Ancient Woods, Trees and Forests

Simay Kirca and Ian D. Rotherham, Alper H. Çolak

Description

From antiquity until today, trees and woods have inspired artists, writers and scientists; they have shaped cultures and reverberated through belief systems. Yet worldwide forest cover has declined dramatically over the last 1,000 years. Now, primeval forests are only to be found at a few sites unreachable by humans, and even then they are affected by climate change, atmospheric pollution and species extinctions. 



Nonetheless, ancient woods, trees and forests are at the core of many global landscapes. Understanding the vital resources that they provide requires genuinely multidisciplinary research. With contributions from major authorities in the field such as Oliver Rackham, Frans Vera, Elisabeth Johann, George Peterken and Melvyn Jones among others, this timely volume reflects on the importance of our oldest trees from a range of perspectives and varied geographical locations.

Individual chapters consider eco-cultural heritage, the archaeology of trees, landscape history, forest rights, tree management, saproxylic insects, the importance of deadwood, practical conservation and monitoring, biodiversity, wood-pasture and more. Fresh insights are provided from across Europe as far as Turkey. Given the urgent need to understand, conserve and restore ancient woodlands and trees, this book will do much raise awareness, foster enthusiasm and inspire wonder.

1. Ancient woodland in concept and practice 

George Peterken



2. The cultural heritage of woods and forests 

Ian D. Rotherham



3. Archaeology of trees, woodland and wood-pasture 

Oliver Rackham



4. Ancient rights in ancient forests 

Graham Bathe



5. The importance of an open-grown tree: from seed to ancient 

Ted Green



6. Ancient and other trees of special interest: indicators of old-growth

biodiversity and heritage 

Jill Butler



7. Worked trees and ecological indicators in wooded landscapes 

Ian D. Rotherham



8. Ancient forests in Germany: distribution, importance for maintaining

biodiversity, protection and threats 

Monika Wulf



9. Tree abundance, density and age structure: the key factors that determine

species richness in saproxylic invertebrates 

Keith N.A. Alexander



10. Old growth and deadwood as key factors for nature conservation in managed

forests 

Harald Schaich, Thomas A.M. Kaphegyi, Rudolf Lühl, Nicole Schmalfuß, Mattias Rupp,

Thomas Waldenspuhl and Werner Konold



11. The diversity of ancient woodlands in Austria: historical developments and

contemporary social importance 

Elisabeth Johann



12. Wood-pasture: for food, wood and biodiversity

Frans Vera



13. The ancient woodland concept as a practical conservation tool: the Turkish

experience 

Simay Kırca, Alper H. Çolak and Ian D. Rotherham



14. Using pollen data and models to assess landscape structure and the role of

grazers in pre-agricultural Denmark 

Anne Brigitte Nielsen



15. Tanneries and treescapes: the influence of the tanning industry on woodland

management 

Christine Handley and Ian D. Rotherham



16. A hidden treasure in Turkey: old oaks of unique value 

Nicklas Jansson, Ogün Ç. Türkay and Mustafa Avcı



17. Antiquity of ancient woodlands and cultures: the example of Sandras

Mountain, Turkey 

Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca and Ian D. Rotherham



18. Woods and trees in England’s Anglo-Saxon countryside 

Della Hooke



19. Ancient and modern: the conservation of ancient woods and trees in a

changing world

Keith Kirby



20. Walls, woodbanks and woodwards: the protection of coppice woods from

trespassers, thieves and grazing animals 

Melvyn Jones



21. The natural character of ancient woodland 

Tom Williamson



22. European woodland history and management: some concluding thoughts 

Ian D. Rotherham, Alper Çolak and Simay Kırca

Sujets

• Sciences de la nature
• Botanique
• Science
• 454 Life Sciences
• Trees
• Botany
• Applied ecology
• Biology
• Plant ecology
• Sciences et techniques
• Plants
• Forests
• Life Sciences

Informations

• Publié par: Pelagic Publishing
• Date de parution: 14 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781784272654
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 56 Mo

