New map of ancient trees an opportunity for conservation

There are two million trees with exceptional environmental and cultural value that have not been recorded in England.

Currently, that's ten times more than official records.

There is a note of optimism in the tree map.

The trust warns that these trees have almost no legal protection.

The tree was felled on Wednesday by the council, who said it was causing structural damage to nearby homes.

The hunt for one of these giants was led by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

In the hunt for the legendary Domesday Oak, we follow Steve Marsh from the Woodland Trust, who fought his way through the thickets to get there.

The Trust doesn't have a record of an old tree. The air is cool and still as we sit.

An ancient tree is thought to be very old for its age.

One ancient oak has more diversity than a thousand oaks.

Veteran trees have features that are older than they are.

Steve patted the gnarled wood and said "it's that feeling you get when you see a really old cathedral or an old church and you think, imagine what the world was like back then"

He says the tree is older than St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London.

He says that the buildings are protected, but that the only reason the tree is still standing is because the owners looked after it.

"All of our old and most amazing trees should have heritage status so that we can look after them and care for them in the future."

Dr Victoria Nolan spent four years searching for this type of hidden ancient.

She told me that it was "incomprehensible" to find that there could be more than one million.

A computer model was used to figure out where the trees would be. The layout of the landscape, habitat, and distance from humans were looked at.

We didn't think the results were true at first. She said it was surprising how they can be everywhere in places where you wouldn't think an old tree would be.

There are many in the historic hunting parks and forests around London.

The places where scientists went to look for trees were usually shown in tree records.

She says that they show where they are in the environment.

The results of her work are quite frightening.

Currently, those trees are not protected. It is possible for anyone to chop down these trees.

They are being damaged in a lot of places.

Living beings are a safe place for many species.

They help to cool the climate. History and memory are contained in them, which helps us to dream and imagine.

Victoria and the rest of us could help to keep more of the old trees alive thanks to the new map.

There is a study in the journal.

You can follow her on the social media sites.