This year, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee, the Woodland Trust are planting a series of Jubilee woods. The website says
“…the Jubilee Woods project aims to create hundreds of Jubilee Woods and 60 special Diamond Woods, transforming our landscape in a generation and providing a lasting and meaningful tribute for many years to come.”
Looking back into history, it seems a very long time since Elizabeth I reigned (she was on the throne 1558-1603). She was a Tudor, and a recent In Our Time radio program described her grandfather, Henry VII, as a “late Medieval” ruler.
So things that have been around since her lifetime are pretty old. Ancient even. That includes woodland.
Ancient woodland is “defined as land that has been continually wooded since at least 1600AD”.
The Woodland Trust is concerned that HS2 will cause direct loss to at least 21 ancient woods. Every one of those 21 ancient woods was around in Queen Elizabeth I’s time. They’ve been there for a very long time.
Ancient woods are worth fighting for. And that’s why we say Stop HS2.