ANCIENT tree hunters may be able to discover some of Worcestershire's oldest trees thanks to a series of historical maps.

The maps, which cover the period from 1843 to 1893, have been added to the Ancient Tree Hunt website, run by the conservation charity Woodland Trust.

The Trust now wants people to use the maps to trace and record any trees which grew in yesteryear's woods, copses, parkland, buildings and streets.

One already discovered is a yew tree in the churchyard of St Michael's in Bockleton, just south of Tenbury Wells.

The maps were created after the Ancient Tree Hunt teamed up with Landmark Information Group, which is home to nearly a million historical Ordnance Survey maps from the 1840s.

The old maps are overlaid with the current road network so people can work out the location of surviving trees.

The Hunt's project manager Nikki Williams said: "As the trees get older, they develop holes, nooks and crannies providing perfect homes for insects, bats and birds, including rare and threatened species, so groups of ancient trees are extremely important wildlife habitats."

Any trees which are discovered should be recorded at www.ancienttreehunt.org.uk