The Big Gnosall Tree Count launches Sunday 11 October, 4pm, at St Lawrence Church, measuring the churchyard yew first. 53 trees logged so far, goal 2,000.

A volunteer project that wants to record every mature and ancient tree in the parish of Gnosall launches on Sunday 11 October, 4pm to 5pm, at St Lawrence Church, and its first job will be measuring the yew in the churchyard.

The Big Gnosall Tree Count asks residents to log trees on their smartphones: the species, location, girth and estimated age. Its founder, Chris Haycock, says the aim is to be “the first in the UK to record every mature and ancient tree” in a single parish, “for future generations”.

What happens on Sunday

“We have chosen a particularly fitting place to begin, Gnosall’s 12th Century church,” Mr Haycock said. “Following a short launch inside the church, we’ll head into the churchyard to measure and record its ancient yew. Members of the community will then be encouraged to get involved and help us record Gnosall’s notable, mature and ancient trees.”

The launch brings together residents, community groups, councillors and invited civic representatives, with community representatives taking part in the first ceremonial measurement. Refreshments follow, and Mr Haycock and other members of the founding team will be there to talk about the project.

  • When: Sunday 11 October 2026, 4pm to 5pm
  • Where: St Lawrence Church, Gnosall
  • What: a short launch in the church, then the yew is measured in the churchyard; refreshments afterwards
A large, dense yew tree standing behind a row of weathered headstones
A yew among headstones, recorded in the project's app, which puts its age at about 405 years. Photo: supplied by the Big Gnosall Tree Count

Why count trees at all

“The Tree Count is about more than producing a database,” Mr Haycock said. “We want people to look a little more closely at the landscape around them, discover the stories behind some of our oldest trees, and create a record that can help us understand and protect this part of Gnosall’s natural heritage for the future.”

The project’s own site puts it more bluntly. “Some of the oldest living residents of Gnosall have no voices,” it says. “They’ve witnessed wars, harvests, generations of families and changing landscapes, yet many have never been recorded. We’re going to change that.”

Its project page lists four aims: to map and preserve important trees, support biodiversity and green infrastructure, provide real data to support environmental decisions, and raise awareness of how vital mature trees are to the community. “But here’s the thing,” it adds, “we don’t even know where they all are.”

A broad, rounded sycamore on a grass verge at the end of a residential road
A sycamore on a grass verge, the largest tree in the count so far at 440cm round the trunk. Photo: supplied by the Big Gnosall Tree Count

How far it has got

The app has been in use since January, ahead of Sunday’s official start. When we checked the project’s live statistics on 6 October, it showed 53 trees recorded against a goal of 2,000, about 3% of the way there. The figures, all from the project’s own counter:

  • 9 species so far, led by sycamore (26 trees), silver birch (8), beech (7) and oak (5)
  • 33 trees classed as veterans, with an average estimated age of 121 years
  • the oldest is a yew estimated at 405 years, with a girth of 304cm
  • the largest is a sycamore with a girth of 440cm, estimated at 293 years

The ages are the app’s estimates, worked out from each tree’s species and trunk size, not a ring count. The project names central Gnosall as the area with the fewest records so far.

Bar chart of the 53 trees recorded in the Big Gnosall Tree Count by 6 October 2026: sycamore 26, silver birch 8, beech 7, oak 5, ash 2, horse chestnut 2, willow 1, yew 1, rowan 1. The project's goal is 2,000 trees.
Trees recorded so far, by species. Chart by The Stafford Times
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How to take part

The recording tool is a free web app, installed from bigtreecount.com rather than an app store, and it works offline. You need a free account to record a tree. In the project’s words: “When you spot a mature or ancient tree, log its location, snap a photo, note the girth (the tree, not yours), and let the app do the rest.” It uses the phone’s GPS to place the tree and estimates the age itself.

The volunteer rules are short. “If the tree is on public land, measure away. If it’s on private land but visible from the street, a little educated guesswork is fine (no trespassing, please, not even for that magnificent beech behind someone’s hedge).” No smartphone? The tree map shows what has been found so far.

The project is also preparing a Big Tree Explorer Pack, with a rope pre-marked for girth measurements, a waterproof notebook and an illustrated guide. Its page lists it at £9.95 and marks it “coming soon”.

The trunk of a tall ash tree beside a footpath, with a red brick wall behind
An ash beside a footpath, logged at 253cm round the trunk. Photo: supplied by the Big Gnosall Tree Count

What it means for you

If you live in Gnosall parish, you can turn up on Sunday and watch the yew being measured, or start recording the trees on your own walks now: the count needs about 1,950 more to hit its target. The project’s blog also explains Tree Preservation Orders, the main legal protection for an important tree, if there is one near you you are worried about.

More on what is happening across the borough is in our What’s On in Stafford listings.