Finding ancient trees
Only about 10 percent of all the ancient trees in the UK have been recorded, according to scientific research at the University of Nottingham. The Ancient Tree Inventory, a publicly accessible dataset, lists around 200,000 trees, which includes both notable and dead trees as well as ancient and veteran ones.
So the good news is there are lots to find! The known trees are heavily biased towards the “major” species, such as oak, ash and beech. We really need to find lots more old examples of other native species, including hawthorn, rowan, maple, alder, willow…
Once a tree has been located it is essential that the explicit permission of the owner be obtained before collecting seeds or other materials. This will help ensure that the tree is not negatively impacted and respects the owner’s rights.
Producing saplings
We have developed a mobile app to enable full traceability through the system, from the mother tree all the way through to the final planting location of the sapling.
We think it will be interesting to build a picture over time of where saplings end up, and the contribution that each mother tree is making to woodland creation.
The app will be available for others to use. One of the big problems that we have noticed is that record keeping can be a struggle. Automating as much of the process as possible is a key objective for us.
Deploying trees
The ideal outcome would be to find a route to market for saplings so that they are available to anyone wanting to plant trees or create new woodland. This is likely to be a long term objective. In the meantime we are happy to work with partners to deliver trees on a bespoke basis.
We are currently focusing effort on building a network in the North East that links landowners with ancient trees to organisations seeking to plant. If you can help please get in touch.