Extrait

Ancient Woods, Trees and ForestsAncient Woods,
Trees and Forests
Ecology, History and Management
Edited by
Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca
and Ian D. Rotherham
PELAGIC PUBLISHINGFirst published in 2023 by
Pelagic Publishing
20–22 Wenlock Road
London N1 7GU
UK
w w w . pelagicpublishing . com
Copyright © 2023 Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca, Ian D. Rotherham
and the authors of individual chapters.
The right of the authors of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Apart from short excerpts for use in research or for reviews, no part of
this document may be printed or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, now known
or hereafer invented or otherwise without prior permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 - 1 -78 427 - 264 -7 Hbk
ISBN 978 - 1 -78 427 - 266 - 1 eP ub
ISBN 978 - 1 -78 427 - 265 - 4 PDF
https:/ /doi. org / 1 0. 53061/ K ZAD4079
Cover image: Ancient oak forest in Portugal. © Chodimeafotime/Shutterstock.com
Frontispiece: Common Yew Taxus baccata more than 2,000 years old at
Gümeli Natural Monument, Alaplı/Zonguldak,Turkey. (Necmi Aksoy)
Every efort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission
to reproduce the material included in this book. Please get in touch with
any enquiries or information relating to an image or the rights holder.This book is dedicated to the memory of Professor Oliver Rackham OBE FBA
Oliver Rackham in an ancient and burnt Cypress stool, Mavrodassos,
Anopoli Sphakia, July 2010. (Photograph: Agnieszka Helman-Wazny)
Oliver was one of the originators of the concept of ‘ancient woodland’, a prodigious and
brilliant writer with a wide-ranging intellect. His death cut short a long and productive career
and we are saddened by the loss of a giant on the world stage, with his enthusiasm for ancient
woodlands. He was one of the most original thinkers and leading scientists in his ‹eld. Oliver
is greatly missed by all those who care for trees, woods, history and the landscape, and the
environment more widely. Not only did he inform and inŽuence our professions, but he has
been a great advocate too. We salute Oliver and all that he has done.
We will miss him very much in our exchange of thoughts in order to disentangle
the riddles of nature and trees in particular. Frans Vera
Oliver Rackham is one of the very few academics who has changed the way that
everybody thinks; a rare talent indeed. Oliver Gilbert
  
The book is also dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Melvyn Jones, who passed
away in early 2021. He too was a pioneer of woodland history and of archival studies.An ancient Stinking Juniper Juniperus foetidissima (age: 1,113 years, height: 22 m, diameter: 3.5 m), a
species typically found in south and east Anatolia and the Mediterranean/Sub-Mediterranean forest
region (Kozanpınarı Mevkii-Çamlıyayla-Mersin-Turkey). (Aykut Ince)Contents
Information on contributors ix
Foreword to the
rst edition xv
Preface xvi

œ. Ancient woodland in concept and practice œ
George Peterken
ž. The cultural heritage of woods and forests œŸ
Ian D. Rotherham
¡. Archaeology of trees, woodland and wood-pasture ¡œ
Oliver Rackham
¢. Ancient rights in ancient forests ž
Graham Bathe
Ÿ. The importance of an open-grown tree: from seed to ancient ¤œ
Ted Green
¥. Ancient and other trees of special interest: indicators of old-growth
biodiversity and heritage ¤¤
Jill Butler
. Worked trees and ecological indicators in wooded landscapes œ¦§
Ian D. Rotherham
§. Ancient forests in Germany: distribution, importance for maintaining
biodiversity, protection and threats œž¢
Monika Wulf
¤. Tree abundance, density and age structure: the key factors that determine
species richness in saproxylic invertebrates œ¢Ÿ
Keith N.A. Alexander
œ¦. Old growth and deadwood as key factors for nature conservation in managed
forests œ¥¡
Harald Schaich, Thomas A.M. Kaphegyi, Rudolf Lühl, Nicole Schmalfuß, Mattias Rupp,
Thomas Waldenspuhl and Werner Konold
œœ. The diversity of ancient woodlands in Austria: historical developments and
contemporary social importance œ¤¢
Elisabeth Johann
œž. Wood-pasture: for food, wood and biodiversity ž¡Ÿ
Frans Vera












