Old trees are a physical manifestation of continuity by simple virtue of their age.
They are valuable in themselves but also for the species that live on and in them, from bats to lichens and mosses. Of particular note are the beetles, flies and fungi that are linked to the deadwood of old trees.
Old trees can be recognised in various forms, depending on their age, species and management history. Many of the signs that mark out an old tree are fairly intuitive: they might have a girth/trunk which is larger than most other trees in the wood; open-grown trees can be quite short, with wide spreading branches; they may have hollow trunks and branches; or deadwood in the crown and on the ground. Once you ‘get your eye in’ you might notice signs of historical management, for example pollarding, or relatively young stems growing from a large and much older coppice stool. Many old trees, both in and outside woods, will have developed in open-grown conditions, such as those found in wood pasture.
Where to find them
- Old trees often line riverside and boundaries especially where these are historic e.g. parish boundaries
- Coppice woodlands are often overlooked but the coppice stools may be hundreds of years old even if the individual stems are much younger
- Wood pasture and parkland are where most of our oldest trees can be found. The open space, and often the care they have received, have allowed them to reach such ages.
- Try our features wallchart (pdf) for tips on spotting old trees
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