‘Mother of the woods’
Dead Beech tree near Chanctonbury Ring
West Sussex UK
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As I walked up through the woods on the North side of the ridge following a line of ancient Beech trees toward Chanctonbury Ring I came across a large area of felled Ash trees and feared this tree with it’s outstretched boughs may have gone. Since I first photographed this tree in January 2015 what life it had then has since dwindled and the surrounding area is strewn with fragments of dropped branches – many no doubt loosed by the stormy weather over the last few days. While I had hoped to see this tree grow further in the years to come it’s location might mean it was older than it’s size suggests. Despite this it still stands, reaching aloft among the surrounding Ash trees which may not be there for much longer.