Going back to their roots
Britain has a wealth of ancient trees, dating back thousands of years. They are a vital part of our landscape and heritage
Jill Butler lists Britain’s ancient trees
Britain is said to be exceptionally rich in aged trees by comparison with other parts of mainland Europe and, in particular, for its ancient yews and oaks. Recent research demonstrates the point. Fred Hageneder, in his book Yew, says: “Today, Germany, Austria and Switzerland together have less than 10 ancient yews left, France, Spain and Italy have somewhat higher counts but Britain, thanks to graveyards and remote cliff populations, has about 1,300 ancient and veteran yews.” In his new book, Ancient Oaks in the English Landscape, Aljos Farjon points out that whereas in the whole of the rest of Europe there are less than 100 ancient oaks with a girth greater than nine metres, in England alone there are more than 120 and the known number is still rising.
The oldest living trees in Britain and Europe are the ancient yews. Aging them can be incredibly tricky as a microscope is usually needed to count their annual rings accurately, which is complicated by the fact that some parts of the trunk may not produce a ring every year. Native oaks are likely to be next in the age line, although sweet chestnuts may challenge that and we should keep an open mind until we have explored properly and scientifically researched other species, such as high-altitude Scots pines or huge old lime and beech stools. It is also believed that pollarding, when practised on a tree from an early age and continued in a regular cycle, can also extend the life of a tree perhaps twice or threefold but they will have much smaller girths than a maiden tree and therefore be underestimated in the aging process.
In most ancient trees, the central heartwood rings are no longer present and the tree is hollow, leaving remnant columns of living sapwood. Aging these trees is a specialist study but it is one of the commonest questions asked about fat, old, hollowing trees. To meet the need, surrogate methodologies have been developed based on the girth of trees and sometimes comparisons of girth rates of individual trees taken over a known timespan. These are especially difficult to apply to pollarded trees, where the regularity or otherwise of the cutting cycle is entirely speculative.
The girth of trees is also related to growing conditions and other factors, such as management and climate. Long droughts or, conversely, waterlogging, if the tree manages to grow at all, may result in a series of reduced ring widths. Light-demanding ancient oaks enveloped by competition from surrounding trees – especially beech or conifers – will definitely shrink their crowns and fail to put on the girth they would in the open. Measuring and comparing girths is not as simple as it sounds as the stems of trees might not be a typical shape or may be the result of fusion of multiple stems. Or the tree may have fallen and layered, perhaps several times, so finding the appropriate place to measure can be challenging.
Interest in the biggest and oldest trees dates back to at least the reign of Charles II, when his friend, John Evelyn, went out on a survey of trees of England. It resulted in his two-volume Sylva, or A Discourse of Foresttrees, and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty’s Dominions (1664), which published for the first time details about some of the largest trees by girth of the time. There have been numerous tree hunters since then, right up to modern times. The authority on champion trees by girth and height lies now with The Tree Register of the British Isles (www.treeregister.org), a small charity that grew out of the amazing work of Alan Mitchell in the 1980s. Since then, the Register has partnered with the Woodland Trust and the Ancient Tree Forum to develop the Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI), an online database that aims to survey and record all the ancient and other veteran trees in the UK.
The purpose of the ATI is to demonstrate the wealth of old trees of all species and to raise awareness of how valuable this collection of trees is to adding character to our landscapes, hosting rare wildlife and contributing to our rich heritage. There are more than 12,500 verified, ancient trees on the database. However, this number is growing and will be added to over the next decade or so. The partnership considers these trees to be equivalent to our Listed Buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments and believes that they should be recognised as such nationally. The Woodland Trust still lobbies for this recognition under the guise of its VI Trees campaign (which, as you can guess, stands for Very Important).
The ATI considers these trees to be equivalent to our Listed Buildings
The Ankerwycke yew, Berkshire
This immensely historic ancient yew tree is probably the oldest living thing to have witnessed the sealing of the Magna Carta between King John and the barons at Runnymede in 1215. It is now a place of pilgrimage for many Americans, who recognise the legal precedents set down in the Great Charter. It stands close to the Thames beside the ruins of the Priory of Ankerwycke; it is also said to have witnessed meetings between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in the 1530s.
