Helen BrezzBBC correspondent environment and
Jindaf HughesScientific video photographer
BBCDr. Ed Pine takes a paper from Druids Oak, a 800 -year -old tree that saw these forests in Buckinghamshire for several centuries, permanent drought, storms, heat waves and more.
“We know that this tree is a survivor,” he says, takes a paper sample to test the DNA.
“Is it just lucky? Did you live a life -free life? Or is there something special about the genes of this tree?”
The world of charity, The Woodland Trust, believes that the secrets of this wonderful flexibility lie in the DNA.
Experts want to understand how oak can live for 1000 years or more, as they resist threats such as climate change and reference from disease – knowledge that can be vital in restoring exhausted forests in Britain.
“By exploring old trees genome, we can understand how to manage them better so that we can secure their future for future generations,” says Dr. Emma Jelmertin of The Tree Charity, the Treasure Culture Association, which participates in the project.
English oak is one of the best UK trees, as it grows widely in gardens, parks and countryside.
It is classified as old when you reach about 400 years of age.
By studying the DNA of old oak, scientists hope to detect genes behind the lives of long trees and their ability to survive of the utmost climate.
This information will be used to choose the best oak trees for agriculture in the future, to restore forests and restore wildlife.
About 50 of the old Old Oxes will be studied in the United Kingdom, including:
Oak rotation
- It is located inside a natural reserve in Buckinghamshire, run by the city of London
- The tree is likely to return to the thirteenth century, making it older than many historical buildings
- The tree has a size and a height of about 9 meters
- It has been photographed, which means that its upper branches were cut off historically to encourage growth above the reach of grazing animals, which gives them a special squatting shape
- The oak was veil by the old Druids, which may have inspired the name of the tree.
Grab oak
- It was found off Hay Street, a crowded street in AdDLESTONE, Sari
- One of the oldest in the town, and it is believed that it is at least 800 years old
- The name “Courage Oak” may come from the middle English word, which means the cross, and it may indicate its use as a border sign
- It is also referred to as the Queen Elizabeth’s picnic tree, after it was said that Elizabeth I had dinner under it.
In addition to its cultural and historical value, Ox is a haven for wildlife.
It supports the lives of more than any other original trees in the UK, hosting more than 2,300 species, including birds, mammals, insects, fungi and kettles.
Their leaves feed the larvae, the shelters of the bark bats and beetles, and their legs keep mammals and birds during the winter season.
Some of these species are very rare, such as Beetle MoCCAS, which lives on only 14 old oak tree in MoCCAS Park, HeEfordshire.
In the national natural reserve adjacent to Marcas Mokas, specialists of keeping oak puts at the heart of an attempt to restore the scene.
They are preparing a natural homeland rich in wildlife consisting of open herbal lands that are filled with old trees, known as wooden pastures.
The old oak that stood centuries ago in the area is collected and planted to small oak trees, then in the past. The conifers that were not part of natural habitats were planted once here, but these forests are removed and the forests are restored.
This has led to the return of rare species, including hundreds of different flies, beetles, rare bats and forest birds.
“We are really witnessing a kind of boom in the population of birds here,” says Tom Simpson of Natural England.
“In a short period of time – this is 16 years after the restoration – we really see the nature of nature on this site.”
Since climate change and habitat loss become greater problems, conservative specialists want better protection and care for old trees. Old trees cannot be replaced – they take decades or even centuries to grow and support many other organisms.
Saul Herbert of Woodland Trust says more to protect these “living myths”.
He says: “We need to know their place and we need to deal with people and societies to ensure the estimate of these trees and take care of the environmental, cultural and historical value that they bring to our natural scenery.”
