Veteran trees

Veteran trees are obvious relicts from the former woodland and are often derived from the standards remaining from coppice woodland or are ancient trees that grew up in open woodland or wood pasture. Their size and state of decay provide a range of habitat niches that can support a wide variety of animal and epiphytic plant species (Box 3). They can be important features both culturally and biologically and their presence should influence stand management (Figure 5). Clearfelling around veterans is generally inappropriate. Gradual canopy reduction around these trees reduces the risks caused by sudden exposure to open conditions. Non-native species can provide valuable veterans.

PAWS often include large, mature, broadleaved trees that are derived from the former woodland and these trees may also be foci for patches of remnant ground flora. As they are potential parent trees and could provide seed for natural regeneration such trees are probably best managed as veterans.

Box 3 –A simple guide for the identification of veteran trees

Tree size A tree may be classified as a veteran if it has at least three of the following four tree attributes or is of large size.

Tree attributes

Tree attributes are measures of the accumulation of deadwood, decay and hollowing that is associated with canopy reduction and death as the tree ages. Veteran tree attributes include:

• Deadwood: either attached or fallen, which must be a minimum of one metre in length and over 25 cm in circumference. • Rot sites: an area of rot equal to or greater than 300 cm². • Rot holes: at least one cavity ~10 cm in diameter, i.e. about the size of a clenched fist. • Hollowing:the trunk or major limbs show signs of hollowing.

Additional features that may be present include: bark loss; crevices in bark; natural water pools; sap runs; fungal fruiting bodies; epiphytic plants; obvious signs of bat roosts.

Trees may be considered to be veterans if they significantly exceed the normal size for the species in the locality in which they occur. The following diameters (at 1.3 m) are considered large for the species listed and they indicate minimum diameters for trees that may be regarded as veterans. However, the size classes are only indicative and may be inappropriate for upland areas and other sites with unfavourable growing conditions –or when veteran trees have collapsed but subsequently rejuvenated from fallen limbs. Note that large, old, non-native species can be valuable veterans.

• 75 cm: field maple, rowan, yew, birch, cherry, holly and other smaller tree species; • 100 cm: oaks (upland), ash, alder, willow; • 150 cm: oaks (lowland), sycamore, lime, horse chestnut, sweet chestnut, elm species, poplar species, beech.