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Latest news
15/04/03 |
Ancient trees in hedgerows should be better protected |
Ancient Tree Forum and Woodland Trust respond to DEFRA’s consultation on
the effectiveness of the Hedgerow Regulations and Boundary Features. For further details click here. |
11/04/03 |
Celebrate the wonderful Scottish heritage of wild fungi. |
SNH have produce a wonderfully illustrated booklet ‘Fungi – naturally
Scottish’ written by Roy Watling and Stephen Ward. Click here for further details |
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11/04/03 |
Ted Green records a wonderful old hollow elm pollard on the National Trust, Glencoyne Estate |
The elm is covered in lichens including Lobarion. For a picture of the elm, click here |
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06/03/03 |
Over 2303 ancient oaks mapped precisely at Ashtead Common | The Corporation of London present their findings – a striking visual representation of the health and density of all the trees and extent of previous fire damage. Click here |
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11/02/03 |
Have you ever wondered how many different creepy crawlies live in dead wood? Have you ever wondered about their different life styles? | If so then you will be interested in "The invertebrates of living & decaying timber in Britain and Ireland - a provisional annotated checklist", just published by English Nature as Research Report No 467, and written by the ATF's own Keith Alexander. Click here |
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03/02/03 |
Relishing the ancient trees of Worcestershire! | A new Ancient Tree Register is being established for the county, and your help is needed! Click here |
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03/02/03 |
300 year old yew saved from the chop! | Three Rivers District Council Tree Officer puts an Emergency TPO on yew in Hunton Bridge,
Herts. For further details click here. |
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02/02/03 |
ATF and Woodland Trust working together change Stratford on Avon’s policies for ancient trees and woodland for the better | The District Council says ‘ancient trees can make a particular contribution to landscape character, local distinctiveness and biodiversity’ For full details of the changes click here |
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21/01/03 |
A veritable Treefest north of the border! | Discover 100 of Scotland's most remarkable trees. For further information, click here. |
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13/01/03 |
Revelling in Lifelong Learning | This 3-year, innovative Lifelong Learning project focuses on churchyard management in Shropshire and should raise awareness and interest in the conservation and management of ancient
trees. For further details click here. |
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3/01/03 |
Ted Green, Ancient Tree Forum founder member – honoured for services to ancient trees | The Ancient Tree Forum is delighted with the news that one of its founder members, Ted Green, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours. The honour is for services to ancient
trees. Click here for Ted’s reaction! |
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2/01/03 |
Native Trees & Forests of Ireland. by David Hickie. Photography by Mike O’Toole. | Native Trees & Forests
of Ireland is a celebration of the precious heritage of our trees and woodlands. For further details click here. |
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4/12/02 |
Stop fires in ancient trees –new ways to deter vandals! | An innovative approach to cavity covering invented by the Treework Environmental Practice should help to curb fire vandalism in the hollow trunks of ancient
trees. For further details click here. |
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26/11/02 |
Rare fungi finds at Hatfield Forest | A recent survey at the National Trust’s Hatfield Forest has turned up some important
species. For further information click here |
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26/11/02 |
Hatfield Forest – one of our top sites for ancient trees is threatened by airport expansion proposals. | The National Trust opposes Government plans for additional runways at Stansted Airport For further details click here. |
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25/11/02 |
Our Government can now 'Take measures to prevent loss or damage to ancient woodland and trees’ | The England Biodiversity Strategy:
Working with the Grain of Nature launched in October aims to conserve natural ecosystems and is a major step forward for ancient trees. For further details click here. |
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19/11/02 |
Bowthorpe oak – sadly this magnificent tree loses a limb in recent storms | The Tree Register reports that the tree has lost 25% of its
crown. For further details click here |
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13/11/02 |
