In 2022, we were commissioned by The Woodland Trust to undertake a collaborative ancient and veteran tree surveying project for an area of newly acquired land, formerly known as Coombe Farm. Matthew Shute, worked in partnership with Jill Butler and Tim Kellett to complete the project.

Lying a stone’s throw from our office on Woodbury Common, we were delighted when we received instruction to undertake the ancient and veteran tree surveying for the site. The purpose was to establish the value and condition of the mature and special trees across the whole farm area owned by the Woodland Trust prior to informing the design for the new ‘woodland’ according to the approach set out in the Woodland Trust’s recently published Woodland Creation Guide (2022).

The survey was funded by the Government Green Recovery Challenge Fund which aims to not only record irreplaceable habitats and undertake threat assessments but also to prepare individual tree recommendations aimed at nature recovery.

The objective of the project was firstly to identify the special value of the ancient and veteran tree assets on the estate and to identify any specific threats to them. Secondly, recommendations were set out for these trees and their wider habitats which will be incorporated into a wider management strategy for the site.

We are delighted to see The Woodland Trust taking on board the management recommendations from our veteran tree survey at Yonder Oak Wood. Implementation of buffer zones around the oldest trees on the site will reduce the risk of over shading and give the soil an opportunity to recover from compaction.

Find out more about the site and their plans for the future of Yonder Oak Woods from The Woodland Trust blog post here:

How we take care of ancient and veteran trees – Woodland Trust