Veteran Trees
Lead Partner
New Forest National Park Authority
What has been achieved?
The New Forest has the highest concentration of ancient and veteran trees in the British Isles and many species depend on them for their survival – including woodland birds, bats, fungi, lichens and invertebrates.
Now a new generation of tree experts has been trained how to care for them.
In total, 36 tree surgeons and tree officers have received up-to-date training in the care and management of ancient trees to prevent the loss of this scarce and valuable resource.
NPA Senior Tree Officer Nik Gruber said: ‘It was great for so many local tree work contractors and partners to get together and share our knowledge of tree care. It is widely appreciated that there is a very large number of veteran and ancient trees in the New Forest and that this population contributes to our landscape.
‘Ancient trees are important because of the range of organisms that rely on them for habitats and niches. Often management means doing as little as possible or undoing damage caused by unsympathetic management practices.
‘We all learned how to recognise and appreciate veteran and ancient trees and discovered the best methods for their long-term care.’
Contact details
Nik Gruber – Senior Tree Officer, New Forest National Park Authority
Tel: 01590 646668 email: nik.gruber@newforestnpa.gov.uk
