Tree history, heritage & culture

In managing trees in woods and forests, and especially in urban situations, then the history and heritage aspects are often problematic. Frequently important “heritage” trees especially ancient coppice stools and other “worked” trees, are overlooked or simply ignored. Indeed, whilst there are increasingly agreed criteria for recognising “ancient” and “veteran” trees that are either pollards or maiden standards, for many others such as upland “medusoid” trees and coppices in general, there is limited recognition and agreement. An important consequence of this situation is that trees may be lost in non-woodland developments because they lack protection or even in woodland management schemes because they are unrecognised. There are also subsidiary questions for woodland and other site managers when significant trees are found, as to whether to conserve (i.e. to preserve the status quo) or to intervene (i.e. manage). The latter may be a fraught process since attempting to reinstate management after a long lapse can result in a high fatality rate. Furthermore, being “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” with pollards in particular leaving over-mature trees to grow into old age may trigger the tree becoming top-heavy and ultimately breaking up. With a veteran lapsed coppice, this is probably less of a problem, and it is best to leave well alone. A collapsed coppice stem may just trigger a new shoot springing up. There is a further matter that is often overlooked or ignored in that these former “working trees” (mostly now retired) are “eco-cultural” in nature. They result from long-term, predictable human-tree interactions, and as such, the “worked” tree that remains is itself heritage and archaeology. In determining our responses to such unique individuals, we need to consider the likely impacts of any interventions or indeed of non-intervention, on both the tree as a biological entity and on the biocultural heritage that the tree represents. In this context, the papers offered in the Arboricultural Journal (for example, Ritchie, Szuster, & Kaufman, 2021) help take the science and the debates forwards. Joining debates on ancient or veteran trees, on worked or working trees, there are also significant memorial specimens that may simply commemorate a place or those which were planted specifically to commemorate an event. Examples of the former are the “Parliament Oak” near Edwinstowe (see Rotherham, 2019) and the Great Oak of Pontfadog near Wrexham (see Rotherham, 2013) (though the latter has now been lost). The latter are exemplified by trees planted to commemorate say a royal visit, a significant date, or perhaps a military victory. How we recognise, assess, and if necessary, “value” such trees is as varied and challenging as the variety of heritage trees themselves. We certainly welcome further contributions on these themes in future issues. Heritage trees may be especially significant at the level of a region or a country. In this context, Bocsi, Harper, DeStefano, and Lass (2021) consider the oak in North America. They note that over the course of history, oak trees played an important role Arboricultural Journal 2021, VOL. 43, NO. 3, 137–139 https://doi.org/10.1080/03071375.2021.1970970