A ten-minute drive away from Fay s office is Ashton Court Estate 345 hectares of woodland, parkland and grassland now in the hands of Bristol City Council. Under a historic restoration programme for the estate, Fay s company is responsible for rescuing and safeguarding a patch of veteran oaks in a wood known as Clarkencombe, which once produced the timbers for the medieval roof of the main house. We now know that deadwood is fantastic as a habitat, and that it has different roles in different parts of the tree he says. The Stag Beetle, for example needs the mushy, pulpy decay in roots. Exposed, dessicated aerial deadwood provides habitat for Longhorn Beetles, while the rotting wood of a hollowing trunk supports Cardinal Beetles, Lesser Stag Beetles and Crane Flies.
Deadwood is caused by fungi, another misunderstood but vital component of ancient trees.
The British Standard s guidelines talk about fungal infections , implying they are harmful. That does not take into account the tremendous beneficial effects, says Fay. We now have a better understanding of the value of fungi in energising and powering the ageing process in trees. When a fungus enters a tree and digests the heartwood, it is liberating minerals and stored energy back into the local environment. Deadwood in the ancient trees at Windsor Great Park and Forest including oaks up to 900 years old support more than 2,000 beetle species, making this site the highest concentration of rare beetles in Europe, and an even more significant collection of rare fungi.