A campaign is being launched next week to protect one of Wales’ oldest natural assets – a species of tree which, like Doctor Who, can regenerate over thousands of years.
The Yew tree is a familiar site in most churchyards and some are even older than the Christian faith itself due to their ability to regenerate and regrow. Wales is one of the most significant places in Europe for ancient and veteran yew trees and most of them are found in churchyards. In fact, according to a survey by the Ancient Yew Group, the Church in Wales owns 334 yew trees which are more than 500-years-old – which is a bit like owning 95% of all the Grade 1 listed buildings in Wales.
Keen to protect such a precious heritage for future generations, the Church is joining forces with two organisations during Cherishing Churchyards Week (June 7-15) – to raise awareness of yews and encourage their sensitive care and management.
It’s sending out certificates to parishes and communities which have some of the oldest yews, giving information on where to get the best advice for managing and making the most of them. The work is supported by the churchyard conservation organisation, Caring for God’s Acre, and the Ancient Yew Group.
Alex Glanville, head of property services at the Church in Wales, said, “It is incredible to think that some of the yew trees in our churchyards are older than our faith itself – dating back thousands of years. Dating these trees is very difficult given the yew’s unique ability to regenerate itself from the inside and through growing new stems from drooping branches. On example at Defynnog in Powys (photo attached) is thought to have been planted 5,000 years ago and could be a contender for the oldest tree in Europe.”
He adds, “Yews would have marked venerated places in pre-history, many of which became Christian sites later on. They have survived here in Wales better than anywhere else largely because Celtic traditions encouraged the planting of yews within the ‘llan’and our wet climate and lower light levels led to a deeper veneration of one of the few native evergreen plants.”
“So we have a unique inheritance that is worthy of recognition and careful stewardship. However, very few of these trees are covered by Tree Preservation Orders. This is largely because they are not generally judged to be under threat and because of the costs of issuing such orders.
“We think it’s time we celebrated these amazing trees and the communities that have cared for them down the centuries. We’re sending out certificates to parishes to give their trees a clear and special status. We hope that will encourage them to be proud of what they have and to ensure it is protected for future generations.”
The Church in Wales owns, within 203 of its churchyards 101 ancient yew trees (more than 800 years old) and 233 veteran yew trees (more than 500 years old).
The Ancient Yew Group publishes lists of the trees concerned on line. Visit http://www.ancient-yew.org/
For more information on Cherishing Churchyards Week, visit:
Details of how to care for yew trees can be found at:
http://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/images/uploads/new-action-pack/english/SECTION%20A%205.pdf
