* The story of how England’s iconic tree - the oak - has shaped the landscape over the past 1000 years

* Combining history with science, this is the first detailed study into why England has more ancient native oak trees than the rest of Europe combined

* New research into the causes of this extraordinary abundance have made possible by a wealth of new data via ‘citizen science’ - data gathered by volunteers across the country

* The author explains how this all began with the Norman conquest of England in 1066, who created Royal Forests and deer parks, which have been preserved in one way or another up to modern day

* The book also covers the importance of ancient oaks for conservation and biodiversity, with contributions from three specialists in their fields

* Illustrated throughout with spectacular colour photographs, illustrating many of these extraordinary individuals

* Distribution maps and graphs also included, illustrating historic and modern oak populations

* Glossary of terms