Our ancient trees in need of more legal protection

THE huge public outcry over the felling of an ancient oak in a car park in Enfield, North London, highlights the connection many of us have with ancient trees and the natural world more generally.

- By ERIN MCDAID

Equally it underlines that more needs to be done to ensure the true value of the natural world and its role in supporting our health, wellbeing and economy are better recognised and protected.

The controversial felling of the oak, which some say could have lived on for hundreds of years, has echoes of the high-profile felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree or Robin Hood Tree alongside Hadrian's Wall in 2023.

Oaks are amongst our most long-lived trees and this longevity is a key element of why oaks play host to more species of wildlife, from fungi to insects to birds and mammals, than any other UK tree.

Whilst on my university placement as a trainee ranger, an experienced ranger explained to me that an oak might live as long as 600 years, with a third of its life growing, a third thriving majestically in the landscape and a third slowly dying.