Newton Nursery near Elgin has new ‘glasshouse’ as big as two football pitches
A huge multi-million pound glasshouse at Newton Nursery near Elgin is nearing completion.
The state-of-the-art construction is the size of two football pitches. Under its huge roof Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) will be capable of growing as many as 19 million trees per year – more than double its current production.
The investment also includes new offices and a new distribution and operations centre at the nursery which stands a few hundred yards away from the junction on the A96 to Burghead.
Work will now begin to fit out of the glasshouse. The site is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, said: “This site handover marks a key milestone in FLS’s drive to be fit for the future.
“The modernisation of Newton Nursery - which includes technology to allow for the planting of one million tree seedlings in a single day - will help the organisation improve operational efficiency and flexibility.
“Growing trees from seed inside the glasshouse instead of outdoors in fields will allow FLS to have much better control, meaning the seedlings are less vulnerable to damage from extreme weather, herbivore browsing and competition from weeds.”
Mrs Gougeon added: “Planting and growing more young trees in Scotland will underpin FLS’s contribution to the Scottish Government’s ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2045.
“Increasing the number of trees we plant will help absorb carbon dioxide. The process of creating this supply of home-grown timber starts in Newton Nursery.”
Local Scottish timber has been used in construction of the office building.
Boreholes will supply the water to irrigate the seedlings, meaning no new demand on the mains system.
The stock produced within the glasshouse will be mostly conifer species such as lodgepole pine, Scots pine, Sitka and Norway spruce, which are the backbone of Scotland’s £1 billion forestry industry.
The new facility will also offer the chance to grow a greater variety of tree species, thereby building resilience in forests threatened by the impact of disease and climate change.
