Trees around Ullswater

People kayaking on a lake surrounded by lush green hills under a clear blue sky.

Ullswater is often called England’s most beautiful lake, a ribbon of blue winding beneath the dramatic hills of St. Sunday Crag and Place Fell. While the water captures the eye, the soul of the landscape resides in its trees. The arboreal history of Ullswater is a story of resilience, human partnership, and biological wonder.

After the Ice: The First Pioneers

Around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, as the glaciers of the last Ice Age melted, the Lake District was a barren tundra of scoured rock and glacial till. These were the first species to colonize the raw earth.

Silver Birch

Arrival: Circa 10,000 BC.
Celtic Status: Known as the Bright One of the Woods, representing light and purification.
Terrain: Thrives in light, sandy soils; shimmering on the slopes of Gowbarrow Park.
Human Use: Its bark contains oils that make it a perfect fire starter, even when wet. In Cumbria, it was the primary wood for the bobbin mills that fuelled the textile revolution.
Animal Use: The open canopy allows light for woodland floor plants. Woodpeckers often drum on older, softer trunks to find insects.
Related to: The Alder and Hazel trees (both in the Betulaceae family).
Biology: Monoecious—both male and female flowers (catkins) are found on the same tree.

Downy Birch

Arrival: Circa 10,000 BC.
Terrain: Unlike its silver cousin, it loves the damp, boggy edges of the lake.
Human Use: Used for tanning leather and making waterproof roofing for early shelters.
Animal Use: A favorite nesting spot for Chaffinches and Willow Warblers, who use the fine twigs for cover.
Related to: Hazelnuts and the common Alder.
Biology: Also monoecious.

Goat Willow

Arrival: Circa 10,000 BC.
Terrain: Loves “wet feet”—found in scrubby, damp areas and lakeside margins.
Human Use: The bark contains salicin, which the body converts into salicylic acid (the active ingredient in aspirin).
Animal Use: One of the most important early-spring nectar sources for Honeybees and the Peacock Butterfly.
Related to: Poplar trees and the Cottonwood.
Biology: Dioecious. Male and female catkins (“pussy willow”) grow on separate trees.

Juniper

Arrival: Circa 10,000 BC.
Human Use: The berries are used to flavour gin and were historically burnt to “cleanse” houses of illness.
Animal Use: Provides dense, prickly cover for Field Mice and nesting sites for Robins.
Related to: Cypress trees and Cedars.
Biology: Dioecious. You need a male and female plant nearby for the female to produce berries.

Scots Pine

Arrival: Circa 9,000 BC.
Animal Use: The primary home for the Red Squirrel. They use the high branches for their nests (dreys) and eat the pine nuts as a winter food source.
Related to: Fir trees, Spruces, and the Larch.
Biology: Monoecious, bearing both small yellow male cones and larger woody female cones.

The Chemistry of Happiness

The Scots Pine is a chemical powerhouse. It releases Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), primarily alpha-pinene and beta-pinene. These serve as the tree’s immune system, but for humans, they act as bronchodilators (opening the lungs) and anti-inflammatories. Research shows these VOCs lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and boost Natural Killer (NK) cells, leading to a measurable state of physiological “happiness.”

The Guardians of the Glen

As the climate warmed, the Guardians—the high-ranking trees that provided the most value to the tribe, began to establish themselves.

Sessile Oak

Arrival: Circa 7,000–6,000 BC.
Celtic Status: The Mother of the Woods. The most sacred of the Guardians.
Why the “Mother”? The Oak is the long-lived anchor of the ecosystem. It supports more life than any other native tree, acting as a maternal host for a vast community.
Animal Use: A single mature Oak can support over 2,300 species. Barn Owls and Bats roost in its hollows, while Jays bury acorns all over the valley.
Human Use: Beyond construction, its galls made permanent black ink for medieval manuscripts, and its wood was the preferred fuel for early iron smelting.
Related to: Beech and Chestnut trees (the Fagaceae family).

