Black poplar is reckoned to be one of the UK’s rarest native timber trees with only about 7,000 examples surviving across the British Isles and just a handful in North Yorkshire.
Now the majestic black poplar, which can grow up to 100 feet tall and live for over 250 years, is getting a much-needed boost from its admirers in the 79 square mile Howardian Hills National Landscape.
The Forgotten Flora project, funded by the Howardian Hills Partnership, has linked up with the woodland team at the North York Moors National Park to nurture saplings propagated from the few surviving trees locally.
The species was once considered emblematic of the English countryside and was captured in all its glory by John Constable in his 1821 masterpiece, The Hay Wain. These days it is under threat of extinction, mainly due to the loss of wetland habitats like riverbanks and floodplains.
Ambrose Greenfield, from Forgotten Flora, explained: “If anything the problem is a bit worse than it seems because of the 7,000 or so trees left only about 600 are female and the rest male. This severely limits natural seed reproduction. We’ve been taking cuttings from the two mature trees we do know of in the Howardian Hills, one of which is female. We are nurturing these in our polytunnels at Terrington, near Malton, and they are growing well. Hopefully we’d be looking to plant these out over the next year or two at suitable sites within the National Landscape, with some also going to the North York Moors National Park’s woodland team.”
Wetland creation is a key element in giving the species a stronger foothold. Fortunately it is one of the key nature recovery aims of the Howardian Hills Partnership, which has recently helped restore 40 acres at two sites along with funding hydrology surveys and pond creation.
Black poplar can be identified by its deeply fissured bark and triangular leaves. Mature specimens often lean to one side and were once a source of timber for floorboards. Male trees display red catkins and female ones yellow and green. Leaves have a faint scent of balsam. Its wood is naturally springy and resistant to shock and was also often used in cart wheels and wagon bottoms.
To reproduce naturally, male and female trees need to be sited close to each other, with the fertilised seeds taking root in damp ground. Forgotten Flora is also working to propagate other increasingly rare species such as creeping and bay willow.
Ambrose Greenfield from Forgotten Flora Project with a tray of young black polar saplings, part of a bid to revive the threatened tree.