20 Apr The Tree Council calls for greater protection of England’s most important trees
Following the felling of a 500-year-old oak in London, The Tree Council is calling for more legal protections for the nation’s ancient trees, akin to those given to buildings with listed status.
The news comes as the charity publishes a new report with Forest Research calling for a “robust and effective system” of protections as part of an action plan to secure the future of some of England’s most important trees.
Chief executive of The Tree Council, Sara Lom, said: “It makes me sad to hear the news of the felling of such an important ancient tree, but more importantly it makes me angry. This tree has stood for more than 400 years – it’s a cultural asset on a par with our stately homes and castles, and yet it lacked the levels of protection that they enjoy.
“This news is especially ironic coming as The Tree Council publishes a report finding that many of our nation’s trees of significant value lack sufficient protection. So now we at The Tree Council are calling on government to introduce stricter legislation to protect these trees and higher penalties for those who ignore those protections.”
The Tree Council, the national charity that brings everyone together for the love of trees, and Forest Research, assessed the existing protections and systems in place to secure the future of some of the country’s most important trees – those deemed “irreplaceable”, and providing exceptionally high social, cultural and environmental value.
The subsequent report, Protecting trees of high social, cultural and environmental value, reveals they are only indirectly protected, with some “significant legal gaps”, and recommends the development of a “robust and effective system” to ensure they are safeguarded.
Report co-author, Jess Allan is The Tree Council’s Science & Action Research Manager. She said: “The outpouring of emotion and anger at the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, in October 2023 and this ancient oak in Enfield shows how valued these socially, culturally and environmentally important trees are.
“But, unlike in other countries such as Italy and Poland, we found there are currently no specific legal protections in place in England.”
The Defra-funded report makes a series of recommendations, following a review of existing legislation, and consultation with experts from nearly 50 different organisations, including NGOs, government agencies, landowners, industry bodies, tree volunteers and arboricultual professionals.
Chief executive Sara Lom added: “It’s laid bare what can happen when we don’t legislate to guard our valuable heritage trees, but on top of protections we also need a system where education and funding is available to help care for these important parts of our cultural landscape to make sure they live to a grand old age.
“We don’t want this report to sit on a shelf gathering dust while we wait for the next ancient tree to be felled.
“You only have to look at the example of the King’s Ely London Plane to see what good practice looks like. Instead of cutting down, they are using innovative bracing and pruning techniques and celebrating the history of their incredible tree.”
The report recommends:
Engaging key stakeholders to better protect important trees, within 12 months
Developing an ‘action plan’ for important trees
Improving legal protections
Developing a public and private funding framework to support owners and managers
Enhancing data on current and future important trees
Appointing a “Special Representative” for important trees at political level
Leading positive engagement and exploring international knowledge exchange
Improving skills and capacity for management and protection of important trees
The report reveals that trees in this category face a range of threats; from environmental factors, like soil compaction from footfall near the base, and climate change; to biological, such as pests and diseases; and human behaviour, such as vandalism; as well as legislation and enforcement weaknesses, inconsistent management practices and resource pressures.
Report co-author, Forest Research Senior Social Scientist, Dr Beth Brockett said: “Research tells us that people build relationships with, and care for, individual trees. Different trees are important to different people for different reasons.
“This report outlines the range of threats to our nationally important trees and identifies possible mitigations so we can continue to protect them for generations to come.”
Examples of socially, culturally and environmentally important trees lost in the last few years, include; the 300 year old Hunningham Oak, near Leamington, felled to make way for infrastructure projects in 2020; Hackney’s Happy Man Tree, felled in 2021 to make way for a housing development, despite being named Tree of the Year in 2020; and 16 ancient lime trees on The Walks in Wellingham, Northamptonshire, which were felled in favour of a dual carriageway in 2023. Following protests, a High Court judge ruled the latter should not have taken place.
The review of existing protections assessed a range of regulatory mechanisms, such as Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), felling licensing and Conservation Area designations but found that these provide only “incidental, rather than intentional” protections.
The Tree Council’s Jess Allan added: “The recommendations in this report offer Government a timely opportunity to drive vital and positive change in a collaborative way.
“Without this action, we risk losing more of our cherished ‘important trees’.
“Together, we can preserve these national treasures, ensuring they continue to enrich the lives of both current and future generations of people and wildlife.”
To read the full report, Protecting trees of high social, cultural and environmental value by The Tree Council and Forest Research, please visit www.treecouncil.org.uk/science-and-research/valuing-and-protecting-important-trees-outside-woodlands/.
