Saving the old souls

“The Fortingall yew in Scotland is 3500 years old,” says Steve Marsh, as we walk through the Devon woods. “Imagine what it’s seen. It’s the closest thing to immortality a living thing gets.

“Yet many of our ancient trees have no legal protection. We’d never think of knocking down an old building like the Tower of London, but trees can just be chopped down. We’re campaigning for heritage status for trees.”

Part of protecting these living legends is identifying them and the Woodland Trust is building an Ancient Tree Inventory, which has already logged details of 180,000 venerable trees across the UK. An interactive map means you can find ones near you and make a pilgrimage to spend time with these old souls. You can help build the list too by adding ancient trees you see on your walks – see ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk

These leafy veterans have an irreplaceable role in the ecosystem, often hosting thousands of different species of wildlife, including many which are rare and endangered. Find out more and sign the petition to help them at woodlandtrust.org.uk/protectingtrees-and-woods/campaign-with-us/treeprotection-campaign