Environmental Arboriculture, Tree Ecology and Veteran Tree Management

The appreciation and management of veteran trees has been transformed in recent years by the activity of the Ancient Tree Forum (ATF). This is a UK initiative, which has brought attention to the quality and condition of the living heritage reflected in the great number of ancient tree sites found in the British Isles, which are among the finest in Northern Europe. Such developments have been influenced by a multidisciplinary approach, which regards the tree as inherently linked to its ecological context. This approach is now beginning to inform mainstream arboricultural thinking and practice. The paper attempts to synthesize the various trends in current thinking that have led to new approaches in veteran tree management. These include the importance of improving the understanding of the ageing process in trees to clarify the terminology that can be applied to define different states of tree development. This draws on morphology and an appreciation that ageing is not a one-way process in trees, while also stressing the significance of reiterative and ‘phoenix ’ growth for tree longevity. The paper also considers the tree as a co-evolutionary organism and refers to the work of MATTHECK, RAYNER and SHIGO, together with environmental-philosophical views of trees to suggest a natural meeting point in the consideration and understanding of veteran trees. The incorporation of such concepts into management considerations is important when surveying and specifying works for veteran trees, and as a result, management schedules are now being projected over thirty to one hundred year periods for veteran tree populations. Management practices include promotion of ‘phoenix ’ regeneration, restoration pruning, recording of tree habitat, integrated tree viability assessments, deadwood management and the importance of fungi for tree health and recycling processes.