I winder if a carve out could be made into the hosepipe ban for these protected trees

I agree with the sentiment, but it might be good to wait and plant when rains are expected. Unless your planting very drought tolerant stuff.

I genuinely think we will have to start planting different vegetation now -- like different breeds of grass -- so that it doesn't all die during the summer like it is now.

Sure but it will take 500+ years for them to reach the same size and age. And who knows what the climate will be like by then.

If they want to mitigate this for the time being, the best solution would be to consult an expert to design an appropriate irrigation scheme to bridge the trees through the drought.

Enjoy the huge old trees while they last. They are a product of a long, stable climate that may not return for a long, long time.

Younger trees are even more vulnerable to extreme heat because their root systems aren't as developed.

To what end? We know it will only get warmer from here. If oaks start dying now, they're goner in the next 2 decades. Take the loss and move on.

I talked to a farmer who had a lot of fruit trees. I said something like: at least your trees look healthy, because the reast was looking pretty grim. He said: yes, for now, but it takes 2 years or so until you see the damage done to the trees. This stuck so hard with me and i started to see trees dying two to four years after that drought. Will be intereating to see what it look like in a few years. And by intereating i mean horrifying