FILM: Oaks - The Monarchs of the Woods | Wytham Woods
- Jun 18, 2025
- 1 min read
"Oaks are among the most beloved trees in the UK, and for good reason - they support over 2000 other organisms."
At Wytham Woods, research is carried out into the mystery of oak masting, and plans are afoot to transform an area of scrubland into a biodiverse oak woodland. Benedict Pollard, founder of Mighty Fine Oaks, has gathered thousands of acorns from ancient oak trees, especially in 2022 which has been a bountiful mast crop, and he is already growing on over 2000 young 'oaklings'.
Ryan McClory's research aims to shed light on why mast years occur, and how we might be able to predict them in future. Oaks have been part of the British landscape since the Ice Age. Peat cores from Wytham's Marley Fen have oak pollen preserved from 8,000 years ago.
We are hoping to write the next chapter for oak woodland at Wytham by planting up Bear Wood, a new area of woodland grown from Benedict's acorns, with help from our supporters. Donors to our fundraising campaign will be given the opportunity to take an acorn home to grow on and look after until 2024, at which point it will be able to be planted in Bear Wood.
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