Tree Weaver

England’s 2million ancient trees should be given heritage status like Buckingham Palace and the Old Bailey because they are ‘cathedrals of the natural world’, conservationists say.

• A study claims there are up to two million ancient and veteran trees in England
• Three quarters of these do not fall into wildlife protection sites, and are at risk
• Conservation charity the Woodland Trust is calling for them to be protected
• Campaigners say they should be eligible for heritage status like old buildings 

Ancient trees in England should have the same protection status as old buildings, conservationists say, after research suggested there could be millions of unrecorded ‘cathedrals of the natural world’.

Experts from the University of Nottingham estimated that there could be between 1.7 and 2.1 million ancient trees across the country — ten times as many as currently on official records.

The Woodland Trust is now rallying for these trees to receive the same heritage status as some of the nation’s favourite buildings, including Buckingham Palace and the Old Bailey.

Adam Cormack, head of campaigning at the conservation charity, said: ‘These astonishing trees are our inheritance from history, and we should be treating them like national treasures. 

‘We are petitioning governments across the UK for better protection for our most ancient and important trees and to do more to support people who are looking after them.’

Ancient and veteran trees currently  have no automatic right of protection in the UK, and it is difficult for organisations to know exactly how many are at risk. Pictured is the world-famous 1,000-year-old Major Oak tree in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham

He called them the ‘cathedrals of the natural world’, before adding: ‘These huge stalwarts have taken centuries to grow and their loss would just be devastating, not only for the landscape, but for the environment. 

‘These trees are vital havens for wildlife and huge carbon stores.

‘These living legends don’t have the automatic legal protection that most of our wildlife and old buildings have. 

‘This is despite the fact some are more than 1,000 years old.’

An ancient tree is defined as showing exceptional age in relation to other trees of the same species, and may have historical or cultural value.

An oak tree is classified as ancient when it reaches 400 years of age, and is considered a veteran tree at 150. 

However, Birch trees grow very quickly and reach ancient status at 150 years old, while Yews are not deemed ancient until they are about 800. 

Most ancient and veteran trees display similar features such as a hollowing trunk, dead wood in the canopy or the presence of other organisms such as fungi or plants on its structure. 

Veteran trees share similar features and values to ancient trees, but they may not be old enough to be considered truly ancient for their species

LOST AND AT RISK ANCIENT TREES 

The Cubbington Pear tree, a 250-year-old pear tree near Leamington Spa, was felled to make way for HS2 in 2020.

Parts of Jones’ Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire, an ancient woodland that inspired Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox, are also being cleared to make way for the high speed railway.

The 550-year old Darwin Oak, along with 30 veteran trees, are under threat from the North West Road in Shrewsbury.

Nine veteran trees and some ancient woodland at Ashenbank Wood, are slated for the chop to make way for the Lower Thames crossing.

As of yesterday, work has started to cut down a 600-year-old oak tree in Bretton, Peterborough that is on the Ancient Tree Register.

The researchers built upon current data from the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Inventory, Ancient Tree Forum and the Tree Register.

These have currently mapped 180,000 English trees, with about 115,000 of those are classified as ancient or veteran.

A study, published today in Ecological Applications, used mathematical modelling to predict the true distribution of ancient and veteran tree distribution across England. 

The Ancient Tree Inventory was started in 2004, and anyone can record a tree online with each entry then verified by experts.

However, it is likely susceptible to ‘sampling bias’, where the results are partly a reflection of where people have gone to survey, rather than where the trees actually might be.

The new study took into account distance from cities, distance from roads, population density and environmental factors when mapping the trees.

This was to help distinguish between places where people are unlikely to have looked for trees and places which really don’t have any.

To check the reliability of the new maps, a group of volunteers was then recruited to carry out a selection of surveys to locate the trees in a designated 1km square space.

It was found that 285 of the 459 ancient and veteran trees located by the volunteers had not yet been logged in the Ancient Tree Inventory.

These numbers are also thought to be an underestimate, as volunteers reported that many trees in their allocated area were inaccessible or too far off to survey accurately.

A total of 22 species of trees were recorded across all the surveys, with oak being by far the most commonly recorded with 54 per cent of identified trees.

This was followed by ash with 12 per cent, beech with 6 per cent and sycamore with 5 per cent.

Dr Victoria Nolan, who was one of the lead researchers on the University of Nottingham study, said: ‘The findings from the surveys provide an insight into the number of species and type of trees that are present in different areas of the country. 

‘They also were able to be used to calibrate the models and provide estimates of the total number of ancient and veteran trees across England.

‘Based on the best performing distribution models, these estimates predict two million ancient and veteran trees, which is an amazing increase on what is currently recorded. 

