Why map ancient trees

Why do we need to map ancient trees?

Ancient trees, especially groups of ancient trees are unique in the quantity and variety of life they sustain, above and below ground. They have been part of our unfolding history for centuries. They are a link to the original Wildwood. We want as many ancient trees as possible to survive for as long as possible – by ensuring they are well cared for. However, to do this, we need to know where they are.

Mapping this extraordinary asset is a crucial step towards a more enlightened approach to our remarkable treescape. We are the guardians of a landscape of European importance, but we don’t yet know how many and where they are.

There are thousands of ancient trees scattered across our towns and countryside, yet to be discovered and recorded. It is a huge task to find them all, but with your help, we hope to record the location of every ancient tree in the UK.

A comprehensive map of ancient trees will help us to:

• Increase awareness of the importance of ancient trees
• Lobby for greater protection for ancient trees
• Identify the locations of the main concentrations
• Monitor current threats and future losses
• Campaign for trees in the countryside, to become the ‘ancients’ of the future
• Help us plan how best to conserve them in the future

To find out which trees have already been mapped go to the tree search

Record a tree