Sherwood’s ancient trees are recognised by National Nature Reserve designation | English Nature gives NNR status to one of the most famous forests in the world. For further details click here |
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13/11/02 |
The Noble Chafer Gnorimus Noblis in Gloucestershire | In the Gloucestershire Orchard Group Newsletter Issue 2, Keith Alexander makes the case for saving old orchard trees to preserve the habitat of this rare beetle and asks for records to be sent to the Gloucs Wildlife
Trust. For further details click here - please note that this is a 1MB Word Document and may take up to 1 minute to load. |
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13/11/02 |
Lullingstone Park - an ancient tree jewel in Kent's crown. Andrew Cowan and John Smith of ATF report on the recent field visit. |
Despite a very bad weather forecast and heavy rain in mid October we enjoyed seeing some of the largest ancient oak trees in England - for full story and pictures click here |
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07/11/02 |
Blazing ash tree gets another chance | Ted's talk encourages local landowner to protect a wonderful local landmark tree. For further details click here |
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06/09/02 |
Europe’s primeval landscape was more like elegant parkland managed by large herbivores | Says Gail Vines in the New Scientist
entitled Gladerunners. 'Forget the dense, foreboding thicket beloved of the brothers Grimm. Europe's primeval landscape was more like elegant parkland, says Gail Vines, and all thanks to some unlikely groundskeepers' Full article in New Scientist 7 September 2002 |
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02/09/02 |
Scottish Natural Heritage. Ancient Wood Pasture in Scotland: Classification and management principles |
A new report by Kate Holl and Mike Smith Commissioned by SNH For further details click here |
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28/08/02 |
Leisurely destruction of ancient woods | Woodland Trust dismayed that damaging activities are allowed to continue. For further details click here. |
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26/07/02 |
A Vera wood-pasture landscape for the High Weald AONB? | High Weald AONB kicks off its series of technical seminars on 24 September 2002 with a discussion about the implications of Frans Vera’s hypothesis of open forest for the management of this AONB. For further details click here. |
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22/07/02 |
Forest Research seeks Forest Pathologist to lead research on ancient trees | Forest Research are currently advertising for two Mycological/ pathologist posts to be based at Alice Holt, Farnham. For further details click here |
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05/07/02 |
Woodland Trust Research highlights the importance of Ancient Trees in Plantation Ancient Woodland Sites. | Ancient trees and coppice stools may be as valuable as the ground flora for survival of ancient woodland communities in replanted woods. For further details and to download the report, click here. |
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05/07/02 |
Great Trees of London | The Great Trees of London project was developed to celebrate and bring to the public's attention the importance and uniqueness of London's tree heritage. Take a look at the 41 trees on their web site – click here for more info. |
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05/07/02 |
The Great Stag Beetle HuntPart II | Four years after the first survey Peoples Trust for Endangered Species and English Nature are asking for new records. For further details click here |
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05/07/02 |
The Oak Polypore, Piptoporus quercinus | A report by Dr Peter Roberts about this characteristic ‘old growth forest’ UK BAP priority species and Schedule 8 species has recently been published. For further details click here |
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03/07/02 |
The Ancient Yew | By Robert Bevan Jones. A many sided portrait of this extraordinary tree. A new publication from Windgather press. For further details click here. |
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03/07/02 |
Big Belly gets a Corset | Forestry experts hope a giant brace will stop a 1,000-year-old oak tree splitting in half. A huge crack recently appeared in this famous tree which has a girth of 11m. For full details of the article on BBC news click here. |
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03/07/02 |
Institute of Chartered Foresters highlight Ancient Trees. | ICF News Issue 2/2002 has a special feature on ancient trees. To read some of the articles from contributors click here. |
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03/07/02 |
Prince Charles fights Dracula to save ancient trees. | Romania has dropped plans to build a massive Dracula theme park in the heart of Transylvannia after protests from environmentalists – Guardian June 29 2002. For further details click here |
