"In Britain, A Census Goes Deep Into The Woods"

"In the Chiltern Hills of southeast England, forester Bob Davis strolls through the woodlands. Davis is a big, bearded, gentle man — think Hagrid in the Harry Potter books — but he is dwarfed by the gnarled and twisted giants around him.

We're walking through to probably the biggest tree in the woodland," he says. "It's a bit of a 'wow factor,' this one."

He points to a beech tree believed to be 400 years old. The tree, in a dim, dappled clearing, is almost as wide as it is tall. It has a mossy, twisting, bulbous trunk and water pooling on its pocked bark.
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Britain's Ancient Tree Hunt

Naturalists say as many as 70 percent of Europe's ancient trees may be in Britain. Now, two British charities are working to identify every single one. "

Vicki Barker reports for NPR September 3, 2009.

Source: NPR, 09/04/2009