Ilkley Eastside Wander #18:
Older Alder - Ancient, Veteran or Notable?
This is the 18th of a series of 20 caches which will take you through some of the lovely countryside immediately to the south-east of Ilkley.
The cache a camo-taped prefrom tube, is hidden in this gnarled, mossy, old alder tree next to a small stream. During wet periods, you may need to choose your approach with a little care to keep your feet dry.
See GC8PCW2 Ilkley East Wander #1: Intro and . . . Prick!? for information on the series and waypoints. See Gallery for an annotated map with cache locations and parking spots.
If doing Full Series in sequence: from #17, continue along the lane around the bend to N 53 54.798 W 1 46.587 and follow the lane left to junction @ N 53 54.875 W 1 46.562. Turn left (west) here and after a few metres at the next bend, pick up the footpath heading west to the cache location.
If doing Mini-Series 2: park at P3 and refer to IEW#1 using the link above to reach IEW#13 then continue with the shorter sequence to IEW#17 then as above.
For comprehensive information on the alder see GC7Y83C WRW#24: The Amazing Alder.
This tree is obviously old - but is it ancient, or veteran or notable? Why are old trees important and why should they be recorded?
Old trees are extraordinary. Some of them have lived for 1,000s of years, linking us with our history and culture. And they have enormous ecological value too, supporting thousands of species.
When it comes to these special trees, the UK is very important, having a huge number of ancient and veteran trees compared with the rest of Europe. There are thousands all across the UK, from the oldest churchyard yews to lone oaks standing in a field or woodland.
Such trees need protecting and caring for, but they first need to be identified, located . . . and recorded.
Ancient Trees: How old an ancient tree is depends on the species. Some species can live longer than others with yews, oaks and sweet chestnuts topping the age charts at over 1,000 years. Other species, including birch and willow, live shorter lives.
A tree is defined as ancient if it is:
* In the 3rd (final) stage of its life (this stage can go on for decades or centuries).
* Old relative to others of the same species.
* Interesting biologically, aesthetically or culturally because of its great age.
Veteran Trees: Ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient. 
Veteran trees are survivors that have developed some of the features found on ancient trees. However, they are usually only in their 2nd (mature) stage of life.
There may be signs of decay, fungal fruiting bodies or dead wood - these features may start to appear in the mature stage and also in traditional pollards.
Although veteran trees aren’t as old or complex as ancient trees, they still provide holes, cavities and crevices especially important for wildlife.
Notable Trees: these are usually mature trees which may stand out because they are large in comparison with other trees around them.
They don’t have any obvious veteran characteristics, but may be taller than ancients and fatter than some veterans.
In parts of the UK, where trees are less common, a tree may be relatively small and young but notable because it is significant in its local environment.
Notable trees are usually worthy of recognition and can be potential, next generation veteran trees.
Older Alders
According to the Ancient Tree Inventory where old trees can be recorded (see here), all alder will be ancient if 150 years old or more, ie. tree would have needed to sprout from seed in 1870.
The alder is distributed throughout the UK, typically located on riverbanks, water meadows, wet boggy woodland (alder carr) and upland areas.
It may be able to live for 200 years, although 150 or less may be more typical on many lowland sites. The age of some upland alder may be >200.
All alder will be ancient from 150 years upwards, although many will have ancient characteristics from ~125 years.
Typically a veteran alder will be 75-125 years of age and . . .
A notable alder may be 50-100 years old.
It can grow up to 4m plus in girth*. According to the site, all alders over 2.5m should be recorded and recording of those >2m with any ancient characteristics should be considered.
* Girth is the distance around the trunk of a tree measured perpendicular to its axis. In the UK it is measured at breast height, or at 1.3 m above ground level (if on a slope, this would be the average between the upper and lower ground levels).
Generally characteristics are more reliable than size as an indication of age. Most ancient alder will have a girth >2.5m but many within woodland, or if historically managed as a pollard, may be no more than 2m.
Ancient alder characteristics
* Major trunk cavities or progressive hollowing
* Decay holes
* Physical damage to trunk
* Bark loss
* Large quantities of dead wood in the canopy
* Crevices in the bark, under branches or on the root plate, sheltered from direct rainfall
* Fungal fruiting bodies (from heart rotting species)
* A high number of interdependent wildlife species
* Epiphytic plants
In addition the tree may have:
* A pollard form or show indications of past management
* Cultural or historic value
* A prominent position in the landscape
* A number of stems arising from an old coppice stool
* A cuckoo tree, such as rowan growing out of it if in an upland area
Which of these features does this tree have?
What do you conclude? Ancient, veteran or notable?
If you encounter an old tree on your geocaching adventures, make some observations, take some measurements . . . and record it here!