UK launches campaign to protect historical trees

From The Independent (UK):

From the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 to Isaac Newton’s apple-dropping eureka moment, some of Britain’s most important historical events have taken place not within the confines of bricks and mortar, but surrounded by the boughs and bark of trees.

But these living, breathing monuments have, unlike historical buildings, no formal plaques or listing status to protect them. Now the Woodland Trust is looking to change this with a campaign for a legally binding National Tree Register to protect ancient trees against destruction and development.

The Woodland Trust, in partnership with Country Living magazine, insists that a national tree register will help recognise, celebrate and protect the UK’s Very Important Trees, and help their owners, such as local authorities and private landowners, to access support such as specialist advice and grants. The National Trust has also been dedicating manpower to a branch-and-root survey of the nation’s oldest trees. It has conducted a five-year study recording 40,000 ancient and notable trees across 190 of its properties. What makes a tree notable? Unusual age and interesting tales.

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