Support a national tree register?

[sandspider]

Hi all

 

Not sure if this has been posted already, but the Woodland Trust are pushing for a register to list and hopefully secure the future of the UK's Trees of Special Interest. (Veterans, historical significance, size etc.) Seems like a good idea to me.

 

Support a register in England | Celebrate and protect the UK's Very Important Trees | Campaigns | Campaigning | The Woodland Trust

 

This link is for the England section, but Scotland, Wales and NI links can be accessed from the same page.

 

Cheers.

[daltontrees]

Trees of speical interest are loosely defined under a number of headings namely Ancient or Aged, Veteran, Heritage, Notable and Champion.

 

The website says -

"A national register would help owners recognise the value and importance of special trees on their land." Yeah fair enough, but only for trees that aren't already in TPOs, Conservation Areas or under managment of someone who already knows of the tree's special interest.

 

"By encouraging owners to seek professional advice in how best to look after them, it could also influence a change in management to safeguard their future." OK, that's for all of the above trees, minus the ones where the owner doesn't care or can't afford professinal advice.

 

"We would also like owners of trees on a national register to have priority for funding to help with their care." Gosh, is there funding for caring for trees?

 

"But the most important reason for a register is to celebrate these incredible and much-loved natural treasures." Celebrating them I expect is done to encourage visits to them, all well and good if there is legal and physical access to them. I just wonder how many people (who don't already visit trees rather obsessively) would break out the Register on Sunday morning, identify a tree and then go and visit it with the family.

 

I'd like to see a register if it were easy to put together and maintain, but it does seem to be aimed at very marginal gains (special interest trees accessible, not currently protected or known about and in the hands of someone receptive to their celebration, and not already described elsewhere in easy-to-use publications). How many such trees are there?

[sandspider]

Some fair points, and I didn't read all the small print on the website. But surely any initiative to increase the appreciation / protection / care of special trees, or even to bring them to the public's attention is a good thing?

 

I'd go and visit special trees if I knew where to find them. And yes, I probably could find them without using such a register, but a register should make it easier for me.

[Perkins]

It's already been done:

 

The Woodland Trust | Ancient Tree Hunt | Interactive map

[sandspider]

Ahh, useful - thanks.

[Perkins]

Yeah it's a bit clunky but if you zoom in 4 clicks the trees start to appear. Hover over them for a while and the details appear. You can also add trees yourself, get them verified and the details are added to the database with your name on. cool.