Sometimes things conspire for the best… Wet land and water-loving trees. We had decided to plant 200 black poplars at the Trust’s field at Ballabeg. Why black poplars? Well, they are under threat. According to the The Forestry Commission, it is the most endangered timber tree in Britain. It has suffered from the lack of wetland areas, which have been progressively been drained over the last few hundred years. There may be fewer than 7,000 mature black poplars left in the UK.