It also suggests there is a lot more recording to do, but by having these more accurate prediction maps, targeted surveying will make it much easier to find them!’

According to the Woodland Trust, the ancient and veteran trees currently have no automatic right of protection in the UK, and it is difficult for organisations to know exactly how many are at risk.

Three quarters of England’s ancient trees are found in places like fields, churchyards, housing estates, parks or on roadsides, rather than within protected wildlife sites. 

The UK has more ancient oak trees than the rest of Europe combined, which are essential in the fight against the climate and nature crisis.

Oak alone supports 2,300 species of wildlife and the older and larger a tree, the more carbon it keeps locked away.

The Woodland Trust is calling for the government to provide legal protection by giving heritage status to the trees. 

IT is also asking for land management systems to be put in place that could, for example, secure root protection area around the base of trees or reduce any threats from its surroundings.

WHAT MAKES A TREE ANCIENT?

The Woodland Trust has several categories for different trees based on their importance and age. 

The most esteemed is ‘ancient trees’ which, according to the organisation, relies on three thing. 

This includes: 

• In the third or final stage of its life (this stage can go on for decades or centuries)
• Old relative to others of the same species
• Interesting biologically, aesthetically or culturally because of its great age

Other signs of an ancient tree include: 

• Crown that is reduced in size and height
• Large girth in comparison to other trees of the same species
• Hollow trunk 
• Stag-headed appearance 
• Cavities on trunk and branches, running sap or pools of water forming in hollows
• Rougher or more creviced bark  

What is the difference between an ancient tree and a veteran tree?

Ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient.

Veteran trees  have developed some of the features found on ancient trees. 

However, veteran trees are usually only in their second or mature stage of life.

Although veteran trees aren’t as old or complex as ancient trees, they still provide holes, cavities and crevices which are especially important for wildlife. 

Source: Wildlife Trust 

@Oliver’s Castle, Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
St Michael’s Leyline between Glastonbury and Avebury

Do you see the trees before you? The shape is formed by the sun, the tree is always loving and healing, and forgiving and the form is based upon a beautiful foundation upon earth. Having a foundation above and below captures the essence of what may Be in-between. What is in-between is what lies under the ground and above the ground.

A tree’s energy is a vibration that is so vast and Godly in its own essence that humanity has forgotten how to understand. The trees carry wisdom, they carry knowledge, they hear all through vibration – all vibration carries information. They react to the sky and cleanse the air and not only do they receive nutrients from the earth, they cleanse and give back to the earth as well.

Humanity is blind to nature because they do not take the time to go within – we ask them to become One with the Earth again, to seek Love with Mother Earth, with Here and Now (Gaia) and see the abundance she provides, rather than pollute her and take advantage, not realizing what lies below their feet – only on the products taken from her resources.

We are saddened and will repeat this message over and over until it is heard. The heartbeat of Gaia (Here and Now) is your heartbeat too. Without a heartbeat, you can no longer be Here and Now.

Her consciousness and her Love are yours too. Her consciousness flows through your Mind and her Love flows through your Heart. You must return to simplicity and love to the heart that connects with Mother Earth – and join in Oneness through Love, Joy and Peace – to add simplicity and unity back into society until all cultures become One again.

Animals are to be treated with respect because they deserve to be respected. Humanity does not respect – they want clean water but they pollute it, you must clean it up. They want clean air, yet they pollute it too. They want everything to be cleansed but you need to clean up your own mistakes.

Humanity must choose to change, it can be done and it will be so. Feel what you have done, forgive yourself and make the changes within to create the changes you create outside.

Loving Blessings ❤️

Paul Dobrée-Carey
http://www.polarisab.com

A tree is growing out of an abandoned silo.

What kind of world will our children have to deal with in the future?
The World Bank recently released their report on climate change titled, “Turn Down the Heat”, which suggests that unless human beings take action to reduce their impact on Mother Earth, the world is likely to be warmer by more than 4°C (7.2°F) in the next hundred years. This will not be the end. Further warming of over 6°C (10.8°F) will follow in the centuries to come.
This warmer world will be radically different from ours. The heat waves of today, such as the 2010 heat wave that struck Russia killing 55,000 people and destroying 25% of their harvest, will be the new norm. Extreme weather patterns which cause dry areas to get drier and wet areas wetter, will proliferate. Rising sea levels could put a hundred million people at risk of coastal flooding every year. Perhaps worst of all, within forty years, global warming could leave us with less food per person.
This book is a call to action. Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation and the massive environmental movement Project GreenHands, outlines the role that individuals, corporates and governments can play in controlling and reversing ecological degradation. Making it clear that “when it comes to ecological work, it is not somebody’s work, it is everybody’s work,” Sadhguru links the responsibilities of people, business and governance to address the problem with both short-term action as well as long-term vision.

