Welcome to the Saving Devon’s Treescape citizen science project

Devon's treescapes are stunning and crucial habitats for so much wildlife. But, they are under threat from many things including ash dieback; which is estimated to kill at least 90% of Devon’s ash trees in the coming years.

With this app you can record Notable trees, as well as key species which rely on the ash tree such as brown hairstreak butterflies and lichens which will help with growing research on how Ash Dieback is affecting our landscapes. Use the menu at the top to select the species you want to record. Before you start please make sure you have added your name and email to the 'User Info' page so that we can assign the data you are uploading to you. We may use this information to contact you with questions about the data you are providing.

The best time to record notable trees is in Spring and Summer when they are in leaf. It is easiest to record brown hairstreak butterfly eggs between November – Feb when the blackthorn is bare and lichens can be recorded at any point in the year. Throughout the year we run training sessions across the county which you can find through the DWT events page. For any questions about our citizen science programme please contact Lindsay at lmahon@devonwildlifetrust.org

Notable trees:

Notable trees are usually mature trees which may stand out in your local environment because they are large in comparison with other trees around them. They don’t have any obvious veteran characteristics but may be taller than ancients and fatter than some veterans. If trees are less common in your area, a relatively small and young tree may be notable because it is significant in its local environment. Notable trees can be potential next generation veteran trees. You can find out more about the characteristics of significant trees in this guide Trees of Special Interest: Ancient, Veteran and other - Woodland Trust

With everyone recording the Notable trees local to them we’ll be able to build up a picture of the health of Devon’s Treescapes. We’re focusing on all trees, but we also want to keep a close eye on any ash trees that might be showing signs of resistance to help the vital ongoing research into Ash dieback.

Please only record trees where you have legal access to the land. Do not go onto private land without permission. You can record trees while you're on a walk using your phone, or when you get back home to your computer.

When recording trees, please be careful. If a tree looks like it is unsafe or if it has dead branches or showing signs of disease such as Ash dieback, then please don't get too close to the tree. Read here for more information about Ash dieback.