FAQ

What is an ancient tree?

An ancient tree is one that has attained great age compared to its species norm. Old trees can be difficult to age precisely due to their often being hollow, so veteran characteristics are often used. These are signs of wear and tear that accumulate over time, such as scars, rot holes, limb damage and signs of retrenchment, including crown loss. Whilst much younger trees can have veteran characteristics, ancient trees will have more of them: all ancient trees are veterans, not all veteran trees are ancient.

Do ancient trees have “superior” genetics?

Although ancient trees can be regarded as “life history lottery winners” there are lots of reasons why they might have persisted. The oldest will have seen significant changes in climate, both warmer and colder, but there are many factors that owe more to chance than anything else. For example, location is important: trees grown in woodland have often been harvested for timber whereas those grown in historic parkland were valued more for their aesthetic value. So it’s not possible to say that ancient trees carry any specific genetic traits that allow them to attain great age; rather by virtue of the fact that they have done so, their genetics represent the species’ population from the furthest point back in history.

Why should we value ancient trees?

For lots of reasons! Ancient trees have featured throughout human folklore, and still resonate strongly with people. They contribute disproportionately to the flow of ecosystem services and by virtue of their veteran features provide multiple habitat options for other species.