Dawn of the Frankenstein trees

Monstrous experiments to raise the dead are taking place at a wood in Devon on Tuesday 28 October 2025.

Branches of dead trees are being bolted to the trunks of other dead trees, and planted upright in the ground by the Woodland Trust to boost conservation efforts.

The ominous resurrections are taking place at Yonder Oak, a site near Exmouth where the Trust is creating a new woodland. Five huge ‘Frankenstein trees’ have been constructed from deadwood, to loom over thousands of recently planted tree saplings, with more to come.

Conservationists from the Woodland Trust hope that the creepy copse will provide homes for wildlife, such as hibernating bats, beetles, fungi and lichens, as well as vital perching platforms for local birds of prey like kestrels, buzzards and barn owls. 

Chainsaws and other tools are being used to create special holes and crevices in the ‘Frankenstein trees’ to encourage wildlife to live inside the dead trees while the young tree saplings around them are still too small and immature to provide such habitats. 

The lumbering ‘Frankenstein trees’ have been created out of wood taken from an ancient woodland restoration project being led by the Woodland Trust 75 miles away at Kingsettle Wood in Dorset, where some beech trees have been removed to allow more sunlight into a dense area of woodland, encouraging new growth.

Sam Hamer, Woodland Trust site manager, said:

“It may seem sinister, but resurrecting dead trees in this way has the potential to attract and create so much life in this new woodland. 

“Deadwood creates habitats for wildlife, and standing deadwood like this is even more special, because it is drier than most deadwood and has become rare in British woodlands. 

“By bolting on extra branches from other dead trees and then slashing them with chainsaws to create nooks and crannies, we are encouraging birds, bats, beetles and many more creatures and organisms to make their homes here, which, in turn, will help the woodland itself thrive. We hope that when the tree saplings we’ve planted here at Yonder Oak are fully grown trees, there will already be a healthy ecosystem around them to help the woodland thrive.”

Once secured in place, the Frankenstein trees are surrounded by brash and thorny bushes, to ensure that only the wildlife can reach them when Yonder Oak woodland opens to the public next summer.

The ‘nuts and bolts’ of this work have been made possible thanks to funding (and screws) from Screwfix, who have contributed £100k to the restoration project at Kingsettle Wood over the past two years, to help with woodland management. 

Matt Compton, Screwfix commercial director said:

“We love this ingenious project at Yonder Oak woodland. We’re delighted that our funding for ancient woodland restoration has supported the installation of the ‘Frankenstein Trees’ – creating sustainable, natural solutions to a biodiversity challenge. Not just that, but we’ve been able to provide some equipment to bring these creations to life too!”
 
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife. 

For more information visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.

Notes for editors

For enquiries please contact media@woodlandtrust.org.uk or 0330 333 5313.

Veteranisation of trees 

Veteranisation is a technique that prematurely creates decay features in young trees, speeding up their development of valuable habitats that would otherwise only be found on ancient and veteran trees. The idea is to try to mimic natural damage that would occur over time, using tools such as chainsaws.

These techniques are never carried out on ancient or other veteran trees as they already contain valuable habitat. Veteranisation is instead a complementary nature-conservation tool, when time is not on our side. It cannot replace veteran trees, but it may help bridge an age gap.

Screwfix’s partnership with the Woodland Trust 

Since 2023, Screwfix has been supporting the Woodland Trust by funding the protection and restoration of a 20.2-hectare (50-acre) ancient woodland near their company head office at Kingsettle Wood in Dorset, where careful woodland management will create a more diverse woodland habitat while protecting the historic site.

The Woodland Trust 

The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. 

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 woodlands in its care, covering more than 30,000 hectares. Access to the Trust’s woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.

The Trust has three key aims:

1. protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
2. restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
3. establish native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

Screwfix

With over 970 stores across the UK, Ireland and France, and an extensive product range of over 70,000 products, Screwfix is convenient, straightforward, and affordably priced, helping busy tradespeople get their jobs done quickly, affordably, and right first time.

From power tools and work wear to cables and pipe fittings, Screwfix offers over 10,000 products available to pick up from more than 900 conveniently located stores across the UK.

Screwfix is part of Kingfisher plc, the international home improvement company with more than 2000 stores, supported by a team of over 80,000 colleagues. 

• Over 70,000 products can be ordered over the phone, online, app or from a local store, with orders taken up until 8pm (weekdays) for next day delivery to home or site.
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