Seed of an idea: Colin Ferris

(Photograph) - Seed of an idea: Colin Ferris, lecturer in ecology at Leicester University, has collected hundreds of acorns from local oaks and planted them on the roof of a university building. He wants to grow as many young oaks as he can from local seeds so that they have local genotypes. He will then contribute them to the new national forest, a third of which is in Leicestershire. Imported trees could damage local wildlife, says Dr Ferris.