John Deakin, head of trees and woodland at the National Trust, said older trees looked much healthier this year due to high levels of rainfall, while temperate rainforests in the charity’s care “appeared much more verdant and alive”.
Winners and losers as nature responds to 2024’s mild, wet conditions A mild, wet year has boosted the fortunes of landscapes hit by 2022’s scorching drought – but spelled bad news for some wildlife, the National Trust said.
Among the winners in 2024 was the heather at Dunwich Heath in East Anglia, home to species including nightjar, woodlark and adders, which had suffered a 60% loss due to extreme heat and drought conditions in 2022.
Grey seals established their first colony in Suffolk, at Orford Ness, in a sign of the species’ continued recovery, with the seals thought to have chosen to breed there due to the low risk of disturbance in the remote spot and as numbers spilled over from other colonies along the coastline.
– Winners.
