22/08/2024
Last night's walk stimulated some discussion about the first trees to arrive in the UK, and around our two native oaks.
Post glacial melt, and before we were made into an island, the first trees to reach us unsurprisingly were birch, aspen and willow (our pioneer trees). After that, there is broad agreement that pine and hazel became dominant, followed by oak and alder. Elm and lime followed. Other species were later to the party. There is evidence of a collapse in elm around 4,200BC, when around half of the elm in Europe died (possibly the first flush of Dutch Elm disease).
Regarding our two main common oaks, pedunculate and sessile - there is not much information as to how they evolved, but other countries have an abundance of oak species, so it is not surprising that they diversified here. Broadly speaking sessile prefers upland and pedunculate lowland conditions.
There's been a bit of media this morning about the oak shortlist for the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year. Here is the link https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/tree-of-the-year/
Have a happy tree week! 😀
Vote for your favourite tree to help us crown this year's Tree of the Year.
