Survival, decay and death of veteran trees

How do trees grow old? Why do ancient oak trees become hollow? In this video I explore the Bowthorpe Oak, one of Britain's oldest and largest oak trees, to understand tree growth, ageing, decay, retrenchment, woundwood, and the ecology of veteran trees. I describe why ancient oaks are important habitats in the British landscape. This relates to the death of the Royal Oak tree just announced.