Irreplaceable Habitat

Are trees on your site irreplaceable habitat?

Ancient and Veteran Trees have been designated as Irreplaceable Habitat in planning (National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and in law (The Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Irreplaceable Habitat) Regulations 2024. They are part of a list of 8 Irreplaceable Habitats that include Ancient Woodland, Blanket Bog, Lowland Fens, Limestone Pavements, Coastal Dunes, Spartina Saltmarsh Swards and Mediterranean Saltmarsh Scrub.

Guidance is provided in the NPPF and the Regulations for identifying Ancient and Veteran Trees, however this guidance has inconsistencies and in some area’s contradictory both between each document and within the guidance itself. So, this month in our bi-monthly Treework Consultant Team Day, we have reviewed our approach to identifying Ancient and Veteran Trees and the advice that we provide in the design and planning context.

We are fortunate to have deep knowledge in this area, including involvement with the ANCIENT TREE FORUM (ATF) since its inception, with team members currently on the ATF’s Advisory Pannell, VetCERT accredited consultants, and Neville Fay’s production of the Specialist Survey Method, as well as long study across the team of Tree Morphophysiology, and decades of experience of both assessing and monitoring Ancient Trees and Veteran Trees and advising on major planning schemes and NSIPs, we also have extensive planning knowledge in our team including members of the Royal Town Planning Institute and RICS.

Drawing on this unique knowledge-pool we have reviewed our approach and defined a system that is consistent and founded in the deepest understanding of old trees, planning and arboriculture.