Hazel

Arrival: Circa 8,000 BC.
Animal Use: Nuts are a staple for Grey and Red Squirrels and Dormice.
Human Use: Essential for “coppicing” to make baskets, garden hurdles, and walking sticks.
Related to: Birches and the Hornbeam tree.
Biology: Monoecious. Look for “lambs’ tails” (male catkins) in late winter.

Common Alder

Arrival: Circa 7,000 BC.
Animal Use: Its roots provide underwater hiding spots for Otters and Kingfishers.
The Foundation of Venice: Submerged in water, Alder becomes as hard as stone. Because of this, the city of Venice was built on millions of Alder piles driven into the lagoon mud. Locally, as clogs began to replace pattens as standard footwear, Alder was the wood of choice, being abundant along the many becks in the area. Short ( 10 minutes ) video showing how Venice was built
Related to: The Birch tree family.

Rowan

Arrival: Circa 8,000 BC.
Animal Use: The bright red berries are a vital winter feast for Blackbirds and Thrushes.
Related to: Roses, Apples, Pears, and Strawberries (the Rosaceae family).
Biology: Hermaphrodite. Each individual flower contains both male and female parts.

Common Ash

Arrival: Circa 5,500 BC.
Animal Use: Seeds (keys) are eaten by Bullfinches in winter.
Human Use: The ultimate wood for tool handles (axes, hammers) because it absorbs shock without splintering.
Related to: Olive trees, Jasmine, and Lilacs.
Biology: Polygamous. A single tree can change its “sex” annually.

Holly

Arrival: Circa 6,000 BC.
Animal Use: Provides vital winter cover for Wrens and Song Thrushes during Lakeland storms.
Related to: Yerba mate and various ornamental tea-shrubs.
Biology: Dioecious. Only female Holly trees produce the iconic red berries.

Hawthorn

Arrival: Circa 6,000 BC.
Animal Use: Known as the “larder” of the woods. Provides thorns for Small Birds to nest safely away from predators.
Human Use: Historically used to create “living fences” (hedgerows) to contain livestock.
Related to: Roses, Cherries, and Blackberries.
Biology: Hermaphrodite.

Yew

Arrival: Circa 7,000 BC.
Animal Use: Badgers often forage beneath them, and Thrushes eat the red arils (seeds).
Human Use : Famously longbows, but also recently a compound ( Taxol ) is extracted from it’s needles for cancer medicine.
Biology: Dioecious. Only the female trees produce the fleshy red “arils.”

The Newcomers and Shapers of Today

Common Beech

Arrival: Introduced to northern park lands in the 1700’s .
Animal Use: In “mast years,” the forest floor is covered in nuts that feed Deer and Wood Pigeons.
Human Use: Prized for being steamed and bent for chair making. Found in parklands like the Glencoyne estate.
Related to: Oak trees and Sweet Chestnuts.
Biology: Monoecious.

Sycamore

Arrival: Circa 1500s AD.
Terrain: Extremely hardy; survives the salt spray and winds of the exposed fells.
Animal Use: Broad leaves host aphids, which attract huge numbers of Blue Tits and Coal Tits.
Human Use: Its wood is “clean” and doesn’t taint food, making it the choice for dairy utensils and traditional “love spoons.”
Related to: Maples, Horse Chestnuts, and—surprisingly—Lychees.
Biology: Hermaphrodite, producing winged “helicopter” seeds.

The Hidden Network Beneath Your Feet

The Wood Wide Web is a mycorrhizal network—a symbiotic relationship between trees and specialized fungi.

Understanding the Symbiotic Trade

The relationship is a masterclass in mutual aid. Trees provide sugars, and fungi provide minerals.

The Trees Provide: Roughly 20-30% of their sugar (carbon) to feed the fungi.
The Fungi Provide: A vast web of mycelium that delivers three critical nutrients:
- Nitrogen (N): For leaf growth and protein.
- Phosphorus (P): For DNA and energy transfer.
- Potassium (K): For water regulation and “breathing.”

