Wytham Woods documentary scoops national award

A BBC4 documentary, which was conceived by Dr Keith Kirby of Plant Sciences and filmed at Wytham Woods, has won the Science and Natural History Programme Award at the 2016 Royal Television Society awards.

Wytham Woods, an area of ancient semi-natural woodland to the west of Oxford, has been owned and managed by the University of Oxford since 1942. Used extensively for education and recreation, its 1000 acres are considered to be the most researched area of woodland in the world.

The documentary, entitled Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor, was made by Furnace Productions, and focused on a year in the life of an oak tree, which has been flourishing in the woods for around 400 years. The Wytham team was involved in setting up and maintaining the time-lapse cameras that filmed for the entire period.

The 90-minute documentary is available to purchase from the BBC online store. It can also be previewed in a short clip on YouTube