Ancient yew trees are extremely rare, although there is evidence that the UK has many more than other countries in mainland Europe and a special responsibility to take special care of them when they are associated with great occasions and famous people from the past.
Major oak, nottinghamshire
The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is close to many people’s hearts and may be the most famous tree in the UK owing to its association with the legendary Robin Hood. Its name, rather less romantically, derives from a well-respected antiquary, Major Hayman Rooke, who first described it in the late 1700s. Such famous trees need to be protected from the footfall of countless fans and it is now fenced to reduce the risk to its life from soil compaction and damage to its roots.
Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Tree, dorset
In 1834, a group of farm labourers met under this historic sycamore tree to form one of the first trade unions. Unfortunately, they were later arrested, tried and transported to Australia in an attempt to squash their initiative. An ensuing campaign resulted in a pardon from the King and after three years they returned.
The tree has a classic pollard shape, formed by the regular cutting of its crown on a short cycle. It is a traditional practice that provides a sustainable supply of leaves and wood and, as suggested, might even extend the lives of the trees.
rydal sweet Chestnut, Cumbria
This magnificent, “seven hug” girth tree is a special tree in the Lake District National Park and is certainly the oldest and largest sweet chestnut in Cumbria. It may have been planted before the present Rydal Hall was even built.
The sweet chestnut stands in this large estate near to the free-flowing beck that produces the majestic Rydal waterfalls, made famous by William Wordsworth who lived opposite the hall at Rydal Mount. It is just possible that Wordsworth himself sat beneath this sweet chestnut to write some of his famous poetry.
wyndham’s oak, dorset
For more than 100 years, the Wyndham Oak, in the village of Silton, just north of Gillingham, has been marked on the Ordnance Survey map. It is named after Sir Hugh Wyndham, who bought Silton Manor in 1641. Some stories suggest it was used for hangings after the 1685 Monmouth rebellion.
brimmon oak, powys
This ancient oak pollard to the south of Newtown, Powys, shot to fame via a socialmedia campaign to save it from a bypass. The Welsh Government agreed to re-route the new road, much to the relief of the owner and his family who have much-treasured old photographs of family gatherings beside the tree back in Victorian times. The Brimmon Oak was voted Welsh Tree of the Year in 2016 and was runner-up in the European Tree of the Year competition in 2017.
llangernyw yew, Conwy
This ancient yew in the grounds of St Dygain’s Church in Llangernyw, in the county borough of Conwy, is believed to be one of the oldest living things in Wales and might have been planted in the prehistoric Bronze Age. It was “discovered” relatively recently, in 1995, by the authors of Great British Trees, during a training day for tree wardens run
It is just possible that Wordsworth sat beneath this sweet chestnut
by the Tree Council. Parts of the tree have started to layer. Those limbs that come to rest on the ground may continue growing if they have living wood attached to the root system. It is common for yews to do this and grow out forming amazing living structures over significant areas over time.
Talley abbey ash, carmarthenshire
This huge tree can lay a good claim to being the oldest ash tree in Britain. It is located in a hedgerow within the grounds of Talley Abbey in Carmarthenshire in Wales. The site itself has records dating back to the 12th century, which gives us a good idea of the history of the location. The tree has become so gnarled over the years that getting a decent measurement of the girth is something of a challenge but it is at least seven metres in circumference. Sadly, ash trees are under threat from ash dieback and this tree, having survived for centuries, may succumb.
birnam Oak, perthshire
Sometimes also known as Macbeth’s Oak, the Birnam Oak stands on the edge of the River Tay near the village of Birnam in Perthshire and is said to be the last ancient oak of the legendary Great Birnam Wood, made famous by Shakespeare’s play. The trunk measures about 7.5 metres in circumference, indicating that this tree is many centuries old and might even have started life in Elizabethan times.
Fortingall yew, perthshire
Some experts have estimated this ancient yew in Perthshire, Scotland, to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old and the most ancient tree in the UK, perhaps in the whole of Europe. It is certainly a famous tree, which has perhaps affected its life expectancy as visitors in the past 300 years have taken away parts of the tree as mementos, even cutting away some of the living wood. These days it is enclosed by a wall to create a sanctuary so it can grow undisturbed.
Jill Butler, is the ancient tree adviser at the Woodland Trust
To find out more about the VI Trees campaign and the value of ancient trees, go to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ati