My name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.

✵ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

The Global Tree Lovers and the Global Tree Network, together with Music of the Plants, will join forces on May 14-15, 2022 in a Global Tree Orienting Weekend (GTOW) to strengthen the alliance between trees and humanity. On that weekend, people all over the world will go out to their local parks, forests and neighborhoods to consciously and intentionally support the tree world by orienting trees using Damanhur tree orienting devices.

We intend that this effort will send a renewed and reinvigorated message to tree beings that humanity is actively working toward recreating a balance between humans and the Plant Kingdom. We intend that this project will boost creating a new level of consciousness in trees which in turn will assist humanity to create peace, respect and harmony between people and the natural world.

The goals of Global Tree Orienting Weekend

• To raise the frequency of the tree beings and humanity
• To expand healing, respect and harmony between trees and people
• To raise and expand the consciousness of humanity’s relationship with trees
• To recognize the reciprocal relationship between trees and people beyond O2/CO2 exchange
• To recognize that trees are intelligent and sentient beings
• To help to restore the original blueprint of the planet of harmony between the three Motherworlds: Plant world, Humanity and the Nature Spirits
• To increase complexity in the relationship between humans and nature
• To affirm the frequency of Pan with conscious action
• To assist in the separation of the planes for a healthy, peaceful future of our beloved planet
• To offer Vajne and all other tree lovers a project to work together to uplift our relationship with the natural world
• To increase the number of trees oriented in the GTN

How Tree Orienting Works

Trees are oriented using a specially designed pendulum developed in Damanhur, a spiritual eco community in northern Italy. The process is easy; simply connect to a tree using your senses and circle the tree three times. The pendulum is programed to orient a tree to the existing global network.

To know more about it see our article: Tree orientation: the world’s biggest magic operation with nature.

How to partecipate

1. You can partecipate as a private. Events will be held in countries all around the world. See this page to discover your nearest place.
2. You can organize an event by yourself at your place. To get information and the registration form contact Mary mg@rockisland.com at Global Tree Lovers.

Reference ~ https://www.musicoftheplants.com/global-tree-orienting-weekend-may-14th-2022-event/?mc_cid=913de2b9dc&mc_eid=e4fca3a2a3

If Holly (Ilex aquifolium) finds its leaves are being nibbled by deer, it switches genes on to make them spiky when they regrow. So on taller Holly trees, the upper leaves (which are out of reach) have smooth edges, while the lower leaves are prickly

With shiny evergreen leaves and bright red berries, holly trees are a naturally festive decoration seen throughout the Christmas season.

They’re famously sharp. But not all holly leaves are prickly, even on the same tree. And scientists now think they know how the plants are able to make sharper leaves, seemingly at will.

A new study published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society suggests leaf variations on a single tree are the combined result of animals browsing on them and the trees’ swift molecular response to that sort of environmental pressure.

Carlos Herrera of the National Research Council of Spain led the study in southeastern Spain. He and his team investigated the European holly tree, Ilex aquifolium. Hollies, like other plants, can make different types of leaves at the same time. This is called heterophylly. Out of the 40 holly trees they studied, 39 trees displayed different kinds of leaves, both prickly and smooth.

Some trees looked like they had been browsed upon by wild goats and deer. On those trees, the lower 8 feet (2.5 meters) had more prickly leaves, while higher up the leaves tended to be smooth. Scientists wanted to figure out how the holly trees could make the change in leaf shape so quickly.

All of the leaves on a tree are genetic twins and share exactly the same DNA sequence. By looking in the DNA for traces of a chemical process called methylation, which modifies DNA but doesn’t alter the organism’s genetic sequence, the team could determine whether leaf variation was a response to environmental or genetic changes. They found a relationship between recent browsing by animals, the growth of prickly leaves, and methylation.

“In holly, what we found is that the DNA of prickly leaves was significantly less methylated than prickless leaves, and from this we inferred that methylation changes are ultimately responsible for leaf shape changes,” Herrera said. “The novelty of our study is that we show that these well-known changes in leaf type are associated with differences in DNA methylation patterns, that is, epigenetic changes that do not depend on variation in the sequence of DNA.”

“Heterophylly is an obvious feature of a well-known species, and this has been ascribed to browsing. However, until now, no one has been able to come up with a mechanism for how this occurs,” said Mike Fay, chief editor of the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society and head of genetics at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. “With this new study, we are now one major step forward towards understanding how.”

Epigenetic changes take place independently of variation in the genetic DNA sequence.

“This has clear and important implications for plant conservation,” Herrera said. In natural populations that have their genetic variation depleted by habitat loss, the ability to respond quickly, without waiting for slower DNA changes, could help organisms survive accelerated environmental change. The plants’ adaptability, he says, is an “optimistic note” amidst so many conservation concerns. (Related: “Wild Holly, Mistletoe, Spread With Warmer Winters.”)

