Veteran oak
Oaks provide an astonishingly rich habitat that supports more life forms than any other native tree. Up to 280 species of insect alone live on an English oak and these in turn, supply many birds with a food source. The trees also play host to small mammals, such as the common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), and birds, such as the Barn owl (Tyto alba) which some years nests in the hollow spur about 10 feet above the ground on the left. The Woodland Trust has a leaflet on the wildlife value of ancient oaks.
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The Woodland Trust classifies 4 metre diameter oaks as "veteran" trees. This English Oak is the largest oak tree in Broadacre. We started measuring it in 2012 and it has been steadily inching (or centimetering!) its way to that 4m landmark. For a few years, though, the growth stalled. Finally, in 2021, the tree broke the barrier.
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2012 381cm
2013 389cm
2014 396cm
2015 397cm
2016 397cm
2017 398cm
2018 397cm
2019 397cm
2020 398cm
2021 401cm
2022 405cm
2023 410cm
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