Sussex woodland project records over 5,500 ancient and veteran trees

Volunteers in Sussex have recorded more than 5,500 trees across a 121-square-mile area since March 2024. The work is part of the Lost Woods project, which aims to restore ancient woodlands in the region between Lewes and Storrington.

The total of 5,570 trees was higher than the project expected. Of these, 348 are ancient trees, which are in the final stage of their life cycle. Another 2,743 are veteran trees, meaning they have some features of ancient trees but are younger. The remaining 2,467 are notable trees, which are mature and larger than the trees around them.

Volunteers carried out all the fieldwork, visiting the Low Weald and Downs area to find and classify each tree by its age and condition.