Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis): what the forestry bodies record

This page reports what forestry bodies say about one tree. It does not identify trees from descriptions or photos and does not say what should be done with any tree. Each fact names its source, all read on October 9, 2026. A bacterial disease that the Forest Research entry names for this tree has its own page on fire blight.

At a glance

Item	What the source records
Scientific name and family	Sorbus torminalis, family Rosaceae (Woodland Trust). EUFORGEN says the name has changed to Torminalis glaberrima after molecular studies showed the genus Sorbus is polyphyletic.
Common names	Wild service tree (Woodland Trust), chequers tree (Forest Research); Forest Research files it as Wild service-tree with the code WST
Origin	Native to the United Kingdom; a plot-stage species in Forest Research's list, meaning it is subject to further testing in a limited number of trial plots
Height	Up to 25 m when mature (Woodland Trust)
Rainfall, exposure, shade	More than 800 mm of rain preferred; not tolerant of exposure; not shade tolerant (Forest Research key properties)

Range and ancient woodland

Forest Research says wild service tree is native to southern Britain and western and southern Europe and is usually associated with being an indicator of ancient woodland sites. It is rarely found in pure stands, sometimes in groups from suckering and usually as individuals in mixed woodlands. The Woodland Trust says it is rare, often found in oak and ash woods and pockets of ancient woodland, and native to the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. EUFORGEN, the European forest genetic resources programme, gives a wide distribution across Europe and western Asia, typically in mixed deciduous forests and hedgerows.

Site and soil

Forest Research calls it a light demanding species adapted to warm climates and rainfall from 800 to 1,500 mm. It is vulnerable to spring and autumn frosts. It names rich fertile soils of fresh to moist status as suitable, including alkaline soils of adequate rooting depth, and says it grows well on clay but is not suited to very dry, nutritionally poor or very wet soils. It reproduces readily from root suckers, which the entry gives as a probable reason it has survived on ancient semi-natural woodland sites, and also coppices strongly. Seedlings are rare though the tree flowers and fruits regularly. EUFORGEN calls it a fast-growing, light-demanding post-pioneer species that favours deep fertile soils, tolerating frost and harsh winters.

Leaves, bark and fruit

The Woodland Trust describes brown bark patterned with cracked square plates and slender, shiny grey-brown twigs. Lobed leaves with three or four unequal lobes resemble maple, and turn rich coppery red in autumn. Flowers are hermaphrodite and form in clusters in late spring to early summer. The fruit is green-brown, oval, 10 to 15 mm across and patterned with pale spots when mature in mid to late autumn. It says field maple has similarly shaped leaves but they are not as distinctly lobed. Forest Research says the fruit, known as chequers, were used to flavour beer, and that the name chequers can be linked to pubs of that name. The Woodland Trust says the fruit need bletting, decomposition through freezing, to be edible.

Wood and wildlife

Forest Research calls it a highly valued hardwood in Europe, generally seen in Britain only for its rarity and ecological value, producing a very high value timber on suitable sites. It says a rotation of 100 to 120 years could produce a veneer-quality log of at least 60 cm diameter at breast height, and that silviculture knowledge in Britain is sparse and broadly experimental. EUFORGEN says the wood is fine-grained, very dense and has good bending strength, mostly used for decorative veneers. The Woodland Trust says the flowers give pollen and nectar to insects, birds eat the berries, and the moths Bucculatrix bechsteinella and Phyllonorycter mespilella feed on the leaves.

Pests and diseases the sources name

Forest Research says wild service tree can be affected by fire blight, Erwinia amylovora, and by silverleaf, Chondrostereum purpureum, which it calls a progressive and sometimes fatal disease, and that it is very palatable to browsing animals. The entry names no other pest or disease.

Text on Forest Research is adapted from its tree species database entry and contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.