Over the past five years we have developed and pioneered a unique, multi-source approach to this complex but fascinating field.
Using expert knowledge, old maps, literary analysis, a little-known archive of early 20th century aerial photographs, dendrochronology (including a new method for dating coppice stools) and state of the art GIS techniques, we can peel back the layers of the past to reveal the evolution of the arboricultural landscape as far back as the Norman Conquest.
With applications such as listed garden restoration to original design, and ancient woodland inventory validation, our expertise in this area can solve a number of real-world problems.
For example, our research indicates that a substantial proportion of woodlands listed within the ancient woodland inventory, might actually be recent. This distinction can make the difference between ‘sustainable development’ and a ‘Footnote 9 exception’ and is therefore of critical importance to many planning applications.Do you want to know if your “designated ancient woodland” is actually ancient? We can probably tell you.
Please contact us if we can be of any assistance.