|
This page is under development
What is a veteran, ancient and notable tree? Veteran, ancient and notable trees can be native or introduced species and can occur in many different forms: maiden trees (a tree that has not been subjected to any form of cutting), coppiced, pollarded and many others. The term 'veteran' tree is sometimes used interchangeably with 'ancient' tree. 'Veteran' refers to the second phase in a tree's life, when it has reached full maturity. It becomes 'ancient' in its third phase as it starts to die back. We're interested in recording trees that have a particularly large girth for the species and display important wildlife and habitat features such as:
- hollowing or associated decay fungi;
- decaying wood both within the trunk and in the canopy;
- sap runs;
- water-filled rot holes;
- loose bark and rotting stumps;
- limb loss/breakage;
It will generally include old trees, but also younger, middle aged trees where premature ageing characteristics are present. A tree of local importance or of personal significance to the individual recorder is called a 'notable tree'. This includes specimen trees or those considered to be potential, next generation veteran trees. Size alone is a poor indicator of veteran status, as different species may have different rates of growth or natural life spans. A willow may be a veteran at 80 years old, whilst an oak will have to wait another 300 years to assume the same state.
As explained on the Home page, veteran trees are very important for biodiversity. There are many species of fungi, lichen, mosses, beetles, birds and bats that rely solely on the presence of veteran trees for their roosts, nests, food sources, breeding grounds, water supplies and many more:
|
