Phoenix Greens Veterans get Room to Breath

Phoenix Green is home to a wealth of wildlife. It is classified as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). Its fantastic veteran Oak trees make it a haven for birds, bats and invertebrates.

In the past Phoenix Green would have been a woodland pasture, its Oak trees growing in open conditions with an understory of Hazel. In these conditions with plenty of light the trees can grow uninhibited to a ripe old age, spreading their branches wide.

However over time, due to a lack of traditional woodland management such as coppicing and grazing, dense secondary woodland has grown up around the veteran trees. This competition from younger, more vigorous trees means the veterans have become engulfed by Birch, Sycamore, Holly, Hornbeam and younger Oaks.

Oak is a light demanding species. When they grow in dense woodland the trees become over-crowded. They grow very tall with thin trunks due to the competition for light with their neighbours. This is bad news for the life span of individual trees. Trees die young in dense woodlands, individuals not surviving to reach old age. It is the aging veteran trees that have developed in open-grown situations that are the richest for biodiversity.

The problems begin when younger trees begin to grow up through and/or over the top of the veterans and shade their canopy. In Phoenix Green the Holly can be particularly detrimental, as being shade tolerant they can grow very close to the trunk of the veteran and compete for water in dry years. They are also serious
competitors for light when tall. So how can we solve this problem and conserve our veteran Oaks for the future?

A woodland management process called ‘haloing’ has been advocated as a good way to preserve the life of the veteran tree. This involves removing the individual younger trees from around and under the veterans which are in direct contact with the veteran’s crown or lower limbs, and so releasing the tree from competition. In the New Year we will be doing exactly this in a trial area near Dilly Lane.

It is very important to help conserve and protect Phoenix Greens veteran Oak trees as they are so valuable to the biodiversity and conservation of the area. They can support many specialist species of invertebrates and fungi, especially in their decaying wood. The presence of cavities often found in these older trees provide
suitable habitat for nesting birds as well as roosting bats.

Veteran trees are fantastic features in any woodland, and by haloing these grand old Oaks we hope to retain them for future generations to enjoy and admire.