Old trees - Survey

[falling rain]

I thought people may be interested in this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6247774.stm
I'd love to visit that old Yew someday

 

[John Burton]

I have posted a news item on this - together with a link to the ancient tree hunt site.

Just go to the latest news section: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/news/latest-news

 

[andyn]

Nick, the Fortingall yew is an outstanding tree, well worth a visit if you ever get a chance.

A very understated attraction in the area. Very exciting too, as it is obviously still very much still alive and is more than likely still got a lot of life in it and will continue to outlive many generations of humans yet.

This is pretty much all that is left of it after its rather eventful history:

Also if I can just echo John's comments about the ancient tree hunt too, as a verifier on the project we really need you guys to assist by entering the details of the big trees around you that you know of. Just because its a popular tree, don't leave it to others to put it up, you may be surprised and find that no one has entered it and your name will go down next to it as it's "discoverer". Please get envolved! It might help secure the future of some seriously old trees!

 

[John Burton]

Andy - love your picture of the Fortingall yew. Is it yours? Can I use it in the news item?

 

[andyn]

Hi John, Thanks for the comment, yes its my picture. Thanks for asking first, but yes thats fine if you could just credit it to myself please.

 

[Nightwalker]

Reading the news about ancient trees here on BCUK and seen this: "Many are much older, and yews can live for thousands of years." That gobsmacked me! Is this true?

 

[andyn]

Reading the news about ancient trees here on BCUK and seen this: "Many are much older, and yews can live for thousands of years." That gobsmacked me! Is this true?

Sort of mate.

Yews are pretty clever. See if you can visit some that haven't been "looked after" and you will see that often the branches fold back down onto the ground, say 5m away from the original trunk. From here they re-root and the branch then becomes a new trunk...the process then repeats.

If you look at some examples what at first glimpse looks like 9 or 10 yews trees is actually all one tree. You'll find the original trunk will start to die off, rot, and branches will fall onto the floor thus providing nutrients for the other branches to continue to grow.

I'll see if i can find a photo of the whole scene but here is a pic of yew whose original trunks are starting to rot - however each of the branches you see going out to the side bend down to the ground and are now growing upwards as a new tree. You can see a couple of yews in the back ground...these are all physically attached to the tree in main focus.

 

[Nightwalker]

Thanks for that info, tis very interesting glad I learnt that. My girlfriend took a snap of a interesting tree in a near by wood earlier on this year:

Any ideas what it might be?

There's also a larger more crooked tree in there I think that many people have abused by ingraving their names in it, but it is obviously hundreds of years old. I'll try get down there sometime.

 

[John Burton]

Andy - thanks for the image. I have updated the news item.

 

[AndyW]

Looking over the Ancient Tree Hunt site it seems that the age of trees is guestimated by the size of the trunk.

I've found a few big trees recently but wondered if anybody had any references as to what size constitutes "ancient" for different species?

They mention a few on the site but the I'm left wondering "What's an elbow hug?"

 

[SOAR]

The tree looks like a Beech, with its many branches and shallow buttress roots.