Veteran Trees and the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree Hunt
A veteran tree is a tree which is very old for its species, the age is usually estimated by measuring the girth of its trunk. For an oak tree, anything which is greater than about 2 hugs, that is, requiring two people to link arms around the trunk, is classed as a veteran.
Never before has a survey on the scale of the Ancient Tree Hunt been undertaken of our forgotten trees, trees that lie in field corners, churchyards, parklands and hedgerows. Trees that in some cases date back to the Iron Age and still live, offering unique repositories of biodiversity. Islands of life that stand proud on a village green, as part of the community, part of people's daily lives going back generations.
These are our green monuments, our veteran trees, and few of them are protected, indeed most are neglected.
Locating and surveying these trees is the first step in their long term protection and management. It is hoped that one day landowners will be able to receive funding to help preserve these wonderful trees which are of national heritage significance.
Veteran trees are still being discovered even now! For example, the tree on the right in the photograph was discovered in May 2005 in the Oswestry uplands. It has a girth of 7.2 metres and is estimated to be 600 years old. So it began to grow around the time of the Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403!
Veteran or ancient trees are becoming increasingly recognised as a rich element of Britain’s natural heritage. Indeed, they are usually a genetic link to pre-industrial times and are a vital resource in the long term protection of local genetic stock (provenance).
It has been suggested that veteran trees should be 'Sites of Special Scientific Interest' (SSSI) in their own right because they are excellent and long-established mini-ecosystems. This fact is recognised within national biodiversity action plans.
Stories and folklore about individual trees can peel back the layers of history and the landscape, and can add much to the protection of a tree and enable local communities to celebrate their living green heritage.
The data gathered is sent to the Woodland Trust, who launched a major national campaign to catalogue all of Britain's veteran trees. Go to their new interactive website to view the trees near you (click on the 'ancient tree hunt' link).
To find out more about Shropshire's trees, follow the link to 'Trees in the Shropshire Landscape'. There is also a link to BBC Shropshire's Veteran Trees web page.
If you are interested in becoming a tree warden for your local area, follow the link below.
Within Shropshire, volunteers have been sending in records and sightings, and we have now discovered nearly 400 veteran or ancient trees, ranging from 300 to over 1000 years old. Many more veteran trees are yet to be discovered and members of the public are being urged to get involved and send in sightings or stories associated with old trees in northern Shropshire to:
Conservation and Community Officer
Shropshire Council
Outdoor Recreation Service
Swan Hill
Ellesmere
SY12 0DQ
Tel: 01691 624448.
"10,000 oaks of 100 years old are not a substitute for one 500 year old oak." Oliver Rackham.