Veteran trees — ancient trees with rare microhabitats created by age and decay — are among the most biodiverse structures in nature, supporting hundreds of specialist species including rare beetles, bats and birds.
Veteran trees are welfare hotspots for the animals that depend on them. The loss of a single veteran oak can eliminate the habitat for hundreds of species simultaneously. Cavity-nesting birds including owls, jackdaws and stock doves depend on heartwood rot holes that take centuries to develop. Rare saproxylic (dead wood-dependent) beetles with very limited dispersal ability cannot simply move to another tree when their veteran host is felled. Veteran tree welfare considerations include protecting root zones from compaction, avoiding inappropriate pruning that removes key microhabitats and recognising that aesthetic interventions can be ecologically devastating.