Durham Biodiversity Partnership recently completed a two-year project which aimed to conserve the heritage of veteran trees across Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Darlington.
Veteran trees are the old trees found in our native woodlands, historic parklands and as part of hedgerows. As well as being an integral part of our natural heritage, they also provide a home to a wide variety of wildlife, including insects, bats, and birds. Today many of these trees are unprotected within the landscape, at risk from felling, changes to land use or competition from surrounding trees. There is often a lack of understanding of the importance of these trees both in terms of heritage and biodiversity.
The Durham Veteran Trees Project worked to secure the long term future of these valued features of our landscapes, by encouraging local communities to record trees and participate in their conservation. Over the course of the two year project nearly 1200 trees were recorded throughout the Durham BAP area. These records were shared with the Ancient Tree Hunt, Local Authorities and ERIC North East to ensure partners work together to secure these important features for the long term.
The project also organised recording and training events, worked with schools to develop educational resource packs, encouraged landowners to recognise their veteran trees and manage them in a positive way, and set up a Durham Veteran Tree Group for local volunteers.
Several publications were also produced by the project including a management guide to Veteran Trees for landowners and conservation managers and a guide to Veteran Trees which provides some examples of the extraordinary trees that can be found in the region with images and background information, as well as 8 self-guided walks ranging from 3km to 12km in length. Electronic copies of these publications can be downloaded from the project website www.durhamveterantrees.org.uk
Funding for the project was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund with support from Gateshead Council, Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council, Darlington Borough Council and Northumbrian Water.
Although the project has now come to an end we are still collecting any veteran tree records so please continue to submit your surveys. Mapping these amazing trees is one step towards acknowledging their importance and making sure they are cared for in years to come.
For more information on the project please visit the project website or contact the DBAP Implementation Officer on 0191 5843112 or [email protected]
