ATF draft plan
October 2015 to September 2018
16 November 2015
Ancient Tree ForumBusiness Plan October 2015 to September 2018
Contents
1. Introduction
2. History of the Ancient Tree Forum
3. Our vision, mission and aims
4. The issues
4.1 Threats to ancient trees
4.2 The need for future generations of ancient trees
4.3 The need for better understanding of ancient trees
4.4 The outlook for the Ancient Tree Forum
5. Achieving our aims
5.1 Communications
5.2 Advocacy
5.3 Training and technical
5.4 Organisational development
6. Action Plan 2015 to 2018
1. Introduction
This 2015 document takes forward the Ancient Tree Forum’s vision as set out in its June 2011 strategic plan, and the 2012 business plan, which outlined activity for three years up to 2015. The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) has come a long way since 2011, and many of the actions from that plan have been achieved over the past three years. There have also been a great many achievements which were not identified in the previous plan.
The November 2015 version of this plan is still a draft. In particular there needs to be further consideration of who will lead on the actions, the timescales, and how we will monitor and measure the success of our actions (there are gaps to complete and these columns may need revising for some actions).
2. History of the Ancient Tree Forum
The ATF has pioneered the conservation of ancient trees[1] for over 20 years, and is the only UK organisation focussing on all species of ancient trees. We believe there should be no further avoidable loss of these treesthrough development pressure, agricultural clearance, mismanagement or poor practice.
The ATF was founded in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic professionals who came together to discuss ancient trees and their management. The word ‘forum’ was chosen, as our organisation brings together people from different backgrounds and with different levels of expertise, all of whom have a shared love for ancient trees, their history and wildlife. The ATF registered as a charity in 1998. We have worked with many partners over the years, and some of our key achievements have included:
· Being a key partner in the Veteran Trees Initiative between 1996 and 2000, raising the profile of ancient trees and the need for their conservation.
· Producing or contributing tothree books on ancient tree management:Veteran trees: A guide to good management(Helen Read, 2000),Veteran Trees: A guide to risk and responsibility(Neville Fay, Charles Mynors and Caroline Davis, 2000) and Ancient and other veteran trees: further guidance on management(Editor David Lonsdale, 2013).
· Being a key initiator in 2007 to the formation of the National Tree Safety Group, and a significant contributor to ‘Common sense risk management of trees’ and associated publications
· Being a key partner inVETreebetween 2012 and 2014 – a European-funded project which has resulted in the production of resources and training courses being cascaded across Europe as well as the UK.
· Delivering theAncient Tree Huntin partnership with the Woodland Trust, a project which has involved the public in identifying, mapping and recording ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK, to create a nationally significant resource.
· Influencing legislation and policies from UK devolved governments and the European Union impacting on ancient trees, resulting in their better recognition and protection.
3. Our vision, mission and aims
Our vision is for ancient trees, their wildlife, and their heritage and cultural values to be safeguarded now and in the future.
Our mission is to champion ancient trees and thereby safeguard their biological, cultural and heritage value now and in the future for the whole of society.
The ATF is determined to see this priceless legacy conserved for the benefit of all society and revitalised for future generations through the creation of a succession of future ancient trees. In order to meet these needs we identified four main aims:
Our aims are to
· Champion ancient trees and their wildlife, heritage and cultural values and guarantee their future with a robust system of protection
· Secure and expand future generations of ancient trees
· Develop and share knowledge and experience of ancient trees and awaken people of all ages to their beauty and value
· Create a vibrant organisation able to support our activities
4. The issues
Ancient trees are a vital and treasured part of the natural and cultural landscape. Ancient trees in Britain represent a resource of great international significance. Britain is thought to be home to 80% of Northern Europe’s ancient trees. These support a stunning diversity of wildlife and are a treasured and valuable part of our culture and heritage.
4.1 Threats to ancient trees
Although awareness of the importance and value of ancient trees has grown, they remain vulnerable and threatened; this is particularly the case for those ancient trees which lie outside designated parks, in hedgerows and fields or in built-up areas
Threats to ancient trees include development, disease, poor management of the tree and/or surroundings, and perceived danger to the public.. New threats from pathogens such as ash die-back have potentially devastating consequences on ancient trees and their associated wildlife, in addition to the landscape and cultural losses.
Due to the time taken to acquire their specialised habitats, it can be said that once ancient trees are lost they are irreplaceable. Removal of ancient trees regarded as diseased or dangerous, a gradual attrition of trees in fields and hedgerows, and a lack of new trees which can be recruited as future generations, all give rise to grave concern over the future of ancient trees in the UK. It is vital that all those who have stewardship of this unique resource understand its importance and have the will and the tools to guarantee its care.
As urban settlements expand or new infrastructure is developed, ancient trees can easily be lost entirely or fatally damaged. Proper protection for ancient trees would recognise their value to society and make sure that they are not lost to development. Unavoidable development close to ancient trees should take full account of best practice to make certain they are not damaged and can continue to thrive.
4.2 The need for future generations of ancient trees
Whilst it is vital to safeguard existing ancient trees and secure their proper management, we also need to secure and expand future generations of ancient trees and to understand current and projected rates of loss and how sustainable these populations are. This helps to ensure that there are generations of younger trees growing now, which will develop the characteristics of ancient trees and can provide the continuity of habitat for the associated wildlife.
Through recording the location of existing ancient trees we have begun to identify those areas where action for future generations is most needed. This vital work, which was originally funded by the Heritage lottery Fund, has been undertaken in partnership with the Woodland Trust and hundreds of volunteers. Significant progress has been made with mapping the UK’s ancient trees, but more still needs to be done to map further trees and analyse the data gathered.
