Wild Service Tree

Wild Service

About Wild Service 

The wild service tree (Torminalis glaberrima, formerly Sorbus torminalis) is a deciduous tree native to Europe, known for its resilience and adaptability. It thrives in a variety of soil types and is relatively free from pests and diseases.  Wild service tree is well-suited to warmer conditions, offering resilience and value for future UK woodlands. 

Interesting Fact: The wild service tree produces small fruits called chequers, which were once used to flavour beer before hops became common. Some traditional English pubs named The Chequers may even owe their name to this historic use. It’s a tree with both ecological value and a touch of folklore!

Wild service Tree

Why Wild Service is Important

The successful growing and harvesting of hardwood trees in the UK has faced significant challenges over the past 50 years, including threats to elm, ash, and oak, as well as the need to adapt to a changing climate. The wild service tree is emerging as a valuable addition to the planting mix, offering both ecological resilience and economic potential. Its ability to thrive with minimal pest and disease issues makes it a strong candidate for future forestry efforts. Moreover, it yields a scarce and highly prized hardwood, renowned for its fine grain, density, and attractive appearance—qualities that make it especially sought after for high-end furniture, veneers, and specialist joinery. This combination of resilience and timber value positions the wild service tree as a compelling choice for sustainable forestry and diversification in a warming climate.

Wild service Tree

Our Research with Wild Service

Future Trees Trust is supporting and sponsoring a provenance trial of wild service that was established in 2019 by Christopher Guest of CJG Silviculture and Jens Peter Skovsgaard of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, with generous support from Woodland Heritage to test different seed sources for survival, growth, health, and stem quality. The research aims to inform UK growers on the best planting material suitable for UK growing conditions: Trials are located at Fontmell Hill (Dorset), Sotterley (Suffolk), and the Heart of England Forest’s Spernal Estates (Warwickshire).

Landowners play a vital role by maintaining the sites through mowing and weed control, ensuring the integrity and longevity of the trials.

Sorbus wild service 2020

Key details of the trial: 

  • Locations: Fontmell Hill, Sotterley, Spernal Estates

  • Seed Sources: Three English, four French, one German, and one Italian

  • Companion Trees: Pedunculate oak, hornbeam, field maple, and hazel

  • Saplings Planted: 5,015 total, including 576 wild service trees

wild service

Year-1 Results (2020):

The first year saw significant rainfall followed by a dry spring, impacting sapling survival. Losses of wild service trees were minimal, with reserve saplings planted to replace those that perished. Initial results showed variations in growth among different seed sources, with the smallest saplings catching up to their larger counterparts. 

Growth performance varied significantly: 

  • Sotterley recorded the highest average height increment (29.4 cm)

  • Fontmell followed (22.6 cm)

  • Spernal showed the lowest growth (14.9 cm)

Wild service trials

Year-2 Results (2021):

In the second year, mortality rates declined, and growth rates varied significantly among sites and seed sources. The findings suggest that local soil conditions, transplanting effects, and inherent genetic traits all play a role in early establishment success. Interestingly, the seed source that had performed best in the nursery lagged behind in the field, while Continental European sources, particularly the French Burgundy provenance, showed strong field performance. The trial continues to monitor and analyse the performance of the wild service tree, with ongoing maintenance and re-measurements.

By the end of Year 2, English and German seed sources, which were tallest at planting, had fallen behind. This suggests that taller seedlings may be more vulnerable to transplant stress, or that Continental sources possess more sustained growth potential.

Soil conditions played a key role:

  • Sotterley’s fertile, well-structured soil supported the best growth

  • Fontmell’s intermediate soil yielded moderate results

  • Spernal’s compact, silty soil limited growth and increased vulnerability to water stress

Wild service trial

The trial’s early results highlight the wild service tree’s resilience and adaptability, even under challenging conditions. Its performance across diverse sites and seed sources suggests it could play a valuable role in future UK forestry—not as a dominant species, but as a strategic component in mixed-species planting.  For more detailed information on the early phases, please refer to the full report: Wild Service Tree Seed Source Trial (2021).

