MEDIA RELEASE
21 October 2014
Charity calls for greater protection for Northern Ireland’s remarkable trees
Public asked to help secure the future of our Very Important Trees
The enchanting and magnificent Dark Hedges near Ballymoney and a modest mulberry in Bangor are just
some of the trees highlighted in the Woodland Trust’s UK-wide V.I.Trees campaign.
Together with Country Living magazine, the Trust is calling for politicians to back the production of a
national register of the country’s most treasured trees, and has started by compiling a list of 40 splendid
specimens.
The aim is to identify, celebrate and safeguard these natural living monuments.
Jill Butler, ancient tree specialist for the Woodland Trust, says: “Northern Ireland has its share of ancient and
culturally important trees, with over 5,000 registered on the Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt website. And I’m quite
certain that, just like elsewhere in the UK, there are many more that we simply don’t know of.
“Our oldest trees have seen centuries come and go, witnessed historic events and are home to many species of
wildlife, some rare and vulnerable. These natural living monuments are the equivalent of listed buildings, yet
have no automatic form of protection.
“A national register in each country of the UK would locate and list these trees, and help owners recognise their
importance. It would be an important step in securing their future. The hope is that developers would consult
the register when preparing planning applications.”
The 40 revered trees – handpicked because of their age, landscape value or historical association – are just a
sample representing thousands of gems throughout the UK.
Northern Ireland’s arboreal representatives include the Dark Hedges – a spectacular avenue of beech trees near
Ballymoney, which featured in TV series Game of Thrones; the infamous Crom Yews of Fermanagh; oaks at Boom
Hall Estate in Londonderry; and one elegant mulberry at Castle Park in Bangor. Also standing up and ready to be
counted are the magnificent oaks at Belvoir Park Forest in Belfast. One oak – gnarled, hollow and alive with
insects and fungi – is over 500 years old and is thought to be the oldest tree in Northern Ireland.
Find out more about the V.I. Trees campaign and ask Environment Minister Mark H Durkan to support a register
of Northern Ireland’s remarkable trees at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/vitrees
Ends
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Kaye Coates at the Woodland Trust’s Bangor Office on 028 9127 5787; email [email protected] or
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121; e-mail [email protected]
1
Ancient trees and the Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt
The Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt
The Ancient Tree Hunt is a living database of ancient trees. It started in 2004 as a joint venture with the Tree Register
of the British Isles and the Ancient Tree Forum. Over 128,000 hand-picked trees have been recorded across the UK.
http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/
What is an ancient tree?
An ancient tree is a tree which because of its great age is of exceptional value in the landscape or for wildlife. Ancient
trees are in the third and final stage of their lives. Different species have different life expectancies. For example, an
oak tree may live for 1,000 years or more, yews for 6,000; a birch tree will be ancient at 100 years old and an ash tree
at approximately 200 years old.
What are Trees of National Special Interest and why are they so important
Trees that are important to the nation are extremely valuable because:




Having lived for so many hundreds of years they are important, in their own right, as very old representatives
of their species.
They are historical records of our landscape and history – just as important as listed buildings or scheduled
ancient monuments.
They may be extremely valuable for biodiversity.
They may have some direct relationship with a nationally famous person or event.
Sacred past
The oak tree was held in high esteem by the Ancient Irish and was regarded as one of the ‘noble trees of the wood’. It
was even considered sacred by the Druids, with the name ‘Druid’ supposedly meaning ‘the keeper of the oak tree’.
Stepping back some fifteen hundred years ago, the fine for felling a ‘noble’ tree without permission was ‘two milch
cows’; cutting off a branch would have cost you a ‘one year old heifer’ (‘Trees of Ireland’ edited by E Charles Nelson
and Wendy F Walsh)
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading charity championing native woods and trees. It has over 400,000 supporters.
The Trust has three key aims:
i) to plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife
ii) to protect ancient woodland which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
iii) to restore damaged ancient woodland, allowing native flora and fauna to return
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 woods in its care covering approximately 20,000
hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its woods is free.
Further news can be found at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Here in Northern Ireland the Woodland Trust cares for 50 woods. These woods contain a mix of recently planted
woodland, mature woodland and ancient woodland. The Trust has produced the first-ever comprehensive record of
Northern Ireland’s ancient woodland; find out more at www.backonthemap.org.uk