The planting and care of trees which will become part of the landscape for coming centuries requires far sighted landowners. Providing advice and guidance on management is critical. But landowners also need financial help to undertake work which is of wider public benefit. The design of agri-environment schemes could go a long way to providing financial assistance to support important sites, planting of field and hedgerow trees, protective fencing and the long term care for trees.
4.3. The need for better understanding and care of ancient trees
Those who own and manage ancient trees do not always recognise their value, or have the knowledge, skills and experience to manage them appropriately. Through developing our understanding of ancient trees and sharing this knowledge between people of all levels of expertise, the value of ancient trees will be fully recognised, recorded and carried forward.
The idea of a ‘forum’, an open meeting of people willing to debate and freely share information and experience, is at the heart of our organisation. Ancient trees provide a unique insight through a blend of biological and other scientific study, combined with cultural and historic associations which can go back centuries, and in some cases even millennia.
At the same time as developing our own understanding of ancient trees, we must also foster the skills needed for the proper management of ancient trees. Training for professional arboriculturists, as well as landowners, volunteers, foresters, conservation officers, local authority officers and others involved in the long-term care and maintenance of ancient trees is vital.
4.4 The outlook for the Ancient Tree Forum To be able to achieve our ambitions for ancient trees it is vital that we create a vibrant and robust organisation able to support our activities.
This will mean generating sufficient funds to support our existing work and new funding to extend the programmes we are able to offer. For many years, the ATF relied on volunteers to run the organisation and develop and deliver projects. We want to maintain the ethos whereby volunteers bring a breadth of specialist knowledge, connections, networks and standing to the organisation as well as the time they volunteer, but we have also employed a temporary training officer, and a development officer, due to the scale of the task needed to secure the future of ancient trees. We now plan to employ a training and technical officer to help manage and develop our programmes of work.
Our partnership with the Woodland Trust has provided an invaluable platform for our work to date. The profile and expertise within the Woodland Trust has allowed the development of projects such as the Ancient Tree Hunt, critical to mapping the UK’s ancient trees, and significantly raised the profile of ancient
trees through developing wide public participation. We are eager to continue this partnership and to work alongside other organisations with an interest
in the future of ancient trees.
5. Achieving our aims
The 2012 business plan set out four main areas through which the ATF is now achieving its aims, and there have been a number of key achievements over the past three years:
· Communications
· Advocacy
· Training (and Technical -in the 2015 action plan)
· Organisational development
5.1 Communications
Field visits are at the heart of the ATF’s approach to sharing knowledge and experience. Open forum meetings where professionals can share their ideas, experience and expertise, and enthusiasts add to their knowledge will remain central to the way we operate. The informal and inclusive style of the forum meetings is enriched by having landowners, foresters and arboriculturists alongside some of the country’s leading experts in landscape history, mycology, entomology, ecology and other scientific disciplines. This approach reflects the rich and diverse values that ancient trees bring to society and recognises that to conserve those values, multi-disciplinary working is essential and all those who are in a position to influence the care and management of ancient trees are included.
Our website, social media presence and publications will continue to develop and provide material which reflects the broad interest in ancient trees. In addition to background information on ancient trees and their wildlife, and stories of the historical and cultural associations of ancient trees, we will provide professional guidance and support. We also aim, as far as possible with available resources, to publicise relevant research into the care of ancient trees and their cultural, ecological and historic value. Through our media and publicity work we aim to ensure that we use different mechanisms to reach all key audiences.
Key communications achievements include :
· Annual summer forums, comprised of a conference and field visits, have been held in in Cumbria (2012), Sussex/Surrey (2013) Perth and Aviemore (2014), and East Anglia (2015) and been very well-received
· Field visits have been held in Denbighshire and Hertfordshire (2012), Montgomery and Staffordshire (2013), Wye Valley and Devon (2014), and Leicestershire (2015) and numbers wanting to attend have been steadily rising
· The handbook ‘Ancient and other veteran trees: further guidance on management’ was published in 2013 and there has been a steady sale of books since then (some 1500 sold and distributed)
· A new logo and branding have been created
· A new ATF website was launched in early 2015 and is now being managed and updated by the Development Officer, having previously been edited via the Woodland Trust
· A new digital newsletter design has been produced enabling the newsletter to link to the website and to be viewed on mobiles and tablets, and the newsletter has been regularly delivered to a growing database of supporters (1,870 in Sept 2015)
· Existing publications including all the guides, and the handbook have been made available as free downloads on the ATF website and have been promoted through various means
· A position statement on Chalara has been promoted through the website and social media
· The ATF has a growing presence on social media, with 3,875 likes on Facebook and 3,360 followers on Twitter (Sept 2015)
· Social media and the website now mean we also have significant international reach
· Articles in the specialist press now include regular ATF pages in the Arb Magazine, and a monthly ancient tree column in Pro Arb Magazine
· A number of local, regional and county shows have been attended, at which new displays and ATF T shirts have been made available
· A new leaflet about the ATF has been produced – ‘Securing the future of our ancient trees’
5.2 Advocacy
Strong legal protection is the basis for safeguarding ancient trees. We are lobbying government at all levels for increased protection of ancient trees, both through UK and European legislation.
Strong supportive policies are also a means to bring about protection and ensure appropriate consideration and care is given to ancient trees. We have worked with many government departments, NGOs and agencies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, such as the Department for Communities and Local Government, Welsh Government, English Heritage and the Forestry Commission, for the inclusion of policies concerned with recognition and protection of ancient trees.