Trial photos: (GUEST, 2017-2021)

2024/25 OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS 

Until the 1st thinning of the trees at 8 – 12 years, the following measurements will be carried out: 

  • Survival 

  • Total tree height

  • Diameter at 1.3m above ground level

  • Damage (recorded and classified) 

  • Re-pruning: record number of branches pruned at any pruning occasion and height to lowest live branch after pruning 

  • Ste form (scale 2, 1, 0) 

  • Phenology 

  • Recording of canker / health 

Early Establishment Ofwild Service Saplings At Fontmell Hill Estate, Dorset

GROWTH COMPARED AT EACH SITE ACROSS THE 9 DIFFERENT SEED SOURCES:

Growth Compared At Each Site Across The 9 Different Seed Sources

SEED SOURCE LOCATIONS

ENGLAND – Ash Wood, Stoopers Wood, Tortoiseshell Wood

FRANCE – Escatalens, Harcourt, Rahay, Lugny-Plottes-Chardonnay

GERMANY – Sailerhausen

ITALY – Righi

 

FONTMELL HILL ESTATE, DORSET 

Fontmell continues to be the strongest performing site, surpassing Sotterley in mean height and annual increment this year. Many trees have now exceeded 3 metres, with the tallest, nicknamed the “Italian Stallion” , reaching 413 cm.

Overall tree health is good, with only  three trees showing signs of dieback. However, bark damage at the base of several trees was noted, likely caused by tractor contact during mowing operations. A total of 22 trees exhibited sylleptic growth (sylleptic growth refers to new side shoots that develop during the same growing season, indicating strong and vigorous tree growth potential.)

The companion species (particularly field maple) are performing well, with some trees pruned to manage competition near Wild Service trees.

Site Visit To Fontmell Hill, 2024

SOTTERLEY ESTATE, SUFFOLK

Sotterley experienced stalled growth this year, possibly reflecting a period of below-ground root development. Tree health appeared more variable than at Fontmell, and possible canker-like symptoms were observed — irregular bark patterns on stems and branches, potentially linked to insect activity or weather stress. This was the only site where disease symptoms were observed.

Sotterley recorded 22 trees with dieback, one snapped tree, and two dead trees. Additionally, 15 trees showed sylleptic growth. Local managers reported a relatively good growing season overall, though August rainfall was low, which may have influenced performance. The companion species are well established and likely to respond positively to favourable growing conditions in the coming year.

Progress At The Sotterley Site, September 2025

SPERNAL ESTATE, WARWICKSHIRE

Spernal showed encouraging improvement compared to last year. Several Wild Service Trees achieved over one metre of height increment, demonstrating strong recovery and growth potential.

A total of 10 trees were noted with dieback, 33 with sylleptic growth, and two dead trees. The companion species remain less vigorous, though some field maples have now exceeded one metre.

Site Visit Wild Service

CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS

The Wild Service Tree Trials continue to provide valuable, long-term evidence on the growth, adaptability, and health of this rare native species under differing site conditions across England.

Key findings for 2024/25 include:

  • Fontmell remains the best-performing site overall, demonstrating strong height growth and resilience.

  • Sotterley shows signs of stress and possible disease presence, warranting continued monitoring and potential investigation of the observed canker-like symptoms.

  • Spernal exhibits renewed growth and strong potential for future development, despite challenges with companion species.

Site Visit To The Spernal Estate Site, Ocotber 2025 .2jpg

Looking ahead

Future Trees Trust will continue to monitor all three sites annually, analyse performance data, and share insights with the wider forestry and conservation community.  The ongoing commitment of landowners and our project partners remains vital to ensuring that the Wild Service Tree can take its rightful place in future, climate-resilient UK woodlands. 

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View/ Download the WILD SERVICE TREE TRIAL REPORT 2024/25 

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Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG)

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