author • photographer • silvologist
Thanks to a clever idea by scientists at the University of Reading, you see how much average temperatures have risen where you live as part of an international campaign to highlight the importance of climate science. You can then ‘show your climate stripes.’ Read More
Nestling among the barren wilderness of Dartmoor is one of three rare wild woods. Piles Copse is a woodland mainly comprising pedunculate oak Quercus robur. The trees, festooned with mosses and lichens, are rich in biodiversity. It is an English rainforest, and a relic of woodland which once covered much of the hilly region. Read More
If we look at the utility of trees in a new light, and through a new lens, we may be surprised by what we can see and what we can value. Among all trees, the oak is perhaps best placed to gift us a renewed sight. Read More
Did you know that Canadians have more trees to enjoy per person than Russians, or that Brazilians have half as many trees per person than Australians? I hope you enjoy my interactive global map below which shows the number of trees per person per country, right around the world. But first, here are a few headlines. Read More
As the spread of ash dieback across Britain becomes noticeable, there is a peak in interest about the consequences of ash dieback, with landowners and conservationists seeking good advice about what tree species is best to plant to help nature recover. Here’s a simply summary for landowners, based of peer-reviewed research. Read More
Today, the media picked up on the importance of the scientific paper which I revealed yesterday, which calculates the economic cost of ash dieback in Britain to total £15 billion. Read More
A research paper published today estimates that the cost of ash dieback in Britain will reach £15 billion. I was privileged to have supported lead author Louise Hill as an external supervisor, and to be a co-author of the paper. Read More
One of my more recent co-authored research articles has been selected as ‘Editor’s Choice’ in The Applied Ecologist’s Blog . The paper, Maintaining ecosystem properties after loss of ash in Great Britain by Louise Hill et al, focusses on the importance of using plant functional traits to predict potential changes to an ecosystem, following the loss of a key species. Read More
Silvology: redefining the biological science for the study of forests With co-author Jens Peter Skovsgaard I propose a formal definition for a term that describes the scientific study of forests and woods: silvology. In contrast to other disciplines no terminology has developed to distinguish the practice of silviculture from its scientific counterpart. For example,… Read More
This week Sylva Foundation published the long-awaited report for the British Woodlands Survey 2017: Shaping the Future of Forestry. It’s been a labour of love working alongside my fellow authors. We were victims of our own success in attracting such a fantastic response from so many people across Britain: 1,630 stakeholders took part, representing one-fifth… Read More
Devolution, pests & pathogens, Brexit, emerging markets, climate change, societal attitudes . . . these are just some of the momentous factors influencing our trees and woodlands, those who care for them, and those who rely on their products and services. Have your say about what these and other issues mean to you by taking… Read More
Young Victorian plant hunter John Jeffrey — the main character in my latest book GREEN GOLD — is remembered today by the name of a pine tree he discovered in 1852 in northern California. Read More
