We had reason (all work no play, etc,) to be on the golf course at The Rolls at Monmouth earlier in the year, and were very impressed with the beautiful course in immaculate grounds.
We Tweeted on or two pictures of the majestic ancient trees that line the course and had a great reaction, with lots of sharing of the pictures.
These veteran trees seems to stir feelings of concern in many of us; trees are living things, and old trees in particular resonate with the caring, protective feelings we sometimes have for older people.
In the UK, we’re lucky enough to have The Ancient Tree Forum. From their website, they say:Ancient and other veteran trees are a vital and treasured part of our history, and our natural and cultural landscape, and Britain has the greatest number of ancient trees in northern Europe. The
Ancient Tree Forum seeks to secure the long term future of these ecosystems through promoting best management and conservation practice, lobbying governments over their recognition and protection, encouraging research, and increasing people’s enjoyment of old trees.
The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) has pioneered the conservation of ancient trees for over 20 years, and is the only UK organisation focused solely on ancient and other veteran trees. We believe there should be no further avoidable loss of these trees through development pressure, agricultural clearance, mismanagement or poor practice.
Some of the people who saw our Tweets were from far flung places; American Tweeps in particular seemed amazed that we were “allowed” to keep the old veterans standing. They reported that in America, the health and safety lobby has become so zealous that even ancient old trees, part of our history, are felled.
How lucky are we that there is a slightly more sophisticated and kinder approach to risk management here?
For advice and information about your trees, or for a written detailed quote for tree work, call Andrew on 01256 817369, 07771 883061 or email him at Andrew@Primarytreesurgeons.co.uk