Ancient Tree Forum

An ancient tree is one that is in the final stage of its life and is exceptionally old for its species. Such trees typically have a wide girth and a hollow trunk with decaying wood, holes, and cavities that provide crucial habitats for thousands of species, including 25% of England’s priority conservation (‘Red Book’) species. The late Oliver Rackham – who regarded trees and woods as living archaeological artefacts, revealing much about historical landscape management practices – stated that ‘a single oak 400 years old is a series of ecosystems in itself, for which a hundred 200-year-old oaks are no substitute.’ Britain is thought to have the greatest number of ancie