Ancient tree hunt to be launched in Ayrshire

Jul 23 2010 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

HE’S the man set to lead a hunt for some of our oldest trees.

And Jamie Cook wants the rest of Ayrshire to take a leaf out of his book and join the unique search.

The ancient tree aficionado clearly cares about his oaks and his yews. And he believes we should too.

Now he’s urging communities to turn out and embrace the centuries of history on their doorstep.

Jamie, who works for East Ayrshire Woodlands Trust, revealed: “People don’t realise the sheer scale of history that can be right under their noses when it comes to trees.

“There’s a case of one tree in Perthshire which is thought to be roughly 9000 years old.

“But when you think about it, most people just drive past them and don’t give a second thought to what’s there.

“My aim is to make the public aware and to get them involved in finding and recording ancient or notable trees throughout Ayrshire.

“It can be done by young or old and you don’t need any prior knowledge about trees – that’s the great thing about it.”

Now Jamie and his team will set out in a bid to find 1000 ancient trees across Ayrshire.

The process, where age is determined by the trees being hugged, can lead to verification for future generations.

Jamie, 32, added: “It can be a fascinating subject, with ancient trees just as likely to be found in your back garden as out in the forests.

“For me, it’s all about getting the community involved. Ideally we would like an army of ancient tree hunters stalking the countryside in search of these magnificent symbols of age, history and life in Ayrshire.

“Some of these trees were growing before radio, TV, air travel, the combustion engine and the telephone and they are still growing strong today.

“We do tend to take trees for granted when we walk past them. Although we may be impressed with their size, we tend to forget about them only moments later. This is our loss.”

To register your interest in the hunt, visit www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk