38 YEARBOOK 2023 found on ancient trees such as exposed dead wood, fungi, and hollowing and decay within their trunks, branches and roots. As a result, old and veteran trees both provide cavities and crevices which are important for wildlife. The UK has an usually high number of old trees compared to other European countries. There are 115 recorded oak trees with a girth (circumference) of more than 9m in England, and only 96 in the rest of Europe combined. The UK also has more ancient yew trees than any other European country – 978 in England compared to 77 in France and just four in Germany. A number of these trees are likely to be more than a thousand years old. Among the reasons for this remarkable tree heritage are a long tradition of private landownership, the near lack of destructive modern wars and successive forms of early landscape conservation, for example for hunting (medieval deer parks) or recreation and romanticism (parkland). Nowadays ancient trees are found scattered across the landscape – in road verges, parks and gardens, as well as within the boundaries of historic landscapes like medieval deer parks and wood pastures. Most recorded ancient trees are not located within ancient woodland. For 20 years the Woodland Trust has collected recordings of these trees in the Ancient Tree Inventory, with the support of a network of volunteers. This online map is available to everyone and currently has more than 100,000 trees listed, including around 20,000 verified ancient trees. Despite their irreplaceable value and scarcity, ancient trees are still under threat – from pests and disease, from inappropriate management, climate change, and sometimes from development. Despite their age and immense value, ancient trees are still under threat. As I write this efforts are underway to save a 700-year old oak tree in a garden in Reading, Berkshire that dates back to the English Civil War. The tree is subject to a planning application to fell it to enable the construction of a house. There are just 300 recorded oak trees of this size in the country. The oak tree has a tree preservation order (TPO) and planning policy should ensure this tree is protected. But ultimately the decision on whether to fell the tree lies with the local council, and a TPO is superceded by planning permission if it is granted. Old trees and woods have protection through national planning policy which has been strengthened in recent years. In England paragraph 180 of the National Planning Policy Framework says: ‘Development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists’. Recently the National Planning Framework in Scotland was updated with similar wording. Taking cuttings from the ancient Grantham Oak in Lincolnshire to propagate new trees (Photo: The Woodland Trust)
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