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Knightwood Oak
Knightwood Oak - New Forest Walks and Picnics
Knightwood Oak, The forests Ancient Oak stands out as the epitome of ancient woodland species.
This mighty oak, a symbol of strength has withstood the test of time and the ravages of great storms in past years and yet remains standing today.
400 years ago when this tree was a sapling life in the forest was not as tranquil as it was today but this was also a time when the locals of the forest were granted commoners rights on the land, after the previous centuries of being at the whim of the royals and nobility who use the forest as their hunting grounds.
Knightwood Oak is believed to be the oldest and if not certainly the largest Oak in the forest and even though many great trees have been harvested for ship building and wartime wood requirements over the centuries the survival of this ancient and mighty is said to be down to the ancient art of Pollarding.
Pollarding is a method of tree management that allows the re-growth of a tree after selective pruning.You can identify a "pollard" generall by the fact that the top of the tree trunk appears swollen from the numerous cuttings.
Pollard trees also generally live longer than unmanaged trees as they are constanly encouraged to generate new growth.
There a short 1/4 of a mile stroll here if you just want to stretch your legs, or you could park the car and head off for a bit of cycling from here as well.
You could also stop here for a picnic and just sit and relax under tha shade of the trees and take in the ambience of this ancient forest.
Lyndhurst is only about 2 miles away and both Bolderwood with the Bolderwood deer sanctuary and Blackwater with the Blackwater tall trees trail are nearby as well.
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