Woodland Trust Veteran Tree Id: 202164
Grid ref SJ 41389 88301 W3W ///start.thigh.hung
Veteran Tree 6 is a huge beech tree near the Woolton Road entrance.
Ancient Characteristics
Girth: 4m 57cm
This huge tree has the largest girth of all the beech trees in Childwall Woods.
The roots have deep waterholes showing the heartwood of the tree and harbouring insects and bees.
The crown shows a high percentage of deadwood and hollows with scars from old branches. Hollows that are a perfect home for bats or owls.
The trunk is full of deep crevices perfect for insects to live in and the twisted branches reflect the many fractures they have had through the 240 years of its life.
Many of its branches look like they have seen better days.
Water collects in the branches.
This veteran is not far off its final stage of becoming an ancient tree. Its already large girth will continue to increase and it will eventually become hollow as the heartwood disappears. Then the tree will become even more stunning than it is today and a very rare and valuable habitat for all kinds of woodland creatures.
B Cameron
All photographs are the author’s own.