In the heart of the British landscape, heritage trees stand as silent sentinels of history, culture, and ecology. From ancient oaks to iconic sycamores, these trees are more than natural wonders - they are living monuments.
This was brought to the fore with the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023, the beloved landmark that’s destruction sparked national mourning and ignited a powerful conversation about how we value and protect our heritage trees which have been revered for centuries.
They’ve witnessed royal weddings, sheltered fleeing kings, inspired poets and painters and provided resources for Naval and Military legacy 'Wooden Walls of England'.
But their importance isn’t just historical. These trees are ecological wonders. A single ancient oak can support over 2,300 species, making it one of the most biodiverse habitats in the UK. They store carbon, stabilise soils, regulate water runoff, create wonderful traditional landscape features and produce diverse, attractive and utilisable timber and even ink with which Shakespeare wrote his works.
Having spent the last 40 years as a forestry consultant, I recently retired from owning a woodland management business which I had founded and operated throughout Scotland and the north of England for the past three decades.
With more time to enjoy walking in the woods - many of which I had designed and planted, I came up with the idea of Trees with Roots to improve and preserve traditional landscape structure, interest and Keep History Alive in a more respectful and creative manner.
This business is founded on a belief that our lives are so much richer with an understanding, knowledge and active preservation of Heritage trees, some of which have been standing tall for thousands of years which I have managed and protected in recent years and recently gathered acorns from in a sensitive manner with support and encouragement from land owners.
Our future is increasingly threatened by climate change and the lessons from Sycamore Gap are clear: heritage trees matter deeply to people. They connect us to our past, enrich our present, and shape our future. Their loss is felt not just environmentally, but emotionally and culturally and with young plants, from known and interesting Heritage parent trees not available I thought it was time to make a move.
The ambition for Trees with Roots is to Keep History alive by collecting seeds from historic trees, in close association with owners, and growing them into young plants that are available to purchase with their origin and history of the parent tree attached. We have saplings of Cadzow Oaks, remnants of a medieval deer park that once belonged to the powerful Hamilton family, whose nearby seat was Cadzow Castle romanticised in the 18th and 19th centuries. Strong Oak plants from parent trees at Abbotsford House planted by Sir Walter Scott beside which he wrote many works. So too saplings from ancient oaks at Dalkeith Palace, one of Scotland’s grandest classical houses that hosted numerous royal visitors, including Mary, Queen of Scots, King James VI, Charles I, George IV, and Queen Victoria.
We have young trees from the Hirsel Estate in the Scottish Borders, who sibling trees provided timber for reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and oaks from below Norham Castle, captured in JMW Turner’s paintings displayed in the Tate Gallery. And we’re just getting started, because everyone I talk to about Trees with Roots has their own story to tell about a heritage tree that matters to them and the owners some additional very interesting parent trees of national interest have agreed to seed collection commencing soon.
So as momentum builds to strengthen robust legal protection for heritage trees, Trees with Roots assists and support in growing and offering 60k young heritage trees of tomorrow in a respectful, sympathetic and sustainable manner. Protecting heritage trees is about more than saving old wood—it’s about preserving the soul of the landscape. As we navigate the challenges of the 21st century, these
trees offer continuity, interest, and tradition along with genetic conservation and preservation of traditional landscape features with known history and character.
I have enjoyed using my considerable knowledge and experience of trees and woodlands along with trust and confidence of land owners in developing this creative embryonic business and it gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to invite interest and offers for further development
Finlay Mitchell is a Business Creator
