Action to protect Black Poplar trees
Archived press release
Date Published: 01/03/10
Aylesbury Vale District Council is taking action to safeguard the future of the endangered native Black Poplar tree.
The Black Poplar has been in decline for the past 200 years and Aylesbury Vale is one of the last remaining strongholds for the tree. It is estimated that there are about 6,000 left in Aylesbury Vale, which represents roughly half the national population.
As part of its commitment to protecting and enhancing the local environment, AVDC recently hosted a national conference to discuss what could be done to help conserve the Black Poplar for future generations. More than 60 delegates attended from as far afield as Scotland.
An action plan was developed following discussions between partner agencies and biodiversity experts in a bid to replenish the species. This will be achieved through taking cuttings from all known individual trees and creating plantations in various locations across the country, undertaking further genetic research and providing suitable sites where the trees can reproduce sexually.
Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure at AVDC, said: “Protecting and enhancing the district’s environment is a top priority for the council and I am delighted that this action plan has been developed. It is vital that we ensure the Black Poplars are protected. They provide such a wonderful landscape and are a key part of our heritage. It is important that they are preserved for future generations to enjoy as much as we have.”
Featured in John Constable’s 1821 work, The Hay Wain, the Black Poplar has become one of Britain’s rarest native trees despite once being common.
Black Poplars thrive in wet woodlands, near streams or in natural flood plains and were used widely as a building material and for farm equipment until their natural habitat for reproduction was reduced by human restrictions on the natural movements and flooding of rivers. In addition to this, previous generations cut down female trees because they considered their fluffy seeds to be untidy.
Local residents should look out for the distinctive red catkins of the male black polar trees in the spring.
For more information on the Black Poplar trees, visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/environment or call 01296 427972.