Our first Prime Oak is doing well and is now around eleven feet (three metres) tall, towering over project leader Gary Dobrin.

The Prime Oak Project began back in 2019.  The aim is to cultivate top quality sessile oak saplings from Sherrardspark Wood acorns and plant them out into carefully selected locations around the wood.  Each one has its own substantial protective cage to ensure that it is not damaged by grazing animals.  The saplings should grow into fine mature oak standards becoming the core of a new generation of this magnificant tree.

Of course oak saplings spring up across the woods from the (literally) millions of acorns dropped most years but very few grow successfully into mature trees.  The acorn may go to feed a squirrel, the young shoot may be eaten or trampled, the sapling may grow crooked or have insufficient light to thrive.  The Prime Oak project will ensure that we have hundreds of top quality young trees in a few years time.

If you would like to help by growing saplings from acorns just contact the wood wardens (see the 'Contact Us' page) and we will let you know how to take part.