Ancient Oaks in the English Landscape

"A ground-breaking new book on England’s oak heritage."

It begins with the Norman Conquest in 1066. Private ownership of thousands of parks and estates, the ready availability of timber from overseas, and, crucially, the absence of major wars and their accompanying destruction brought the ancient forests into our era. By the time modern forestry truly took hold in England after World War I, it was too late to destroy the now worthless old and hollow oaks. Other historical and social factors enabled that preservation to continue long after the decline of royalty. The Normans, and the nobility they put in place, created Royal Forests, chases, and deer parks where only the nobility could hunt or keep deer—and where, to protect that game, it was forbidden to cut trees. How did that happen? How, as Europe was deforested over the course of centuries, did England manage to preserve so many ancient trees?Anc