5180 Trees Now Recorded
Welcome to the Epping Forest District Favourite Tree website
On this site you will find a whole range of information about our special tree heritage and how people have been inspired to conserve and protect it.
Trees are recognised as being an important part of what makes Epping Forest District special. The District is of course named after its most important natural asset, which alone has tens of thousands of veteran trees. It was saved from clearance for agriculture and housing in the 19th century, initially by popular protest. The wider countryside still contains many areas of woodland and hundreds of miles of intact hedgerows containing many ancient and veteran trees. For many years planning in Epping Forest District has taken particular notice of the need to protect trees and to secure new planting. As well as giving legal protection to trees, we (the Trees and Landscape team and Epping Forest Countrycare) have pioneered efforts to protect trees through stimulating public recognition of their importance. This website records and assists with some of those projects.
We believe in working as partners with the residents of our District and their representatives on town and parish councils. Together we aim to protect and enhance what is most valuable about our natural environment. This Favourite Trees project, which started in 2006, is part of that. So are our programs of community tree strategies and recording other notable trees.
This website holds the record of our 50 Favourite Trees project (completed in 2007) and its results, as well as of our continuing hunts for veteran and ancient trees across the District and of our District-wide Landmark Trees project. Landmark Trees are those trees which are special to the local community. There is no set reason. It may be because the tree is particularly large or beautiful, has historic associations or is an unusual species.
You are invited to search through our pictorial database which contains the pictures and details of thousands of ancient and veteran trees that we have recorded across the District as part of the Epping Forest Veteran Tree Hunt. There are also links to schools and educational projects we have undertaken. This website has many cross links with Epping Forest District Council’s Countryside Service - Countrycare who have been largely responsible for the content of this site and have organised the veteran tree hunt and 50 favourite trees project. You are also welcome to make your own suggestions for veteran or landmark trees which are, as yet, unrecorded.
In May 2007, Favourite Trees expanded as Harlow Council joined. They too are recording their special trees within the pictorial database. See Harlow...
Find out about nominating Landmark, veteran or other special trees here...
Special trees in Loughton
Landmark trees in Theydon Bois
Landmark trees in Roydon
For more details contact Epping Forest Countrycare: 01992 564224 or the Tree and Landscape team on 01992 564452. |