within the grounds of Milntown in Ramsey, at the entrance to Glen Auldyn. From this site, native trees grown from locally collected seed support woodland creation, habitat restoration and species recovery projects across the Isle of Man. Trees produced here are fundamental to MWT's Manx Rainforest initiative, spanning several reserves and among the largest temperate rainforest restoration sites in the British Isles.

The current nursery output capacity is 10,000 native trees per year, with the current aim to upscale to produce around 20,000 native trees per year, alongside approximately 500 wildflower plants annually for MWT’s conservation and Nature Recovery programmes.

At the Tree Nursery, seeds are collected from native trees across the Island and then propagated and raised on site at Milntown. Species include locally adapted oak, birch, rowan, willow, hawthorn and other native broadleaves suited to Manx valleys, uplands and glens. These species provide the long-lived structure needed for healthy woodlands — supporting wildlife, improving ecological resilience and storing carbon over the long term.

What we’re doing

We grow 10,000 native trees annually from locally sourced seeds to restore habitats across the Isle of Man.

Why it matters

Locally grown trees protect native genetics, reduce biosecurity risks, and create resilient habitats for wildlife and carbon storage.

Benefits

Expands native woodlands, restores diverse ecosystems, and supports long-term ecological resilience.

Volunteers watering saplings at MWT Milntown Tree Nursery

In addition to trees, the nursery raises selected wildflower species from locally sourced seed to support species-rich grasslands, woodland edges and targeted conservation planting.

Locally grown stock helps us to:

Expand native woodland networks across the Island
Create climate-resilient, long-lived habitat for wildlife
Restore glen habitats, upland edges, riparian corridors and wet woodland
Provide consistent, biosecure sources of planting stock without importing trees

By raising trees from local seed and supplying restoration sites across the Island, MWT can:

plant woodlands that are better suited to Manx soils and climate
conserve and strengthen native tree genetics
avoid biosecurity risks from imported stock
support diverse habitats across the Island.

These young trees will become the woodlands of the future.

Over the coming decades, trees and wildflowers raised at Milntown will take root in glens, valleys and upland slopes — helping to restore healthy, connected habitats and strengthen the Island’s woodland heritage.