Ancient and Veteran Yew classification codes

by Toby Hindson

These codes are fully discussed in two articles found in  `Ancient Veteran and Notable - a new yew classification`.  The articles are called Protocols 1 and Protocols 2.
Yews classed as Ancient must be 800 years old or more, with no upper age limit set to this category. If girth is above 7 metres a tree will be classified as Ancient. Many more of smaller girth will also be classified as ancient, and in these cases other codes will apply to that tree.  

Yews classed as Veteran must be over 500 years old, and may be up to 1200 years old.  A girth of  4.9 metres (16 feet) or more will usually apply.

Full code
A-g                          Girth above 7m            
V-g                          Girth above 4.9m
            
A-fr           V-fr          Single fragment of original tree 
A-frs         V-frs        Two or more fragments of original tree
A-hol        V-hol        Hollow shell, lack of roof to hollow interior, thin bole walls.
A-bm        V-bm       Large section of bole missing
A-reg        V-reg       Regrowth from stump
A-hsh       V-hsh      Horse shoe hollow
A-lgth       V-lgth      Shape suggests a once larger girthed tree
A-urn        V-urn       Urn shape, girth narrowest at ground, bulging upper bole
A-inp        V-inp       Position of internal stem implies yew was of greater girth
A-ins        V-ins       Size of internal stem implies age underestimated by bole girth
A-hist       V-hist      Historical references
A-hive       V-hive      Verbal history, confirmed
A-pg         V-pg        Previous girth measurements available
A-cgr        V-cgr       Current growth rates
A-rc          V-rc         Annual growth rings counted on a broken, cut or bored bole radius
A-smp      V-smp      A number of yews planted at the same time, one felled and ring counted
A-lay        V-lay        Proven natural layer(s) of an Ancient or Veteran yew
A-prop      V-prop      Cutting taken from a known Ancient or Veteran yew  
A-hive       V-hive       Verbal history, confirmed by research
A-alt         V-alt         Allowance made for altitude and/or latitude
A-clif        V-clif         Yew growing in cliff
               V-wild       Growing outside a churchyard