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
Valuing Oak
How many trees per person per country?
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
Reporting a healthy elm tree
Despite what many people believe, there remain hundreds of mature elm trees across Britain. If you find one and would like to report it to researchers and conservationists, or are looking to see some yourself, check out this great online resource about healthy elms. Read More
Best replacement tree species to mitigate the loss of ash in Britain
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
Illustrating an environmental catastrophe
Given the massive media interest in the paper I co-authored which published last week in Current Biology — 280 news channels, magazines, and newspapers, and counting— it was easy to overlook that the journal selected one of my tree photographs for the cover of the issue. Read More
Ash dieback paper kindles national interest
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
Ash dieback is an environmental calamity that will cost Britain £15 billion
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
The Little Book of Trees
The Little Book of Trees – a delightful and beautifully-produced little book, crammed with interesting facts, helpful identification guides, and stunning photographs. Read More
A trait-based approach for forest ecosystem management
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
The art and math of tree fractals
My writing about art and math in nature are always among my most popular posts, and I’ve meant to write about fractals for a while because they fascinate me. This time of year the bare branches of deciduous trees display their full beauty and fascinating growth patterns. Did you know that most trees have no… Read More
Native trees of Britain
There are 60 or more trees in Britain that are native, meaning tree species, subspecies or hybrids that have established themselves without the hand of man. Yet only 35 are widespread meaning that the palette is actually quite limited, particularly when the full range of benefits from woodlands are considered, together with threats from environmental change. Read More
Rethinking the history of common walnut (Juglans regia L.) in Europe: its origins and human interactions
I’ve recently co-authored this scientific paper which reveals the history of common walnut in Europe. Abstract Common walnut (Juglans regia L) is an economically important species cultivated worldwide for its high-quality wood and nuts. It is generally accepted that after the last glaciation J. regia survived and grew in almost completely isolated stands in Asia, and… Read More
