How Can This be Happening to Our Trees?

The air was still. The birds had gone quiet. And in a matter of hours, one of Britain’s oldest living beings — a 500-year-old oak thought to be one of London's 100 oldest — was gone.

Despite being recorded on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Inventory, this magnificent tree with a girth of six meters — a guardian of centuries, a home to countless species, a witness to history — was reduced to woodchip.

🪵 A Crisis in Tree Protection

The tragedy in Enfield is not an isolated event. It’s a symptom of a much bigger problem. The system meant to protect our trees is broken.

The Ancient Tree Inventory is a vital tool. It helps map, monitor, and record the UK’s most treasured trees. It’s open to all — and you can use it to log the giants in your area. 🌐 Add a tree here. While registering helps draw attention to the trees, registration alone is not protection.

Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) are supposed to be our frontline defence — legal tools used by councils to prevent unnecessary felling of precious trees. But in reality? The Local Planning Authority responsible for instating and enforcing are hugely under-resourced and cannot execute the process as intended.

In The Rother District, for example, the local planning authority recently admitted it can only process 10 TPOs for Battle in total — despite a wave of public concern and applications.

Meanwhile, developers and landowners are felling trees with little fear of consequence.

We must make it harder to destroy an ancient tree than to save one. Because once they fall, they’re not coming back.

Surely the system should be set up so resources are required to remove protection, rather than instate it.

Shouldn't it be the developers jumping the hoops when they want to destroy a tree?

✊ What You Can Do — Right Now

📢 Contact your Local Planning Authority
- demand better enforcement and resourcing for tree protection
- demand a TPO reform so trees are automatically protected and resources are used for felling, not protecting
📍 Log your local ancient trees on the ATI map
📝 Apply for TPOs when you see vulnerable trees under threat
📸 Document tree loss and raise awareness in your community
🌱 Join our campaign to push for stronger legal protections and enforcement