The New Forest National Park Authority’s tree team provided arboricultural advice to the landowner to keep the remaining structure of the King Oak, which has been a prominent feature by the road at Moyles Court near Ringwood for several centuries.

Also known as the Moyles Court Oak, the tree is thought to be more than 600 years old, pre-dating Oliver Cromwell, Henry VIII and William Shakespeare.

This ancient oak, which had been showing signs of decline for at least a century, failed to come into leaf and was declared dead in 2023.

“Being in such a busy public space, the tree needed further pruning to safely retain what we see today. While keeping the deadwood in place is favourable, we had to consider any potential damage or injury caused by falling branches,” said James Palmer, tree officer at the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA).

“The tree had been pruned several times over the years as the crown continued to die back, with each set of works removing a large quantity of deadwood and dead branch tips, known as ‘stag heading’.

“We worked with the owner of the tree, a local private estate, encouraging them to retain the ancient oak, and provided management advice for other options rather than to just fell the tree to ground level as was initially proposed.”

Ancient trees, with their gnarls, holes and cracks, are an important part of a forest’s ecosystem, providing vital habitats for birds, bats, insects and lichens. They’re also culturally important, adding to the character of an area, and often providing historical landmarks.

Work to retain the New Forest monolith was carried out in December 2023 using specialist equipment and a crane. The stem and branches were pruned back by local tree contractor Treemenders, with cuts purposefully made to emulate storm damage (called veteranisation). This more natural finish is better for wildlife including fungi, mosses, ferns and other specialist plants and animals that require these niche habitats to survive.

James added: “The New Forest has one of the highest concentrations of ancient trees in western Europe, and our role in the NPA is to protect the special and important trees that contribute to the character of the National Park.

“We are now working with different Forest partners and the local community to help retain the nearby Queen Oak on the opposite side of the road to the King Oak. She’s older than the King and without intervention is at risk of collapse due to internal decay.”

In the last financial year the New Forest NPA tree team has processed more than 600 applications to work on protected trees, made two new Tree Preservation Orders, amended or withdrew numerous tree work applications where trees could have been removed or damaged, and offered professional arboricultural advice on more than 200 planning applications.

“We have been pleased to help retain a portion of the King Oak, which will remain an important cultural landmark and help support hundreds of other plant and animal species for many years to come,” said James. “It’s a great example of the importance of managing ancient and veteran trees and collaborating with different people to protect them for future generations.”