Ancient Woodlands have been named by HRH The Prince of Wales to form part of his UK-wide ‘Ancient Canopy’ network dedicated to The Queen in celebration of her Platinum jubilee.
The Dinefwr Park and Castle Woods in Llandeilo and the Brynau Wood in Neath Port Talbot have both been named as two of Britain’s most celebrated green canopies.
To mark the launch, The Prince of Wales recorded a video message under one of the ancient tree dedications, namely the old Sycamore at Dumfries House in Scotland.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to launch this project as these ancient woodlands and trees represent the unique diversity of all corners of the United Kingdom,” said His Royal Highness.
"Trees and woodlands have a profound significance for us all – their steadfast and reassuring presence a reminder of our long serving Sovereign and her enduring dedication.
"Let us ensure that in her name we can now protect and strengthen this wonderful living Canopy for the next seventy years and, hopefully, way beyond that.”
The Ancient Tree dedication marks the start of a long-term project to propagate material to ensure that the genetic resource and unique characteristics of some of the UK’s most important trees is preserved.
The Dinefwr Woods contain sections which reveal the remains of medieval woodland featuring many ancient trees.
The wood is dominated by 293 huge oaks while the Castle oak is thought to be over 1,000 years old, which is the upper limit of an oak’s life expectancy.
The Brynau wood in Neath Port Talbot is a semi natural ancient woodland that forms part of a larger site known as Brynau Farm which was recently bought by the Woodland Trust.
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