Glandwr Woodland is home to magnificent ancient and veteran trees, and mature hedgerows. Nestled within the interconnected hedgerows is a new broadleaf woodland and our carbon study which looks at the impact of enhanced rock weathering and soil microbiome rewilding on the growth and resilience of young trees. These young trees have stacks of data behind them – we know exactly when and how they were planted, and how tall they’ve grown each year – which is very different to the mysterious ancients who have lived through hundreds of years of history in this corner of Wales.
Ancient trees are hugely important to the UK’s treescape. Varying in age, size, and shape, they provide shelter to thousands of life forms from fungi to lichen to insects, as well as having cultural and historical value. Whilst each ancient tree looks a little different, there are some common characteristics: they often have very wide trunks, with hollows, and a smaller canopy.
The greatest number of ancient trees can be found in traditional hunting grounds, parkland and wood pasture, and particularly in rural areas they were also used as landmarks and boundaries. You often spot them in open space, away from other trees which would compete for space, light, water and nutrients.
There is no set tipping point when a tree becomes ancient, as it depends on the species. A birch may be considered ancient at 150 years, for example, but an oak might be 400 years or a yew over 800! The oldest tree in the UK is thought to be the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire at some 2000-3000 years old. That yew is overshadowed globally however by a Great Basin bristlecone pine that is believed to be nearly 5000 years old! It is known, fittingly, as Methuselah.
Ancient trees are big and gnarly, with lots of different microhabitats all under one umbrella – leaves and branches, roots and soil, nooks and crannies in the bark, and so on – all of which play host to a remarkable range of flora and fauna. Oak trees can support over 2,300 species, 326 of which are entirely dependent on oak for their survival, such as the great oak beauty moth. An ancient tree is an ecosystem in itself!
To many of us, the trees may look like they’re dying – and to a degree, they are…just over hundreds of years. Decaying wood provides habitat for many species, and the many holes and hollows you find in ancient trees are usually home to birds and bats. In fact, deadwood is a hugely important part of any forest’s make-up, particularly for the invertebrate population – though it spreads right up through the food chain too, such as woodpeckers breaking into rotting wood in their search for insect larvae. Fungi growing on deadwood provides food for beetles, slugs, wood mice or red squirrels, too.
Nearby the Glandwr Forest lives the awe-inspiring Pwllpriddog Oak. Voted by the general public as Wales’ Tree of the Year in 2018, as part of the Woodland Trust’s annual competition, this ancient oak sits unassumingly in a hedgerow on the edge of a road running into Rhandirymwyn village. It is estimated to be 600-700 years old, with a girth of 8.4 metres! Pwllpriddog oak is reputed to have been planted to commemorate the Battle of Bosworth, and to have been the hiding place of a king… it has also been the shelter for all types of livestock, a place for clandestine meetings, and even host to choirs singing in its hollow trunk!
As such giants of ecological, cultural and historical importance, our ancient trees are irreplaceable. As well as legislation being in place to protect trees, such as tree protection orders, there are practical ways that land managers can help, including:
- Avoiding soil compaction or disturbance near the tree roots
- Leaving dead branches
- Allowing space around the tree, including not planting other trees beneath it which would compete for light
A big part of looking after ancient trees is knowing where they are. If you know of an ancient tree near you and would like to play a part in mapping and preserving it for future generations, watch this video about how to add the tree to the Ancient Woodland Inventory – over 209,000 trees have been mapped in the UK to date.
Two of the Glandwr Forest’s trees, an oak and an ash, feature amongst that number on the Ancient Tree Inventory. If you’d like to come and visit them, book on to one of our citizen science volunteering days and we might be able to fit in a special tour!
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Wales Tree of the Year 2018 – Derwen Pwllpriddog, Rhandir-mwyn. - rhandirmwyn.org
Ecological implications of oak decline in Great Britain - Forest Research
Ancient Tree Inventory - Woodland Trust
