This may include advertisements from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. The same technology will now be employed in the biggest tree planting effort of the National Trust. The new endeavour is funded by the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which will see the charity plant 20 million trees by 2030. Towards this objective, the National Trust has installed so-called LiDAR technology to scan the grounds of Wallington Estate in Northumberland.
LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, allows archaeologists to glance beneath the ground without having to opt for traditional excavations. The technology measure hundreds of thousands of pulses of light towards the ground and beams changes in the surface. The same technology was recently deployed in Central America to expose the archaeological remains of an ancient Maya city. Here in the UK the National Trust has used LiDAR to reveal more than 120 archaeological features at Wallington Estate.
The features are all dated between 2000 BC and 1900 AD. Their discovery will help the National Trust conserve the estate and decide where to plant some 75,000 native British trees in the next few months. The survey was conducted in February of this year to a 22 square mile section of the 5,431 hectare 13,420 acre estate. It was the biggest study the conservation charity has ever carried out. The discoveries shed new light on the estate's rich farming history and the farming practices that were abandoned by former owner Walter Blackett in 18th century, which introduced a new and rational way of efficient farming.
The National Trust also exposed Iron Age Camps, which are believed to previously predate the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. Archaeological Consultant Mark Newman: This is an exciting moment in the 5,000-year history of National Trust. The LiDAR findings have shone more light on than we could have imagined so that we can better understand the history of the landscape to help inform future plans for its future. All of these discoveries will be explored further to ensure none are impacted by the future plant plans and to preserve archaeology for their future study. Other discoveries on the estate include previously unknown features and Roman-era square buildings. Bible breakthrough: Study finds origin of the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah STUDY Ed Miliband unearths'very rare' Early Medieval brooch REPORT Archaeologists thrilled by Bible-era quarry discovered in Jerusalem PICTURES Bible breakthrough: Study finds bible-grounding claim gas crisis was made at No 10 These include a 17th century recreational landscape that boasted an artificial water feature, a small hunting park and possible terraced gardening. According to Mr Newman, the National Trust can now go ahead with its tree planting effort with confidence by bypassing the archaeological sites. He added: But, and this is one of the things we are really excited about, we can now replant areas of lost historic planting which we didn t know about before. It makes sense to mirror our past. These areas should deliver even more habitat benefit than was originally intended and once again contribute to the historic qualities of the landscape, while also restoring lost features of the picturesque environment.