• Ancient Woods, Trees and Forests
1 1

Ancient Woods, Trees and Forests

£44.99
£44.99 £44.99
Sale Sold out
Today, ‘virgin forests’ are only to be found at a few sites unreachable by humans, and even then they are affected by climate change, atmospheric pollution and species extinctions. This book aims t...
Read More
  • Format:
  • 15 April 2025
View Product Details
From antiquity until today, trees and woods have inspired artists, writers and scientists; they have shaped cultures and reverberated through belief systems. Yet worldwide forest cover has declined dramatically over the last 1,000 years. Now, primeval forests are only to be found at a few sites unreachable by humans, and even then they are affected by climate change, atmospheric pollution and species extinctions. 

Nonetheless, ancient woods, trees and forests are at the core of many global landscapes. Understanding the vital resources that they provide requires genuinely multidisciplinary research. With contributions from major authorities in the field such as Oliver Rackham, Frans Vera, Elisabeth Johann, George Peterken and Melvyn Jones among others, this timely volume reflects on the importance of our oldest trees from a range of perspectives and varied geographical locations.

Individual chapters consider eco-cultural heritage, the archaeology of trees, landscape history, forest rights, tree management, saproxylic insects, the importance of deadwood, practical conservation and monitoring, biodiversity, wood-pasture and more. Fresh insights are provided from across Europe as far as Turkey. Given the urgent need to understand, conserve and restore ancient woodlands and trees, this book will do much raise awareness, foster enthusiasm and inspire wonder.
files/i.png Icon
Price: £44.99
Pages: 480
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing
Imprint: Pelagic Publishing
Publication Date: 15 April 2025
Trim Size: 9.60 X 6.70 in
ISBN: 9781784275396
Format: Paperback
BISACs:

SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Botany, Forests and woodland, NATURE / Plants / Trees, NATURE / Ecosystems & Habitats / Forests & Rainforests, Botany and plant sciences, Trees, wildflowers and plants: general interest, Applied ecology, Conservation of wildlife and habitats
REVIEWS Icon

...an invaluable addition to woodland literature, putting the role of people firmly with the rest of woodland biodiversity. Reading this book will give new perspectives - and certainly allow the reader to see the woodland (sic) for the trees.


— Peter Bridgewater, The Niche

Ian D. Rotherham is Emeritus Professor at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He is an authority on landscape history and particularly on the history, heritage and ecology of woodlands and peatlands. He has published widely, including over 500 academic research papers, around 50 books and many hundreds of popular articles.

Alper H. Çolak is a Professor in the Department of Silviculture of Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa, Faculty of Forestry. He has many years of experience with close-to-nature silviculture, high mountain forestry practices, species and habitat conservation and restoration and rehabilitation of forest landscapes. 

Simay Kirca is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Planning and Design of Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa, Faculty of Forestry. She is currently developing landscape planning approaches for conservation and identifying vulnerable ecosystems, while integrating the functions and values of traditional cultural landscapes into the planning process.

1. Ancient woodland in concept and practice 
George Peterken

2. The cultural heritage of woods and forests 
Ian D. Rotherham

3. Archaeology of trees, woodland and wood-pasture 
Oliver Rackham

4. Ancient rights in ancient forests 
Graham Bathe

5. The importance of an open-grown tree: from seed to ancient 
Ted Green

6. Ancient and other trees of special interest: indicators of old-growth
biodiversity and heritage 
Jill Butler

7. Worked trees and ecological indicators in wooded landscapes 
Ian D. Rotherham

8. Ancient forests in Germany: distribution, importance for maintaining
biodiversity, protection and threats 
Monika Wulf

9. Tree abundance, density and age structure: the key factors that determine
species richness in saproxylic invertebrates 
Keith N.A. Alexander

10. Old growth and deadwood as key factors for nature conservation in managed
forests 
Harald Schaich, Thomas A.M. Kaphegyi, Rudolf Lühl, Nicole Schmalfuß, Mattias Rupp,
Thomas Waldenspuhl and Werner Konold

11. The diversity of ancient woodlands in Austria: historical developments and
contemporary social importance 
Elisabeth Johann

12. Wood-pasture: for food, wood and biodiversity
Frans Vera

13. The ancient woodland concept as a practical conservation tool: the Turkish
experience 
Simay Kırca, Alper H. Çolak and Ian D. Rotherham

14. Using pollen data and models to assess landscape structure and the role of
grazers in pre-agricultural Denmark 
Anne Brigitte Nielsen

15. Tanneries and treescapes: the influence of the tanning industry on woodland
management 
Christine Handley and Ian D. Rotherham

16. A hidden treasure in Turkey: old oaks of unique value 
Nicklas Jansson, Ogün Ç. Türkay and Mustafa Avcı

17. Antiquity of ancient woodlands and cultures: the example of Sandras
Mountain, Turkey 
Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca and Ian D. Rotherham

18. Woods and trees in England’s Anglo-Saxon countryside 
Della Hooke

19. Ancient and modern: the conservation of ancient woods and trees in a
changing world
Keith Kirby

20. Walls, woodbanks and woodwards: the protection of coppice woods from
trespassers, thieves and grazing animals 
Melvyn Jones

21. The natural character of ancient woodland 
Tom Williamson

22. European woodland history and management: some concluding thoughts 
Ian D. Rotherham, Alper Çolak and Simay Kırca