Hatfield House Parkland, ancient oak trees. bright sun
The medieval parkland of Hatfield Park is one of the few remaining sites in the country where a wood pasture system of land management is still evident. Wood pasture is best defined as a land use system combining trees and grazing animals. The trees in this historic environment have been actively managed over the centuries to provide bark for tanning leather, wood for fuel and building and food stuffs for animals in the form of acorns and foliage. Managing the trees in this way was known as pollarding. A pollarded tree is hard pruned above the grazing line so that the branch wood timber could be utilised. Livestock could feed on the pasture below without browsing the new regrowth on the tree. This system allows the pollarded tree to continue re-rejuvenating and this extends the life of a tree far beyond its normal life span. In the Park, an oak tree marks the place where the young Princess Elizabeth first heard of her accession to the throne.
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Photo credit: © Scenics & Science / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: ancient, bright, elizabeth, hatfield, house, medieval, oak, parkland, pollard, quercus, sun, trees.
