Double-Edged [Wooden] Sword
Some of the ecological value of places of burial, espe-
cially of the large urban cemeteries, is the product
not of deliberate planting, but of neglect, signifi-
cantly from the late eighteenth century onward.
While lucrative investments in their early years, many
privately owned cemeteries experienced declining
management as costs rose. Other factors contrib-
uted; Goode (2014) notes that "the death knell for
most of the cemeteries was World War I when gar-
deners were no longer available, and nature ran
riot" (p. 91). Areas where internments were still
taking place tended to be prioritised, while other
parts succumbed to invasion by scrub and trees.
This has, however, proven a double-edged sword,
with some increase in biodiversity, but also damage
to monuments associated with the rampant growth
of secondary woodland species, primarily the easily
dispersed, winged-seeded ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and
sycamore (sycamore maple in the U.S.) (Acer pseudo-
platanus). These and other species, like bird-dispersed
holly (Ilex aquifolium) and yew, have taken advantage
of the tombs and headstones to provide protection
from the grass-mower and strimmer (string trimmer),
the chief tools of management in the UK (Photo 6).
Many cemeteries now have "Friends" groups that
try to balance issues of heritage preservation
Photo 5: A veteran cherry tree (Prunus sp.) showing some stress at the
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Ashford, Kent (UK).
20 CityTREES
