Manx Wildlife Trust and partners, including the botanical Society of Britain & Ireland and the Isle of Man Woodland Trust, have produced the first fully agreed list of trees and larger shrubs that are native to the Isle of Man. Native means they occur on the Island naturally, without having been brought here by humans.

The reason why native trees are so important is because most plant-eating insects (such as butterflies and moths) feed on native plants so they are fundamentally important to the Island’s biodiversity. Native trees are also well adapted to our environment and will be most resilient against climate change. The tree list will enable us to identify many trees that are native, great for wildlife, but for historical reasons have become uncommon on the Island. Trees like wild crab apple, goat willow, hazel and oak support hundreds of species and deserve to be more common on our Island and can be used to replace trees such as ash and elm that dying off due to disease.

This does not mean that we should never plant non-native trees, they often have valuable properties, and if used correctly, can enhance our environment. However, the starting point for any new woodland should be native trees and shrubs.

You can find the Manx native tree list below!