References ~ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/121220-holly-leaves-prickly-plants-science

Facebook Page ~ David Attenborough Fans. for more!

Charles’ Jubilee treebute: In honour of his mother, the Prince awards a special status to 70 of Britain’s most significant trees – including a 423-year-old sycamore and an apple tree reputed to have helped Isaac Newton develop the ­theory of gravity. Also a churchyard yew in the Cotswolds whose vast trunk is said to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings writings as well as Sussex’s Five Hundred Acre Wood, the inspiration for 100 Acre Wood in the Children’s classic Winnie the Pooh.

The Prince of Wales launched the campaign to honour the trees, one for every year of his mother’s reign, with a video message recorded in front of a 423-year-old sycamore at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.

He says: ‘Planted in 1599, during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James VI, it is remarkable that this ancient tree is as old as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Caravaggio’s David And Goliath… Trees and woodlands have a profound significance for us all – their steadfast and reassuring presence a reminder of our long-serving Sovereign and her enduring dedication.’

He said: “I believe it is absolutely vital that we do our utmost to nurture our historic inheritance through careful management and, in the case of the woodlands, that we can expand them and link them to other natural features like our hedgerows.

“And if we are to create the ‘ancient’ trees of the future, we must plant more trees in hedgerows, fields, churchyards and avenues.

“Furthermore, I would suggest that some of those planted should be propagated from today’s ancient trees, thus helping to preserve their unique provenance and heritage.”

The prince added: “These working woodlands and magnificent trees span our nation’s amazing landscape and exist for everyone to enjoy.

“At the same time, they support biodiversity, and help to provide us with the most versatile and beautiful of materials for our craftsmen and women.”

“But we need to replenish these precious, dwindling assets for future generations and for our depleted landscapes and townscapes.”

The project will also recognise 70 ancient woodlands and forms part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project to plant and preserve trees. In her seven decades on the throne, Her Majesty has planted more than 1,500 trees around the world.

The tree is a running motif of the jubilee celebrations, with more than a million people having ‘planted a tree for the jubilee’ this year. And a giant tree-like structure will be installed outside Buckingham Palace over the summer. It will be made up of 350 young trees in pots, which will be planted across the UK once the installation is dismantled.

Other trees chosen for the special conservation status include the impressive National Champion silver fir in Argyll, known as The Monster and believed to be the largest in the UK; the Royal Oak at Boscobel House, Shropshire, which is a descendant of the tree in which the future Charles II hid to escape Parliamentarian forces; and a huge yew in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, which is so vast that a bench has been constructed within its trunk.

Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said: ‘Ancient woods and trees are jewels in the UK’s landscape.

‘The Woodland Trust is delighted the Queen’s Green Canopy is highlighting the need to protect these treasures in our natural heritage.’

In Wales, the Wyesham Oak can be seen on a road bearing its name, Oak Crescent, where residents past and present take pride in their connection to the 1,000-year-old tree which has stood the test of time and development.

And in Northern Ireland, QGC ambassador Lady Mary Peters, former Olympic athlete and advocate for older people to exercise more, has used Hazelbank Park on the shores of Belfast Lough as a location to gather walkers to promote how outdoor spaces are vital for health and wellbeing.

References ~ News stories from the Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Sky News.

A 70ft living sculpture made from 350 British native species to stand outside Buckingham Palace as a centrepiece for London’s historic celebrations

An artist’s impression shows how the 70ft structure, made up of small trees in aluminium pots ‘sprouting’ from timber-plank branches, will tower over the palace gates during the four-day bank holiday weekend in June.

It will form a centrepiece of celebrations at the palace, which will include a live pop concert to be held in front of 10,000 people.

The sculpture was announced on Friday which was Earth Day, with the Prince of Wales also marking the occasion with an environmental project for children.

The ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture, created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, reflects the planting of more than a million Jubilee trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC).

The initiative, which spans two official tree-planting seasons, has already seen thousands of people planting Jubilee saplings across the UK to create a canopy of green in tribute to the monarch’s 70 years of service to the nation.

The trees that make up the sculpture will be gifted to community groups and organisations at the start of the next planting season in October.

Royal tree-planting has long been a staple duty for the Windsors and is usually used to commemorate official visits.

During her reign, the Queen has planted more than 1,500 trees across the world.

Mr Heatherwick, whose past designs include London’s Coal Drops Yard and office buildings for Google, said it was an ‘honour’ to work on the project.

He said: ‘The structure, created from 350 British native trees and recycled steel, is coming together from workshops and nurseries across the country as one part of an incredible community campaign that’s literally changing the landscape of our nation.’