This week The Queen’s Green Canopy announced the network of 70 Ancient Woodlands and 70 Ancient Trees across the United Kingdom which will form the Ancient Canopy to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, 70 years of service.

The initiative was launched by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, who is Patron of The Queen’s Green Canopy, under one of the Ancient Tree dedications - the old Sycamore located at Dumfries House in Scotland.

South Lanarkshire Council is delighted to announce that the woodlands of Chatelherault and Hamilton High Parks have been selected for inclusion. New Lanark Wildlife Reserve is also named on the list.

Established over hundreds of years, the chosen woodlands and trees represent the diverse canopy of the four nations, it is a celebration of our living heritage. All the woodlands and trees have a story to tell.

Some are famous specimens and others have a local significance. These Ancient natural spaces hold significance and meaning for so many people in many different ways.

They are symbols of community pride, places to connect socially and vital spaces for health and wellbeing activities.

The official list of confirming which woodlands will form The Queen’s Green Canopy describes the inclusion of the Chatelherault and Hamilton High Parks woodland’s ancient roots:

The steeply incised valley of the Avon Water here [Chatelherault] is part of the Clyde Valley Woods National Nature Reserve, its ancient semi-natural woodland a northern form of Oak, Ash, Elm woodland. The Cadzow Oaks here were part of a medieval royal hunting forest believed to have been created by King David I of Scotland. Home to a number of nationally rare species, it is now managed as wood pasture; a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat

And the Chatelherault woodlands aren’t the only area in South Lanarkshire to be included in The Queen’s Green Canopy. The New Lanark Wildlife Reserve is also on the list:

Glacial melt waters from the last Ice Age formed the steep-sided gorge today known at the Falls of Clyde. The reserve was a popular destination as part of the Victorian Grand Tour and was visited by famous artists such as Turner and Naysmith, who came to capture the majesty of the reserve’s largest waterfall, Corra Linn. Trees and their root systems here provide a home for enigmatic wildlife like badgers, otters, rare bats, kingfishers, and dippers.

By sharing the stories behind the Ancient woodlands and trees, as well as the incredible efforts that are made to protect them, The Queen’s Green Canopy aims to raise awareness of these treasured habitats and the importance of conserving them for future generations.

For full details see the Queen's Green Canopy website.