Maidenhead & Windsor

Charles II is said to have hidden in one, they were sacred to the Druids and Anglo-Saxons – and one appears on the Maidenhead Royal Borough's coat of arms. Oaks are considered so English that it is hard to believe they are under threat.

The reality is there are very few oak seedlings and saplings in the woods in this area and the Maidenhead Royal Borough's tree warden team wants to involve residents in doing something about it.

As part of their drive, entitled Oaks for Folks, the volunteer wardens will be outside Woolworths opposite the Nicholson's Centre in Maidenhead on Saturday October 21 from 11am to 5pm. They will demonstrate how easy and rewarding it is to grow young oaks from acorns, and will provide free kits, acorns and information leaflets to anyone wanting to try their hand at growing an oak at home.

After about three years the sapling can be returned to the team for planting or the grower can plant it in an appropriate position themselves, possibly the garden if suitable for a big oak.

Apart from maintaining a part of English heritage, introducing more young oaks into the local environment is important because the trees support a huge amount of native wildlife, more than any other trees in Britain.

Threats to the oak come from a number of sources:

· In some years, most acorns are deformed by a tiny wasp imported well over a century ago. Such 'knoppered' acorns do not germinate to become young trees.

· The non-native grey squirrel not only eats acorns but also damages far more than it ends up eating. It chews through the growing point of the acorns it buries for storage and often forgets where buried acorns are.

· The muntjac deer, another non-British mammal, has become widespread and now breeds successfully in this area. It is a very persistent browser of seedling and sapling trees in local woods and quiet gardens. Oaks are heavily grazed by this somewhat secretive dog-sized deer.

As a result, even in a year when acorns are plentiful, the natural regeneration of oaks via seedlings and saplings is extremely poor.

By getting Maidenhead residents to nurture the plants from acorn to sapling, the Oaks for Folks project will help protect the trees at the vulnerable stage of their growth. They can then be planted in selected places once the trees are more able to defend themselves.

The project is part of the annual Seed Gathering Season supported by the Tree Council nationally.

At the Nicholson's Centre, Maidenhead on Saturday the wardens will also provide information on the Tree Council, other local group activities and examples of other trees successfully grown from local seed in previous years' Seed Gathering Season events.

For further information or to receive an acorn growing kit, call Trevor Smith, senior countryside ranger, on 01628 777440.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead