Hometree’s Organic Native Tree Nursery
The Hometree nursery’s aim is to increase the number native provenance trees and promote soil health through organic farming practices. All profits made from the sale of trees is directly invested into the charity's work to establish and conserve permanent native woodland in Ireland. Ireland's native tree cover has experienced a period of rapid decline. In 1650 cover was recorded at 10%, by the 1900s this had reduced to 1%. At present native tree cover stands at just over 1%, Hometree is helping to change this.
The nursery became organically certified in March, 2023. Since the nursery began it has operated to organic standards at minimum. Hometree is growing trees to help care for the planet and we see organic practices in our nursery as a critical step in this approach.
We closely follow organic standards, with no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides used. Alternatively, we use natural materials; such as wood chips to mulch, and organic compost as a soil additive. This prevents weeds and promotes fungal growth which is a favourable environment for saplings and encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi to promote soil health. We use a no-dig approach to reduce soil erosion, increase soil biological activity and increase soil organic matter.
At the moment the nursery covers 1 acre and comprises of 2 polytunnels, with our tree production this year recorded at 120,000. By the end of 2024 we are planning to expand to 2 ½ acres, 6 polytunnels and increase the production to 2 million organically grown native trees.
We are driven by the future of Ireland's woodlands having a diverse genetic pool, for old native tree genetics to be promoted through sourcing of seeds and saplings of native provenance.
We collect our own seeds from old native woodlands across Ireland. There are a multitude of benefits to sourcing trees grown from provenience seeds, including; trees are more acclimated to Irish weather conditions and Irish soil, conservation and promotion of old native genetics and reduced risk of introducing an alien disease into the tree population.
The nursery is run by co-founder and nursery manager Mitch Corbett with the help of the Hometree team and volunteers.
*Note: We are now in a 2 year organic conversion period. Which is the standard organic certification process for all farms and nurseries, as some lands that go organic need time to purify.
Species
Alder
Birch, Downy
Blackthorn
Cherry, Bird
Cherry, Wild
Guelder Rose
Hawthorn
Hazel
Oak, Sessile
Oak, Pedunculate
Scots Pine
Willow, Goat
At the moment we are not selling any tree saplings.
Contact
Contact nursery@hometree.ie for any queries.
