Posts tagged ‘news’
I am delighted to announce that I have secured, with co-author Sarah Simblet, a book deal with major publisher Bloomsbury to write The New Sylva.
Sarah Simblet is a botanical artist and popular author of several books. We are combining our skills and interests, aiming to create a seminal book on trees and forestry. The New Sylva will be published in 2014; the 350th anniversary of John Evelyn’s original Sylva first published in 1664 by the Royal Society.
Today we have launched a dedicated website (www.NewSylva.com) for the book project, and you can read our first post here. You will also be able to follow progress with the twitter hashtag #newsylva.
Gabriel Hemery
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Our media is awash with reviews of 2011 and so it seemed fitting to add my own forestry year, as 2011 was a truly eventful time for trees and forestry. It was the year that forestry came of age in modern society.
Forestry in 2011 was elevated to international prominence from the outset thanks to the United Nations declaring it the International Year of the Forest, although World Forestry Day 2011 failed to excite. I had an active international year myself, visiting the spectacular walnut forests of Kyrgyzstan, learning about future forestry policy developments in Brussels and speaking at a conference in India on the subject of Wood Culture.
The UK Government chose 2011 as the year to privatise the public forest estate in England but their ill-conceived plans not only clashed with the spirit of the UN’s celebration of the forest, but managed to motivate hundreds of thousands of people to object. The online revolt was led by 38 Degrees, assisted by activities on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and many hurriedly created dedicated websites. Ultimately the plans were dropped with a humiliating U-turn by Government but were doomed from the start (see Ten Reasons why the forest sale failed). I became deeply involved in this debate myself, commenting publicly on the proposed sales (see BBC TV interview and international radio interview).
The future of our forests still hang in the air however, as the UK Government’s Independent Panel on Forestry is deliberating the nature of the public forest estate, and steering long-term forestry policy. Later in 2011 I established, with six other environmentalists, the ginger group Our Forests: aiming to act as watch dog of the independent panel and to provide a voice for the public. Late in 2011 I contributed to a cross-sectoral review on woodlands and forests in the UK (read more). 2012 will be eventful with the independent panel due to hold public discussions early in the year; publishing their final report in July. Meanwhile, Our Forests will be publishing its own vision for England’s trees and forests imminently.
Even while these political shenanigans were afoot, our trees and forests were under attack from an ever-increasing number of natural threats. Britain saw its largest outbreaks of wildfires for decades in May (read more) while attacks from pests and pathogens seem to be getting ever worse. Phytophthora ramorum was found on European larch (Larix decidua) for the first time, and spread from southwest England to Wales, and to northern England by the summer. Later in the year another Phytophthora (P. lateralis) was discovered on Lawson’s Cypress. The oak processionary moth continued its slow expansion in southern England, despite desperate attempts to control its spread (read more). I played a small part in helping to increase public awareness of Acute Oak Decline, the disease affecting our native oaks, and helped to raise funds to support research to tackle it, by taking part in the inaugural Ride for Research. Ultimately, the outlook for our trees is deeply concerning due to the combined effects of climate change and the international trade in plants (read more).
I will remember 2011 as the year that the people embraced their forests. I hope that this interest, unprecedented in modern times, will survive during 2012. Myself, I am looking forward to an exciting 2012 for a number of reasons. As mentioned above, Our Forests will soon be publishing its vision for England’s forests; you can keep track of progress by subscribing to this blog or @GabrielHemery. I have some exciting news regarding a book deal that I will be announcing in a couple of days, and which will see me very busy writing during 2012. I am also preparing to launch a new open access journal for silvology later in 2012, which has long been a personal ambition.
This blog may suffer as a result of these activities. During 2011 I published fairly reliably at least one post every week. I may not be able to maintain this level of writing in 2012 but nonetheless, I will ensure this blog is active.
Thank you to all my readers for their insightful comments and online comradery over the year. Wishing you a fruitful 2012.
Gabriel Hemery
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I don’t intend to make a habit of being introspective but I’ve completed my first year of tree blogging and now seemed a good opportunity to celebrate.
I’ve written more than 100 posts and just passed receiving my 10,000th page view.
Recent visitors to GabrielHemery.com
Topics I’ve featured, celebrating all things sylvan, have ranged from chickens to climate change, parrots to pruning, and guns to government.
Principle among major topics I covered was, unsurprisingly, the UK Government’s prematurely aborted plans to dispose of the Public Forest Estate in England during the winter of 2010/11. One of the most popular posts on this topic was titled Slow-growing trees, fast-changing policies. My comments on the subject attracted a lot of media interest.
I published a sequence of extracts from the diary of my Walnut seed-collecting expedition to Kyrgyzstan.
Recently I was delighted to receive so much support from readers for my part in the inaugural Ride for Research, to raise funds for research into Acute Oak Decline.
I gain pleasure in writing and in sharing knowledge, ideas and thoughts with others. Thanks to all my readers for their support and interest. Here’s to another year …
Gabriel Hemery
The Ride for Research sponsored cycle ride, in aid of research into oak disease, is one week away today.
I’m looking forward to tackling 15 miles of London’s streets with 29 other riders on 23rd March, visiting three schools along the way to plant trees with children. I will be taking lots of photos on the day and write further news after the event, so watch this space.
Thanks to the many people who have given so generously and helped me reach my target of £200. If you are able to help me raise more money to help support this important tree research, please visit my Ride for Research post where you will find instructions on how to donate online.
Gabriel Hemery
Find out more about Ride for Research
On 23rd March I am taking part in a sponsored cycle ride in London to raise awareness of acute oak decline, and to raise money to support research. Please sponsor me to support this important work.
I will be one of up to thirty riders following a circular 15 mile cycling tour to visit three London schools in Brent, Camden & Harrow. In each ‘tarmac-blighted’ school two to three trees (large shade species) will be planted. The school children will be involved in the planting which will be used as an opportunity to promote the importance of urban trees.
“Thanks very much to everyone who is taking part in or sponsoring this Ride for Research. It’s an excellent initiative at a time when our trees are under increasing threat – and when public spending cuts are starting to bite. Acute oak decline (AOD) is just one of several serious tree diseases that have appeared in the UK in recent years. AOD is especially worrying, since it is believed to be caused by bacteria – the kind of organisms that have spread so devastatingly amongst our Horse chestnuts, causing a similar disease.”
“This Ride for Research will help to fund research that can underpin improved control of AOD and other threats. It will, I hope, also promote awareness among everyone who can help to reduce threats to our trees. I include officials and politicians with responsibility for quarantine laws governing international trade in nursery stock (a suspected major source of ‘new’ pests and diseases). I also include members of the public in areas where diseases like AOD are found. And, especially, I hope that all those of us who work with trees will follow the current advice for recognising AOD and for preventing the spread of the bacteria via tools, boots and ‘arisings’. “
Dr David Lonsdale, Tree Safety Consultant, Writer & Lecturer
I am expected to raise a minimum of £200. Please sponsor me to help raise funds for this important work. You can make a donation online here. Please quote : “Ride for Research – Gabriel Hemery” [very important please!]
Ride for Research is being helped by the Red Trust who are handling the fundraising with their CAF account. Your donation will go even further if you use Gift Aid – just tick the box when you donate.
Please donate here
Please quote: Ride for Research – Gabriel Hemery
