{"id":36440,"date":"2025-09-02T20:09:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T20:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/the-druids-oak-is-800-years-old\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T20:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T20:09:35","slug":"the-druids-oak-is-800-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/the-druids-oak-is-800-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"The Druids Oak is 800 years old"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Helen Briggs<\/span>BBC environment correspondent<\/span> and<\/span><\/p>\n

Gwyndaf Hughes<\/span>Science videographer<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Druids Oak is the oldest living tree in this woodland in Buckinghamshire <\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Dr Ed Pyne snips a leaf from the Druids Oak, an 800-year-old tree that has watched over this woodland in Buckinghamshire for centuries, enduring droughts, storms, heatwaves and more.<\/p>\n

“We know that this tree is a survivor,” he says, taking a leaf sample for DNA testing.<\/p>\n

“Is it just that it’s got lucky? Has it led a stress-free life? Or is there something special about the genes of this tree?”<\/p>\n

The conservation scientist from the charity, The Woodland Trust, thinks the secrets of such remarkable resilience lie in its DNA.<\/p>\n

The experts want to understand how oaks can live for 1,000 years or more, resisting threats such as climate change and bouncing back from disease – knowledge that could be vital in restoring Britain’s depleted woodlands.<\/p>\n

“By exploring the genome of ancient trees, we can understand how to manage them better so that we can secure their future for generations to come,” says Dr Emma Gilmartin of the tree charity, the Arboricultural Association, which is involved in the project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Emma Gilmartin says ancient trees like the Druids Oak are monuments of nature <\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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English oaks are one of the UK’s best-loved trees, growing widely in parks, gardens and the countryside.<\/p>\n

They are classed as ancient when they reach around 400 years of age.<\/p>\n

By studying the DNA of ancient oaks, the scientists hope to unravel the genes behind the trees’ long life and their ability to survive climatic extremes.<\/p>\n

This information would be used to select the best oak trees to plant in the future, to restore woodlands and bring back wildlife.<\/p>\n

About 50 of the UK’s most well-known ancient oaks will be studied, including:<\/p>\n

The Druids Oak <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Ed Pyne and Dr Emma Gilmartin measure the girth of the tree, which comes in at 9m<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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