Tall British Tree

Maybe an Ash? I know they can get pretty tall, but I'm no expert when it comes to horticulture!

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/vi...-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/ash/

Looks like it's got some historical value:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9684191/The-ash-tree-matters-because-of-its-history-in-our-landscape.html

The first article says they get to 35m when fully grown - that's a bit over 100 feet. I *do* know they're a pain in the arse when they grow too close to houses, although that's not really relevant to your story!

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/ (same site that LPH posted, this is the list of trees native to Britain)

If you're in Southern Britain European beech can grow up to 160 feet tall.

If you're in Northern Britain the Scots pine can get to about 145 feet.

The field maple grows to about 80 feet tall. The English elm or the common ash can both get to about 130 feet.

English Oak (Quercus robur) or sessile oak (Quercus petraea). Ranges overlap, both native to Britain. Both can under certain circumstances grow up to 40m (some ~130ft) tall, occur throughout all of Britain (most of the other trees that fit the bill are originally native only through small parts of Britain, whereas most of the trees that occur widely throughout Britain dating back to at least the fifth century are either too small, not likely to play nice in a forest and/or grow in such ways climbing them isn't quite as easy as you'd like), can grow well among other trees and can grow in shapes that make it easy enough to climb.

Otherwise think Wych elm might work.

Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) would be indisputably native to Britain, grows anywhere from Scotland down south so no difficulties figuring out whether or not your exact setting would have had them, can sometimes reach up to 40m (~130ft), often grows in forms that would have branches low enough climbing would be reasonably easy, and strong branches up high enough a climber could also get high up into the tree. Does have some somewhat restricting growing requirements, however, so you'd have to check whether or not your exact setting fits them. (Moderately shade-tolerant, but requires rich soil, prefers moisture yet is flooding intolerant. The vicinity of a creek, stream or river through your forest would probably be your best bet)

If neither, maaaaybe European beech (Fagus sylvatica), but its shape doesn't usually allow for climbing. Plus historically mostly confined to southern England.

My first thought was oak, it having such strong connections to British mythology and theology. They also tend to grow a lot of strong lower limbs, which makes them fairly easy to climb.

Second thought is another that's already been thrown out: some sort of elm. Also lots of low, strong, horizontal-ish limbs.

I don't know what a Scottish pine is like, but the pines in my part of the world tend to lose the lower limbs when they get really tall. All the pines on my property start their branches 15-20' off the ground.

Presumably most of the trees are the same. He's going to have a hard job seeing anything beyond the 'surrounding trees'. And 'forest' in any time period suggests a large area of trees - no?

WriteMinded said:

I'm exhausting myself trying to figure this out. I am no horticulturalist (if that is even the correct field).

In the forest — which is located somewhere in the mid-section of (my) 5th century Britain — Owain is searching for a missing youth. At one point, he climbs a tall tree and looks over the tops of the surrounding trees so he can see into the distance. I don't want to just call it a "tall tree". I need the species. It has to have branches low enough that he can climb without much trouble, and he has to be able to get high enough for that view.

Names of trees fitting the description would be much appreciated.

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I think beech would work best. Very large tree with unusual smooth grey bark, very recognizable, would have been widely recognized by people at the time.

caw

The tallest deciduous British tree is the Common Lime.

Every time I see this header coming up in the new topics search, Monty Python pops into my head:

No 1 The larch.


Beats hasty exit

"The...Larch."

One thing that hasn't been said yet. Per my studies into my unwritten British early-medieval book, the British Isles were much more heavily forested in the 5th C than they were in later times. The woodland would be the rule, not the exception, to the cleared spaces. Hamlet or village could be many miles from its nearest neighbor. In the 12th and 13th C, clearing forested land for arable land, or "assarting," led to fairly widespread deforestation. All the books claim that at no time in the distant past was Britain as clear of trees as it is now.

FWIW

I know it wasn't brought up as a serious suggestion (along the with the giant redwood tree and the sequioa), but the European larch isn't native to Britain.

