It’s astonishing how often we hear the phrase “you’re never more than six feet from a rat”, given that this turns out to be something of an urban myth. Some years back, the Food and Environment Research Agency, as it was then, estimated that the true distance is a far less scary 164ft. But if you take a moment, right now, to look outside, you’ll realise that the original quote is actually very relevant to trees – it’s highly likely that your nearest one will be far closer than your average neighbourhood rat.
Whether trees are solitary specimens standing proudly in our gardens, or are gathered in leafy swathes of woodland, or seen stretching serenely along city streets and country lanes, the estimated 3bn trees in the UK provide the most wonderful and omnipresent backdrop to our lives. But their scenic impact is just the start of the story. Trees keep us cool in summer and warm in winter, their roots keep our soils and riverbanks intact, they filter the air, recycle our water, lock up carbon and provide bed and breakfast for the nation’s fauna. But given that they’re so integral to our existence, why are they being so woefully neglected?
A report from the Woodland Trust, the UK’s foremost charity dedicated to conserving our woods and trees, lays out some pretty stark facts. Despite the UK’s woodland cover having doubled in the past 100 years, much of the increase consists of non-native trees, with our native woodlands increasingly isolated and in poor ecological condition. And if that was not enough, our trees and woodlands are being bombarded by the threats of climate breakdown, imported diseases, invasive plants and unsustainable browsing by mammals – such that only 7% of native woodlands are considered to be in a healthy state.
The Woodland Trust report, State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2021, makes it clear that we need to urgently restore our native woods and trees to something approaching their former glory, and at the same time rapidly expand our woodland and tree cover.
The charity is leading the way as it cares for more than 1,000 woods covering 32,000ha (79,073 acres) across the UK. From forests to little urban woods, these sites are open year round for all to enjoy free of charge.
More than 40% of the Woodland Trust’s workforce are employed in these woods, bringing years of expert knowledge to their care. The work of the trust’s site manager for Cumbria, Heather Swift, gives an insight into the complexity of restoring the fortunes of the UK’s woodlands. Having worked for the trust since 1990, Swift is tasked with blending her knowledge of woodland ecology and practical conservation techniques to improve the 26 woodlands across her beat. And she has quite a task on her hands.
Take just one of her sites – Great Knott Wood on the shores of Windermere. In the past 10 years, Swift has had to contend with Phytophthora ramorum in 2021, ash dieback in 2017, the chill of the “Beast from the East” in 2018 and Storm Arwen in 2021. After Storm Arwen, Swift’s immediate assessment was that as many as 7,000 trees (6,000 tonnes of timber) had been blown down in the wood in a single, devastating 24-hour period.
Ideally, the restoration process after such disturbance is to carry out the work gradually and sensitively, with minimal disruption. However, after Storm Arwen, catastrophic windblow covered the ground on a massive scale with huge trees swamping plants, young trees, streams, and all ancient woodland features. With virtually no mature trees left, it became difficult and hazardous to tackle the issue with small-scale operations. This is where heavy machinery, such as harvesters – machines that can pick up and process whole trees, with the operator safe in a cab – were brought in. Though this wasn’t ideal, it became necessary in order to save the next generation of trees.
To give the woodland a boost, Swift also coordinated the planting of 26,000 saplings of a variety of native trees, all sourced from the UK. But with the UK’s deer population now estimated to be at its highest level for 1,000 years, these young trees needed to be protected – whether by large exclosures, a new type of biodegradable tree guard or with deer repellent spray.
Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, is determined that the charity’s expertise and influence should reach well beyond its own woodland. To this end, staff work with landowners, from individual farmers to estates, to promote the benefits of agroforestry, an approach that sees the integration of trees and shrubs into farming systems, and which can give land managers healthier soils and higher yields, while also providing homes for wildlife.
Moorcroft is keen for the public to support the charity’s fight for a healthier future by becoming members, visiting Woodland Trust woods themselves and thinking about what they plant in their own gardens. The trust’s volunteers are being trained to take part in an initiative called Observatree. By surveying and checking trees on a regular basis, this green army is becoming a “tree-health early warning system” that can help spot and report outbreaks of tree pests and diseases, so they can be either eliminated or controlled.
Perhaps most importantly, the trust’s ethos is to build a legacy. “Planting a sapling with a youngster will not only help foster a lifetime’s connection with the natural world, but will also create a habitat lasting for generations,” says Moorcroft. He describes the UK’s ancient woodlands – which cover about 2% of land and 19% of woodland – as “the crown jewels of our national heritage”. Trees, in essence, are the gifts that keep giving, and he would like more of us to recognise that fact. And from there, it’s a short step to embracing the Woodland Trust too. Now that would be a legacy to be proud of.
Find out more about the work of the Woodland Trust and how you can become a member from just £4 a month