As part of a three year survey to map more than 40,000 ancient trees National Trust Ancient Tree Advisor Brian Muelaner will be visiting Killerton on 25 September.
Killerton is one of the top sites for ancient trees in the National Trust and staff will be helping to record their exact locations.
Ancient trees provide an extremely valuable habitat, hosting rare fungi, lichens and deadwood invertebrates, many of which are totally dependent on ancient trees for their survival.
By surveying these habitats and their locations, the Trust as the most important organisation for ancient trees in the UK, will be able to ensure that there are enough replacement ancient trees for the future.
As part of an ongoing three year partnership, Cadbury are supporting the National Trust in their maintenance of countryside sites. The research will be carried out by the National Trust’s newly appointed Ancient Tree Advisor and the records will also be added to the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt.
Ray Hawes, Head of Forestry at the National Trust, said:
'Ancient trees can be thought of as the cathedrals of the natural world. This new survey will provides us with the opportunity to understand more about these special trees in our care and map their exact locations.'
With more than 25,000 hectares of woodland, 200,000 hectares of farmland and 135 landscape and deer parks, more than 40,000 ancient trees are expected to be included in the survey during the next three years.
An ancient tree is one which is very old in comparison with other trees of the same species. There is no strict definition as to what age a tree must be to be considered ancient, but a 600 year old oak tree or 300 year old beech tree would qualify. Yew trees can live for several thousand years and oak and sweet chestnut for 1,000 years or more.
Brian Muelaner, the new National Trust Ancient Tree Advisor, added:
'Standing next to an ancient tree that has lived through centuries of history can be a truly humbling experience. We want to champion these special trees and raise their profile within the landscapes that they can be found.'
The work of the new Ancient Tree Advisor and the survey of ancient trees on National Trust land has been made possible with the support of Cadbury.
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