Plant seeds from the Carlisle area will help a Kew Gardens project ensure the species are protected.

Samples of holly and guelder rose were collected on recent fieldwork trips to woodlands in north Cumbria by conservationists from Kew Gardens.

It is part of the Millennium Seed Bank project which aims to protect UK trees and woodlands whilst enabling researchers to work to prevent threats to the native species.

Ian Willey, fieldwork officer for Kew’s UK National Tree Seed Project, said: “A further success of these trips was a Holly collection made near Carlisle, the final piece of the puzzle for the project meaning we have now banked holly seeds from all target areas across the UK and Northern Ireland.

“We now have 325,000 native holly seeds from every corner of the UK safely stored and protected from any future threats.”

The researchers also spent time in Yorkshire to get similar samples.

They are keen to target ancient woodland species where the trees were not planted and have grown naturally over time.

This ensures that if the trees need to be planted again, they are suited to the conditions of the area that they were originally grown in.

Mr Willey added: “Visiting Yorkshire’s national parks is always a joy and I am happy we were able to make important upland collections of yew, spindle, and holly in the area.

“Native woodland above 300m is much reduced in the UK so finding target populations can be difficult.

“The environmental conditions these woods face is often more extreme when compared to those at lower altitudes.

“Obtaining seed from the uplands is therefore important to ensure we have genetically representative seed collections stored at the Millennium Seed Bank.”

The project began in 2013 to protect these species but also aims to various industries such as the woodland industry, tourism, and recreation.

To date, more than 13 million seeds from over 70 species have been collected.

When they arrive, they are dried and frozen at minus 20 degrees.

By keeping the seeds frozen, it means that they will be able to be planted in decades to come.