The aim of the Surrey Heritage Woodland Project is to map, publicise and defend Surrey's ancient woodland and ancient, heritage and veteran trees, and to locate small, unpublicised woods. As Helen Stanley, the Project Officer employed by Surrey Wildlife Trust to get the initiative under way, explained, this is intended to be a 5-year project, starting in 2006 - provided that funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund can be secured.
All being well, the project will be run in cooperation with the Woodland Trust, the Ancient Tree Forum, the Tree Council and the Forestry Commission. The results will be incorporated into the Ancient Tree Forum, and an atlas containing the 50 best trees, 50 best sites, photographs, articles, etc. should be produced by 2010. It is hoped that, as a result of the project, trees will gain more legal protection, funds for their maintenance will be generated, and there will be less casual destruction of old trees, of which there have been some sad recent examples.
So what exactly are ancient woodland, and ancient, heritage and veteran trees? Ancient woodland, according to English Nature, has to have been continuously wooded since 1600, and it will generally contain a diverse range of species, including a good range of native 'woodland indicators' like Bluebell, Herb Paris, Wood Anemone and Ramsons. In terms of individual trees, 'ancient' is not a simple matter of age, but is relative to species. For example, an ancient birch may be only 200 years old, while an oak "grows for 300 years, rests for 300 years, and declines for 300 years - and then remains, dead, for a while!" And very important that dead wood is too: research has apparently shown that if all dead wood was removed from the environment, around a fifth of all animal species would be lost with it. Heritage trees are those which have cultural or historical significance, or are local landmarks, while veteran trees were described by Helen as "those battle-scarred heroes", rugged, cracked, and wildlife-rich.
Going on to describe the progress of Britain's woodlands over recent centuries, Helen mentioned that exotics - those trees mostly introduced into gentlemen's parks in the 18th and 19th centuries - have often now grown into fine trees, well worth recording. The 20th century, however, was pretty much a disaster for woodland, with extensive replacement of old woodland with massed ranks of conifer plantations. But the 21st century kicks off in a new mood of leisure use, with trees being valued for pleasure rather than profit.
It is good to know that the European map of Ancient Trees shows that SE England has the greatest population of such trees by far. (On the continent, there are gaps of up to 700 miles between them!) And yet we are still discovering 'new' ancient trees, here - Helen has just found a fine one in Thorpe. Others such as Addlestone's Crouch Oak, and the Yews of Crowhurst, Tandridge and Dunsfold, have been long known. (Did you know, for example, that it's thought the Crowhurst Yew could be over 2000 years old, and the cavity inside the trunk was once used as a gambling den?!)
It is hoped that people from all walks of Surrey life will become involved in surveying, sending in stories and photos and researching archive material. The project is looking for specific ancient or veteran trees or woodlands, and associated stories, myths or legends that Surrey residents feel are important to their community.
If anyone would like to become involved in the project, please contact: Helen Stanley, Surrey Woodland Heritage Project Officer, Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0JN. Tel: 01483 795448; Email: helen.stanley@surreywt.org.uk. For further information about the project, and to see some fine examples of Surrey's ancient trees, go to the website: http://www.surreytreewardens.org.uk/woodlandheritage.htm.
DICK ALDER