THE fight is on to save British woodland from diseased imported trees, and Newton Rigg College students are on the front line.

Forestry students at the Cumbrian college have begun a programme to use disease-free seeds to create healthy saplings around their site.

Last autumn, students harvested seeds from Beech, English Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Sitka Spruce, Scots Pine and Noble Fir, taken from Newton Rigg's 23 hectares of mixed woodlands.

These have now been planted in the nursery and their progress will be monitored, with the new trees expected to be planted in autumn.

Lecturer Richard Hunter said: “Pests and diseases originating from abroad are a serious threat to UK tree stocks. Although these may have little impact in their native habitats, we have all seen that they can be virulent and fast spreading in new environments. For example, the full impact of ash dieback is yet to be determined but it has already caused significant damage to British stocks.

“An effective way of helping to combat this, and indeed other diseases, is to grow new trees from disease-free stocks, and that's exactly what we are doing here at Newton Rigg. This is an exciting project which has significance well beyond the college gates.

“Forestry has been studied at Newton Rigg for decades and our student numbers are higher than ever, particularly as our courses are very much focused on teaching students the practical skills needed for today's forestry industry.

"It's as important to know how to clear a site and plant trees efficiently and safely as it is to manage woodlands. Our work with employers and industry leaders such as the National Trust and Forestry Commission as well as private woodland owners shows this approach to be increasingly valuable.”

Newton Rigg College runs two full-time forestry courses: Level 2 and Level 3.

Level 2 is an introduction to forestry, primarily teaching practical skills and it acts as a starting point for many school leavers, many of whom progress to Level 3 which encompasses more advanced theory elements as well as practical elements.