Willmott Dixon will build a new seed extractory building for Forestry England, which will processing machinery and storage areas for tree seeds
The new facility, due to open in spring 2025, will be the largest of its kind in the UK, testing and processing up to four tonnes of tree seeds each year. It will replace Forestry England’s current seed extractory at Alice Holt Forest, which was built in 1964.
Forestry England’s focus species include more Douglas fir, western red cedar and Norway spruce because they are expected to grow well and produce high quality timber in England’s future climate conditions.
Willmott Dixon also recently built a timber-frame visitor centre for Forestry England at Delamere Forest. That was completed in 2020.
Imam Sayyed, Forestry England head of plant and seed supply, said: “This investment marks an exciting next phase in our nursery operation building a state-of-the-art seed extractory. We’re delighted to be working with Willmott Dixon who share our commitment to building sustainably. Forestry England is the leading tree seed supplier to the public and private sector and this investment builds our capacity to deliver high quality seeds in the decades ahead.”
Willmott Dixon northwest director Michael Poole-Sutherland said: “Just as with the Delamere Forest visitor centre we completed in 2020, our experts are prioritising sustainable materials and construction methods. The building will be net zero carbon in operation and built using cross laminated timber (CLT) frame, as a sustainable alternative to steel, concrete and masonry. It will also feature solar PV panels, triple glazing, sustainable drainage solution and benefit from our extensive EnergySynergy performance monitoring process to reduce costs.”
