Yew Tree Restoration Albury Estate

The Albury Estate applied for £10,550.00 to restore degraded soils surrounding key ancient and veteran yew trees, aiming to create conditions that support healthy tree growth.

The project employed a targeted combination of composts and specialised soil amendments, carefully applied to the soil’s surface. In areas suffering from severe compaction, an Air-spade was used to gently break up the soil and incorporate the amendments, promoting healthier root systems.

To prevent future soil compaction, deadheading barriers were installed around the yew trees, restricting public access and protecting their sensitive root zones.

This initiative aims to ensure the long-term health of these historically significant trees while educating the local community about their importance. It also highlights ongoing conservation efforts and provides guidance on how visitors can help preserve these cherished natural landmarks.

Find out more about these yews here.

Update 2025

The trees’ soils in the grove of large trees at Newlands Corner have been found to be very depleted and compacted in several areas. This correlates with an observed decline in tree physiological condition over several years. The underlying reasons for apparent soil depletion and tree decline are currently being investigated by Defra funded research.

In February the FiPL fund, with match funding from the Albury Estate and TreEcosystems Ltd, funded TreEcosystems to carry out a range of specialist and targeted tree/soil health treatments designed to improve the declining health of the trees. This involved remediating soil compaction from historic visitor pressure, and applying organic and microbially rich amendment blends, using a variety of different techniques. These will remineralise soils and improve their structure and biological fertility and function.

Treecosystems plan to carry out further treatments over the coming years. It is expected that over time the health of the trees and their soils will improve steadily, returning them to a state of once again being able to sustain themselves indefinitely.

www.treecosystems.co.uk