 03/07/02 |
Ozfest fans burn down ancient trees | As the Ozzie Osborne festival at Donington Park, was drawing to a close, earlier this year firefighters were called to put out two huge blazes, one of which destroyed ancient trees. For further details click here |
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18/06/02 |
Photographs of the ATF Elan Valley event, 14-16th June 2002 | Photographs kindly supplied by John Smith. click here |
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09/04/02 |
Ancient hedgerow trees at risk | Reports of illegal felling of large ancient oaks in
Ceredigion. For more information and to contact us if you hear of similar cases click here |
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Fungi help trees to stay standing in high winds | According to research, fungi brackets help reduce wind drag. Click here to find out more. |
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Should more rare and nationally scarce fungi and insects associated with ancient trees be protected? | To see the Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum’s joint response to the JNCC’s 4th quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
click here The Welsh Assembly’s section 74 of the Crow Act 2000: consultation on habitats and species of principal importance in Wales click here |
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Ted Green caption competition | Top three entries for the Ted Green caption competition click here |
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31/01/02 |
How can we improve the protection of ancient trees? | Contribute to our research click here for further info. |
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28/01/02 |
300 Ancient Olive Trees saved! (From our Portuguese correspondent) | A Foundation in Portugal has recently re-located 300 ancient olive trees to save them from a dam and reservoir development. But can we help with how to age the trees? click here |
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17/01/02 |
The Mawley Oak - collapse of a magnificent tree | To see a picture of the tree and the comments of Roy Finch and Dr David Lonsdale about it, please click here |
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16/01/02 |
The Arboricultural Information Exchange website | Like a great lumbering triffid an ancient Oak tree (Quercus rober) was spotted wandering along the A346 !.... click here for the AIE website (article near bottom of the page) |
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11/01/02 |
English Heritage's Quinquennial Performance Review | To see the Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum’s joint response to this document. click here |
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08/01/02 |
Connecting with London’s Nature | To see the Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum’s joint response to THE MAYOR’S DRAFT BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY. click here |
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08/01/02 |
English Heritage's Consultation Draft - Conservation Management Plans | To see the Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum's joint response to this document click here |
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21/11/01 |
Forest under attack | Application for further development at Stansted Airport, near Hatfield Forest. click here |
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9/11/01 |
Champion tree - good news! | We have just
heard from John Yates that the planning application (see below for details) was thrown out unanimously and the council are applying to have the revoked TPO re-instated! |
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8/11/01 |
Champion tree for the chop | One of the largest purple beech ever recorded is to be felled, all for the sake of six car parking spaces click Here |
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29/10/01 |
Brockworth Development | New Development on Airfield in Gloucestershire may impact on nearby Ancient Trees. click here |
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19/10/01 |
Batting in Yugoslavia | Herman Limpens Newsletter and "Eurobats" website! click here |
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04/10/01 |
Project by Jim Fairclough | Results of the MSc project into the Dung Community of Hatfield Forest. click here |
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9/08/01 |
Good win for the new National Football Centre | Warm welcome for Football Association's re-designed plans press release |
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08/08/01 |
Visit old knobbley's website | Old Knobbley lives in an area of woodland on Furze Hills, Mistley, England. Take a look at this wonderful tree. Circumference 9.5m. click here |
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27/7/01 |
Foul called on football association
plan |
National Football Centre welcomed but re-design needed to save ancient trees.
