Shropshire’s landscape is dominated by natural features and landmarks, from the meres at Ellesmere to the spectacular volcanic hills further south.
The trees that grow around these landmarks can appear to be little more than window dressing, but tree hunter Rob McBride is hoping to change people’s perceptions of these fascinating plants.
The 51-year-old is a volunteer with the Woodland Trust and travels around the county from his base in Ellesmere to find and record some of the oldest trees in Britain.
And there are thousands of trees to find, as Rob explained: “We’ve got 80 per cent of ancient European trees.
“In Flanders they’ve got a nature reserve because they’ve got an oak tree and Europe has very, very few oak trees so it’s very unusual.
100,000 trees
“The Woodland Trust wants to find 100,000 veteran, ancient or notable trees during the next year. The project has recruited hundreds of tree recorders, from schoolchildren to retired people.”
Rob said there were several reasons why Britain has such a thriving ancient tree population, but credited the ‘ancient tree hero’ William the Conqueror for preserving the country’s natural history.
“When he came over he wanted more royal hunting forests and he sectioned off large areas of the countryside to hunt deer. The land was eventually given out to the lords of the country,” he said.
“In France they had a revolution and killed off their hierarchy, but we still have 3,000 estates where deer parks were created.
They kept the commoners out and were very proud of their estates, so the trees were preserved.”
Rob’s work in recording trees along the length of Offa’s Dyke has even seen him appear on the BBC Countryfile programme twice.
But his work with the project began entirely by chance. “I used to work in a factory but I had to leave for health reasons in 2004,” he said.
“My doctor told me a should do more exercise and get outdoors more, so I started walking more and I volunteered with Shropshire County Council’s countryside department.
“I got involved in being a local tree warden and then I went to a conference where I met someone from the Woodland Trust and that was it.
“When I compare this with the life I was leading before in a factory, I’ve just been to places and met people I would never have dreamed of.”
lTo join the ancient tree hunt log on to www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk or www. woodlandtrust.org.uk
By Pam Griffin