Helix said:

I know it wasn't brought up as a serious suggestion (along the with the giant redwood tree and the sequioa), but the European larch isn't native to Britain.

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Perhaps it was carried there by a swallow...

Bufty said:

Presumably most of the trees are the same. He's going to have a hard job seeing anything beyond the 'surrounding trees'. And 'forest' in any time period suggests a large area of trees - no?

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Not necessarily, and the land isn't perfectly flat and devoid of hills, even in Britain (I guess it depends where in Britain). Sometimes the tallest tree in an area will have gotten enough of a head start that it casts shade that stunts its neighbors. Or maybe it was the sole survivor of a fire or something that killed other trees around it, and so it's taller than the others around. Or it got a particularly good patch or soil or its roots can access water better.

Choosing to climb an especially tall tree to survey the land isn't necessarily something that would knock me out, though of course there's the issue of the higher branches being smaller, so the person might not he able to poke their head through the foliage, unless they're very small like Bilbo. It would probably work best in a woodland that's not especially dense, or with a tree that's near the top of a hill.

Priene said:

The tallest deciduous British tree is the Common Lime.

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It's an introduced species, though, so it might not have been present in Britain at the time of the story.

Also, it's interesting that they say it's the tallest deciduous tree in Britain, because the height given is 25 meters, which is considerably shorter than the maximim height given for some other deciduous species mentioned up thread, like the oaks, ashes, and elms.

Tilia cordata (small-leaved) and T. platyphyllos (large-leaved), which are the parent spp of the common lime, are both native to Britain. They tend to be southern species, though, so might not be suitable.

Whichever tree ends up being the plant of choice, I suspect that it's going to be difficult to see anything unless it's a deciduous tree in winter.

Brightdreamer said:

Perhaps it was carried there by a swallow...

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I saw what you did there...

Helix said:

Tilia cordata (small-leaved) and T. platyphyllos (large-leaved), which are the parent spp of the common lime, are both native to Britain. They tend to be southern species, though, so might not be suitable.

Whichever tree ends up being the plant of choice, I suspect that it's going to be difficult to see anything unless it's a deciduous tree in winter.

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You don't climb enough trees. Find a large on that is on a hill and climb until it's getting thin. You will notice that not only is the trunk thin, but the leaves are thin also. High on trees there usually is a good view through the leaves. Go find a nice, big tree with plenty of limbs and take a look.

King Neptune said:

You don't climb enough trees. Find a large on that is on a hill and climb until it's getting thin. You will notice that not only is the trunk thin, but the leaves are thin also. High on trees there usually is a good view through the leaves. Go find a nice, big tree with plenty of limbs and take a look.

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I live in a tropical rainforest. Most of the block is complex mesophyll vine forest, but there is some riparian forest. The riparian stretch is pretty much the only bit that has branches below the canopy, but that's not much help because the river is quite narrow and winding here. So even if I braved the Calamus, ants and snakes to shin up the trunk, it's fairly difficult to see more than a hundred metres in either direction.

But the OP is looking for an emergent in a forest in the Midlands. Do you have any suggestions for a suitable tree?

Actually, I'd say that what you want isn't the tallest tree in the area, it's the one with most branches.

Once you get into the canopy, the rest of the leaves block the view of the ground. Anything above the bottom of the canopy and all you're going to see is 'more trees'. What you want is to get as high as possible without lots of leaves getting in your way, so I'd say you want something that's pretty sturdy with plenty of branches, rather than very tall.

This is assuming mid spring to mid autumn. If the leaves have fallen or not gone beyond buds yet, a tall tree will be more useful. Oaks are fairly easy to climb, but tall ash and willow are a nightmare. (Not all willows go outwards, away from rivers they tend to go up, and they go a long way up.) Elms are iconic British trees of the past, but I've never been able to climb one - they existed, but they were all just standing dead wood by the time I came along.

Priene said:

The tallest deciduous British tree is the Common Lime.

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Note also that this tree has nothing to do with the citrus fruit. Related species in the U.S. go by the common names of linden and basswood.

caw