Ancient oak at Calke Abbey, Leicestershire. The Old Man of Calke is a tree of national special interest and one of 15,000 ancient trees recorded across the UK. (Photo: Emma Gilmartin)
Tree protection
In the UK and around the world
Emma Gilmartin, Woodland Trust
This year’s Arb Association conference hosted a discussion about protecting trees, with perspectives from experts working across the globe. ‘What trees do you protect?’ This simple question, posed by chair John Parker, began the session.
First, we heard about trees that contain gods, standing among temples and shrines in Japan, and trees in Mexico that connect the Earth with the cosmos and underworld. These are trees that have religious or spiritual significance to us. Others are connected to livelihoods, for example in Jayapura, Papua, where the ‘women’s forest’ of mangroves is safeguarded for clam collecting and managed through local wisdom passed along the generations.
From the USA we heard about the healing power of ‘survivor’ trees – those that have made it through atrocities – such as the resilient American elm at the heart of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Elsewhere, there are ‘witness’ trees that have silently observed bloody battles and the formation of states.
Other trees represent justice: the Cotton Tree of Freetown in Sierra Leone stands as the symbol of resettlement by formerly enslaved people. In Tolpuddle, England, a beautiful sycamore pollard marks the birthplace of the trade union movement.
There are various means and levels of tree protection across countries. Sometimes there are few tools or government programmes that protect trees in law. In Poland, there is public money available to care for trees, including on private land, if they are one of around 30,000 ‘Natural Monuments’. In New Zealand, a river has been granted personhood: a result of increased recognition of indigenous Māori rights and culture. Why not for some trees? In the US state of Georgia, it seems that a white oak was given rights, or ‘entire possession of itself and all land within eight feet of the tree on all sides’. A brief internet search suggests this has no legal basis, but perhaps that doesn’t matter if people go along with it.
A commonality of experience is how communities act to save important trees where other forms of protection fail or are absent. When a large, old fig tree was threatened by a new expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, a coalition of activists successfully opposed its loss, drawing international attention (picture opposite). Rightly, there are many different players involved in tree protection, with different roles across society, including student and youth groups, residents, NGOs, arboriculturists and more.
This year, Association conference delegates were able to meet a nearby ancient tree, the Old Man of Calke. This ancient oak, measuring over 10 metres in trunk girth, is an ecosystem in its own right. Who knows what undiscovered kinds of life reside within it? And what has the tree seen and heard over the centuries while in the company of the wealthy and powerful? Now in the care of the National Trust, it stands in a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, and belongs to the people. Many important trees don’t have these layers of protections, whilst other crucial measures like Tree Preservation Orders are not designed to protect our internationally valuable, ancient, nature-rich or cultural trees.
When we asked the discussion panel what would be their first action if they were the elected mayor of a new Treetopia, few seemed to want such power. Regardless, the ideas flowed and soon a manifesto for tree protection was emerging. In the audience discussion that followed, there was a consensus that education, particularly for younger generations, was crucial to the protection of trees. However, I was struck by a wise contributor who suggested that (and I paraphrase) as important as education is, it is speculative and indirect. We must pull together as a sector to raise the status of tree care professionals, promote an ambitious vision for our tree heritage and set measurable goals.
Thanks to panellists John Gathright, Mark Bays, Paul Mandibondibo, Edgar Ojeda-Sotelo, Mark Roberts, Cathy Watson and Kamil Witkoś-Gnach for participating, and to Scriberia for illustrating the event (see next page).
Fig tree saved from removal to make way for construction of a new expressway in Nairobi, Kenya (pictured before the expressway was built). (Photo: Cathy Watson)
Living Legends
Let’s continue the conversation about tree protection. You may have noticed that the Woodland Trust recently launched the Living Legends campaign. This is a public campaign all about valuing, protecting and caring for special trees, because we believe things could be much better!
Since it kicked off in May, supporting activities have included work with the Nature Friendly Farming Network to promote farmers caring for their special trees, and a check-a-tree week of updating records on the Ancient Tree Inventory. We also created a petition calling for improved tree protection in each UK country, because we mustn’t wait for governments to ask us what is needed. We must tell them to:
- raise the status and protection of our largest, oldest and most important trees, at least to the equivalent to old buildings; and
- strengthen policies across the board, e.g. farming, planning, environmental and wildlife policy.
Importantly, these changes must accompany
- increased support for tree care.
Please sign the petition available at woodlandtrust.org.uk/livinglegends.
Adam Cormack, Head of Campaigning at the Woodland Trust, says,
‘Over 30,000 of our members and supporters have signed our petition since its launch in May. Many people we’ve spoken to can’t understand why there could be legal protection for a 500-year-old building, but not a 500-year-old tree. There is a growing appetite to change this.’
Over the next year we’ll be doing more to raise awareness and will be working with partners on more detailed proposals for better protection measures. We’re glad to hear from anyone who can offer insight or help to build momentum. E-mail me at emmagilmartin@woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Dr Emma Gilmartin is Conservation Adviser at the Woodland Trust.
This article was taken from Issue 199 Winter 2022 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.