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Peak District tree saplings killed by drought

Hugh CasswellEast Midlands environment correspondent
BBC A tree sapling at the Longshaw Estate in DerbyshireBBC
Newly planted saplings are susceptible to extreme weather

This year's extreme weather has caused two in every five newly-planted tree saplings at sites in the Peak District to "fail", the National Trust has said.

The East Midlands experienced almost five months of drought after England's driest start to the year since 1976 and the hottest summer on record.

The conservation charity said it was aiming to plant more than a million trees in the Peak District over the next decade and usually factors in losing about 10-15% per year.

Craig Best, general Manager for the National Trust in the Peak District, said the drought has led to losses of up to 40%.

"When we're planting young saplings they're quite susceptible to extreme weather, whether that's rainfall or drought conditions," he said.

He added the increased loss of saplings has a "huge financial impact."

The National Trust's Peak District General Manager, Craig Best
Craig Best said the changing climate was "really worrying" for the Peak District

The charity's annual Weather and Wildlife Report said a "rollercoaster of conditions" had "tested nature's resilience like never before."

At the Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire, which featured in this year's BBC Springwatch, parched grasslands have led to a "dramatic crash" in the number of voles, leaving birds of prey such as barn owls and kestrels without enough food.

Heat stress caused mature trees at Calke Abbey and Belton House to lose leaves and drop limbs earlier in the year.

In July, about 150 fish died in Hardwick Hall's Great Pond from a combination of lower water levels and a "crash" in oxygen levels.

Butterflies, however, have "rebounded" after suffering in very wet conditions in 2024, with surveys this year recording the highest numbers in nearly 20 years.

Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather both more extreme and more common.

Mr Best said the changing conditions were "really worrying".

"I've never experienced our wetlands dry out as much as they have, I've never seen reservoirs in places like the High Peak at such low levels before," he said.

"When we're managing our land we have to factor in these extreme weather conditions."

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