Great Tree Hunt
Great Trees announced.
Nominations have now closed for the Great Tree Hunt and 48 trees have been chosen. They include 4 ancient Yew trees, 5 ancient Oaks, 5 impressive hedgerow Beech trees, lots of village trees with a story attached and some outstanding exotic trees in the District.
You can find some of their stories below or if you read the Great Tree Tales.
Photo Competition
The winner of the photographic competition was Pauline Rook who took a great photo of a Beech Tree in Dunkeswell which stands isolated and magnificent overlooking the East Devon landscape.
She won a fantastic Canon EOS 350D Digital SLR Camera, donated by Canon UK and The Devon Camera Centre.
Children's Tree Hunt
There were some great entries for the Children's Tree Hunt, some of which were entertaining or touching. The three prizewinners were:
Luis Fitzhenry and his favourite Oak outside Sidford Play Area. Luis has won a family membership ticket for Escot for a year.
Holly James and her Western Red Cedar at Escot. Holly wins free membership to Bicton Park and Botanical Gardens for her family for a year.
Laurence Wayne and his favourite ancient Oak in Buckerell. Laurence will be taking his family to a family event at Killerton as his prize.
Stories of the Great Trees
The winning trees were chosen for their age, size, rarity, landscape value, the wildlife they support or for a story associated with them. Click here for a list of the winning trees or go to Great Tree Tales to read more of their stories.
Ancient Yews
Four of East Devon's ancient Yews have been chosen, at Farway, Payhembury, Uplyme and Plymtree. The yew trees at Farway and Payhembury are amongst the oldest 100 in the country. Each of the four dates back many hundreds of years and although it is impossible to date them accurately, they may well be over 1000 years. The oldest could even stretch closer to 2000 years old. The Plymtree yew was mentioned in the fifteenth century as being used in Palm Sunday ceremonies and being topiaried into a conical shape.
Ancient Oaks
Five ancient Oaks were chosen, including the largest Oak in the Westcountry which stands in private grounds in an old deer park. The King John's Oak is over 10m in girth and could date back to the 12th century monarch, although no connection has been proved....yet. The Great Oak at Upton Pyne is in the very ancient stages of life but was mentioned in the 18th century as being a very "noble and ancient Oak" and was the only tree in the district mentioned by name on an eighteenth century map.
Village Trees
Many of East Devon's villages have a tree that is special to the community for some reason. They include the Salcombe Regis Thorn and the East Budleigh Mark Tree which both stand in locations where trees have been replanted for superstitious or ceremonial reasons for centuries - thought to date back to Saxon times. The Hawkchurch Crusader Tree is a mystery since village legend suggests that it was planted by a knight returning from the crusades. It is a Japanese Cedar so can't date back further than the mid nineteenth century; did it replace an earlier tree or has the legend been transferred from an 800 year old Yew tree that stands nearby. The Whimple Cricket Oak stands in the grounds of the former village cricket ground. Instead of felling it they incorporated it into the rules and valued hitting the tree as a boundary worth 2 runs. If a member of a visiting team hit the tree, they won all the fines money for the season but had to buy everyone drinks in the clubhouse after the game.
Should I tell you about other interesting trees?
Yes, we would definitely like to hear about other trees that you think are really important, for some reason, especially if they are ancient native trees. For example, Oak or Yew trees over around 5m in girth are very interesting to us.
You can still let us know by:
- Using the Great Tree Hunt Interactive Map, for online recording
- Emailing ktobin@eastdevon.gov.uk with details
- Telephoning Kate Tobin (East Devon District Council) on 01395 517557
We need to know the species, location,girth at 1.5m from the ground, who owns it and why you think it is special.
Your tree may be worth recording if it is particularly old or big for its species, if it is rare or supports rare wildlife or if it is a landmark tree in its location. It may have been at the centre of great events, a local tradition or linked to a famous person. It may be symbolic of East Devon’s local character. We would like to know about native and exotic trees, as well as fruit trees and hedgerow trees.
To find out more contact KateTobin on 01395 517557 or email ktobin@eastdevon.gov.uk