Byrkley Park, near Burton on Trent - The Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum lodge an objection to this
development details of the press release a copy of the letter of objection |
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10/7/01 |
An illustrated guide to ancient wood pasture in Scotland | Take a look at this wonderful new 54 page richly illustrated publication recently produced by Peter Quelch - the Native Woodland Advisor for the Forestry Commission, National Office for Scotland. Read more and download |
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Hatfield Forest - Spotlight on a place of supreme interest | Hatfield Forest
gives us a glimpse at what a working medieval Forest would have looked like. Take a look at this resume of the site and its value for ancient trees. more information Worth a visit? Join us at the ATF event on Monday 5 November to see the old trees and discuss their management. event details |
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5/7/01 |
Byrkley Park, near Burton on Trent – a Planning Application has been lodged with East Staffs District Council | This involves the creation of a National Football Centre on this Grade 1 County Site of Biological Importance SBI and historic parkland which contains 19 ancient
trees. Deadline for comments to ESDC 24 July 2001. more information |
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4/7/01 |
A paper relating to the canopy beetle fauna of oak trees | Stork, N.E., Hammond, P.M., Russell, B.L. and Hadwen, W.L. (2001) The spatial distribution of beetles within the canopies of oak trees in Richmond Park, U.K. Ecological Entomology 26, 302-311 more information |
29/6/01 |
Two ancient oaks saved from development in Croydon | Last night Croydon Council turned down a planning application which would affect two ancient oaks. In giving their reasons for refusal, the planning committee said the proposed development was a risk to the trees. For further information click here |
29/6/01 |
Is your local wood under threat? | The Woodland Trust can provide you with guidance on how to take action to protect it. A new free booklet is available now. For further information click here |
31/5/01 |
Visit the new website project by David Read on Saproxylic Species | The recently finished website includes a section on the ageing process of trees and highlights the biodiversity and conservation of ancient trees. click here |
21/5/01 |
Did you watch BBC1 Countryfile
on Sunday 20th May? Pollarding in action! |
The
programme included an interview with Vikki Forbes, the property
manager of the National Trust's Hatfield Forest. Timber products from
pollarding here have Forest Stewardship Council Certification. Over 1
million hectares of forestry in the UK are now certified. |
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Key notes relating to Ancient Trees the National Trust's Annual Nature Conservation Seminar 2001 | Annually
there is a national gathering of the Trust's staff who have particular
responsibilities for nature conservation. more information |
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ATF
response to DETR consultation document on common land
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Greater
Protection and Better Management of Common land in England and Wales
– a consultation paper published by the Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions more information |
Recent news:
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Overwhelming
support from National Trust members for the resolution on the conservation of ancient trees |
100,344
members of the National Trust called for a halt to the decline
of ancient trees on its properties and to treat them with at least
equivalent status to buildings in the allocation of resources to
protect them and future generations of old trees more information |
| Grazing ecology and forest history CABI 2000 | A
recently published book by Frans Vera which is set to lead the
thinking on what makes a natural woodland. more information |
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The
Greatest Smoke Tree in the USA
is translocated |
Guy
Sternberg of Starhill Forest, Petersburg, Illinois reports on a
project to move the largest American smoke tree (Cotinus obovatus)
ever measured out of harm's way more information |
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A Rendezvous With 2 Giant Trees in New York |
An
article in the New York Times by Michael Crewdson and
Margaret Mittlebach
Their fact-finding
mission to track down both the Queens and Staten Island biggest trees
and measure them - branch by branch, leaf to leaf. |
| Local Heritage Initiative Grant Scheme - Grants for between £3-15000 | Its aim is to promote
community development through heritage conservation. more information |
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Sussex Biodiversity Action Plans. Lowland Wood Pasture and Parkland |
Action
points from the first steering group on 24 Oct 2000 now available.
Contact: John Patmore |
| Action
to conserve ancient trees and their associated wood-decay communities
at landscape level
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Paper
presented by Keith Alexander to "Workshop
on Ecological Corridors for Invertebrates: Strategies of dispersal and
recolonisation in today's agricultural and forestry
landscapes" in May 2000. more information |
| Are there saproxylic beetle species characteristic of high dead wood connectivity? | A
recently published article by K Schiegg,
published in Ecography. Volume 23, Pages
579-587. summary |
| The
influence of forest regrowth, original canopy cover and tree size on
saproxylic beetles associated with old oaks. |
A
recently published article by Thomas Ranius and Micklas Jansson,
published in Biological Conservation 95: 85-94 summary |
| A
quantitative study of the epiphytic vegetation on the pollarded trunks
of Fraxinus excelsior at Havra, Osteroy, western Norway. |
An
article by Bjorn Moe and Astri Botnen published in Plant Ecology
129:157-177. summary |
| Effects
of habitat fragmentation: increased isolation and reduced habitat size
reduces the incidence of dead wood fungi beetles in a fragmented
forest landscape |
A recently published article by Bjorn Rukke published in Ecography 23:492-502 |
| Livestock Grazing in National Trust Parklands |
Research Project in relation to parklands owned by the National Trust more information |
Old News: click
here