The Sessile Oak and Scots Pine are the heavy users of this network at Ullswater, relying on it to survive the nutrient-poor, acidic slopes of the fells.

Tree planting around Ullswater

The initiatives focus on restoring the valley’s ancient temperate rainforests, slowing floodwaters, and integrating woodland with working farms.

Who: The effort is led by a network of local land managers, environmental organizations, and community groups. Key players include the Ullswater Catchment Management CIC, The National Trust, Natural England, local tenant farmers, and community volunteers.
Which: Restoration relies exclusively on native broadleaf species suited to the wet Cumbrian climate. Primary trees include sessile oak, rowan, hazel, hawthorn, alder, ash, and Scots pine.
Where: Planting targets steep fellside slopes, river corridors, and valleys throughout the catchment—notably around Glenridding, the Grisedale Valley, Aira Force, Matterdale, and Watermillock Common.

How: Conservationists use a “right tree in the right place” strategy. Techniques include wood pasture creation—using protective timber cages so livestock can graze alongside saplings—and hedgerow restoration along field boundaries. Trees are also strategically planted along feeder streams (becks) and run-off routes to absorb heavy rainfall, bind soil, and reduce downstream flood risks in local villages.

How to plant a tree

Hydrological Planting: Managing Water on the Fells

In the steep Lake District catchment of Ullswater, trees are nature’s most effective hydraulic engineers. By strategically planting native species at key contours along the valley, land managers use specific root depths and transpiration rates to control water movement, prevent landslips, and protect downstream communities.

Recharge Zone Planting (Fell Tops & Upper Slopes)

Location: The high shoulders and upper catchment areas (e.g., above Gowbarrow or the upper reaches of the Grisedale Valley) where heavy rainfall first hits the ground.
Species: Deep-rooted, hardy pioneers like Scots Pine and Silver Birch.
How It Works: These upper-slope species intercept rain with their high canopy coverage and draw vast amounts of moisture through deep root systems before it can filter down into the deeper soil strata. By transpiring this water back into the atmosphere, they reduce the sheer volume of water entering the underground water table, slowing the movement of water down the fellside during heavy storms.

Slope Break Planting (Mid-Slope Interceptors)

Location: Mid-way down the fellside where steep crags flatten out into gentle pastures—the exact line where underground lateral water flow naturally surfaces as wet seeps and boggy flushes.
Species: Sessile Oak, Rowan, Hazel, and Hawthorn.
How It Works: Planted along the natural contours of the slope, these deep-rooting broadleaves form a living bio-barrier. Their roots bind the unstable glacial soil to prevent landslides, while actively intercepting and absorbing the subterranean runoff sliding over the bedrock before it can break through to saturate the grazing land below.

Discharge Zone Planting (Valley Floors & Beck-sides)

Location: The lowest points of the landscape—floodplains, valley bottoms, and the swampy banks (becks) where water naturally accumulates before reaching Ullswater.
Species: Water-loving, flood-tolerant species like Common Alder, Goat Willow, and Downy Birch.
How It Works: Valley floors face constant waterlogging and heavy flow during storm events. The extensive, rot-resistant root networks of Alder and Willow lock riverbanks in place to stop erosion. At the same time, their high transpiration rates act as giant natural pumps, pulling standing water out of the soil and lowering shallow water tables to keep the valley pastures functional.

Closing Reflection

To walk the shores of Ullswater, or paddle its waters, is to move through a living timeline. From the shimmering Birches that first greeted the warming sun to the ancient, maternal Oaks that anchor the soil today, these trees are more than just scenery. They are the chemical healers, the historical foundations, and the silent witnesses to ten thousand years of life in the valley. When you stand beneath their boughs, you are standing in the company of Guardians. If all this has whetted your appetite for more trees, there is an arboretum ( a living tree museum ) on the western shore of Ullswater at Aira Force. It’s a lovely place for a wander for a few hours.