The Fredville Oak "I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a Fred?" The countryside surrounding Fredville, in the county of Kent, in merry ol England, is breathtaking. That is if you like velvety green rolling hills dotted with hedgerows populated by pheasants, red foxes, and quaint little towns filled with charming folk more than willing to point you to the nearest pub. And not far from Fredville's finest pub, just down the winding narrow lane a bit, her ,Majesty stands watch over all who pass. The Majesty is, by all accounts, the largest common oak tree in the British Isles, perhaps even all of Europe. And a grand monarch she is, too. Her upper boughs tower more than three stories above the grassy knoll upon which she stands. Her girth is an impressive 12 meters (more than 36 feet!). And while it may be improper to ask the age of such a noble lady, estimates put it at over 1,000 years old! Unfortunately, trees such as the Fredville Oak are a rare sight in the British Isles these days. In fact, during the last 50 years, 45% of Britain's ancient, semi-natural woodland has been cleared or converted to plantation. To make matters worse, nearly 19 million trees were blown down in the storms of 1987 and 1990, and more than 30 million trees have been killed by Dutch elm disease. Today, Britain is one of the least wooded countries in Europe. Britain and the world need more trees! Trees transform blighted inner city areas, bringing a touch of nature where it is needed the most. In the country, more trees are needed to diversify wildlife habitats and provide shelter for displaced animals. Plus trees convert that nasty carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen. What can Freds do to help? For those of you interested in helping plant trees in Great Britain, log on to http://www.treecouncil.org.uk. The Tree Council was founded in 1974 and in 1978 became an independent registered charity devoted to restoring Britain's woodlands and bringing trees to urban areas. In the US, there is Trees Forever (http://www.treesforever.org), a non-profit organization whose mission it is to help people plan for and plant native trees, shrubs, and grasses in their backyards, neighborhoods, communities, and farms. Or, there are numerous national and local organizations you can find either online or in the yellow pages. Special thanks to Fred Blackley (once again) for sending photos and inFredmation about these spectacular and historic trees.