viii ANCIENT WOODS, TREES AND FORESTS
13. The ancient woodland concept as a practical conservation tool: the Turkish
experience 273
Simay Kırca, Alper H. Çolak and Ian D. Rotherham
14. Using pollen data and models to assess landscape structure and the role of
grazers in pre-agricultural Denmark 311
Anne Birgitte Nielsen
15. Tanneries and treescapes: the infuence of the tanning industry on woodland
management 320
Christine Handley and Ian D. Rotherham
16. A hidden treasure in Turkey: old oaks of unique value 335
Nicklas Jansson, Ogün Ç. Türkay and Mustafa Avcı
17. Antiquity of ancient woodlands and cultures: the example of Sandras
Mountain, Turkey 345
Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca and Ian D. Rotherham
18. Woods and trees in England’s Anglo-Saxon countryside 368
Della Hooke
19. Ancient and modern: the conser vation of ancient woods and trees in a
changing world 388
Keith Kirby
20. Walls, woodbanks and woodwards: the protection of coppice woods from
trespassers, thieves and grazing animals 400
Melvyn Jones
21. The natural character of ancient woodland 414
Tom Williamson
22. European woodland history and management: some concluding thoughts 433
Ian D. Rotherham, Alper Çolak and Simay Kırca

Index 440Contributors
Keith N.A. Alexander is a freelance ecological consultant specializing in saproxylic
invertebrates and their wood-decay habitats. Having researched, lectured and written on these
topics across both Britain and wider Europe, he is a noted authority on such issues and on
their conservation implications.
Mustafa Avcı graduated from İstanbul University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest
Engineering. He got his Master’s degree in 1993 from İstanbul University, and a PhD in 1997.
He became Associate Professor in 2004 and Professor in 2010. He has more than 200
publications in the ‹eld of forest entomology to his name. Some of these are related to insects
living in old and dead trees.
Graham Bathe is Environmental Consultant and Charity Trustee at the Open Spaces Society,
the Foundation for Common Land. He was formerly Principal Project Manager with Natural
England and has over forty years’ experience in nature conservation, working for a variety of
national and international charities and agencies, specializing in common land, and ancient
or customary rights. He has researched the history of royal hunting forests and conducted
an intensive twenty-year study of Savernake Forest based on original manuscripts from the
eleventh century onwards. This work seeks to reconcile archaeological and documentary
sources to reveal the natural and human-made landscape.
Jill Butler is a well-known speaker who regularly features at international events and
conferences, where she is acknowledged as a highly e ective representative of UK arboriculture,
building international links and collaborating with partners around the world. She helps
organize Trees Romania, which gives wider recognition of the importance of Romania’s
ancient trees, and has participated in four study tours to the Białowieża National Park in
Poland. Jill is a strong proponent of the work of Frans Vera and the dynamic European forest
theory, and is an e ective communicator of these important, and sometimes controversial,
ideas through presentations, articles and on social media. She was one the founders of the
Ancient Tree Forum and has worked closely with Ted Green.
Alper H. Çolak was born in 1968 in Kars and studied forest engineering at Istanbul University’s
Faculty of Forestry. He got his PhD from the same university with his research on the
silvicultural characteristics of Rhododendron ponticum. He is a Professor in the Department of
Silviculture of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa. His research interests cover close-to-nature
silviculture, high-mountain forestry, nature conservation in forests, species/habitat
conservation, and restoration and rehabilitation of forest landscapes.
Ted Green is a passionate communicator and innovator of critical thinking in relation to
ancient trees, wood-pastures and rewilding. Deeply knowledgeable on matters such as soil
health and the importance of fungal associations, he has been a champion who pioneered x ANCIENT WOODS, TREES AND FORESTS
the new awareness of fungal highways through mycorrhizas. In the 1990s, Ted was a key
inspiration and actor in setting up the Ancient Tree Forum.
Christine Handley holds an MA in history and a Diploma in local history, both from Shefeld
Hallam University. She is Events Coordinator for the Biodiversity Research Group and has
co-chaired numerous conferences and other events. She has edited and written numerous
book chapters and collaborative volumes on history and landscape.
Della Hooke is a historian of Anglo Saxon England and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of
London. She is a member of the Society for Landscape Studies (editor since 1985), Birmingham
and Warwickshire Archaeological Society (editor since 1988), the Historical Geography
Research Group of the Institute of British Geographers, Society for Name Studies, and the
English Place-Name Society. She has published widely with volumes such as Trees in
AngloSaxon England (2010), The Anglo-Saxon Landscape: The Kingdom of the Hwicce (2009) and England’s
Landscape: The West Midlands (2006), among many others. She has been an educator at many
institutions, especially the University of Birmingham.
Nicklas Jansson has studied insects nearly all his life. He now works wi