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In: ecology, feature

In September 1852 young Scottish plant hunter John Jeffrey came across an attractive flowering plant in northern California. After samples were received by his sponsors at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh it was named in his honour.Continue Reading

Dartmoor forest by Gabriel Hemery

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In: feature, landscape, writing

For my short story in Arboreal (Little Toller Books, 2016) I decided to write from the perspective of an old man looking back on the transformation of Dartmoor due to the withdrawal of farming subsidies and application of visionary environmental policies. I drew a couple of sketches that didn’t make it into the book.Continue Reading

Arboreal: a collection of new woodland writing. Little Toller Books. 2016.

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In: feature, writing

This week the long-awaited woodland anthology Arboreal was finally released. Edited by Adrian Cooper the book includes contributions from more than 40 authors, poets, photographers, sculptors and others.Continue Reading

Top tree and nature books 2016

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In: books

2016 has been a rich sylvan literary year, and for the first time I include some fiction too. Hopefully there’s something here to cater for all interests. In no particular order, these are the tree and wood books that have informed and delighted, surprised and shocked me in 2016. [Update:Continue Reading

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In: Uncategorised

I’m looking forward to being interviewed this morning by BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz on BBC Radio Oxford. I will be talking about forests and the work of the Sylva Foundation — the Oxfordshire-based charity I co-founded five years ago — and The New Sylva which was released in the USContinue Reading

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In: feature, nature, silviculture

I wrote this post more than five years ago, and its been one of my most popular ever since. Naturally more excellent trees books have been published in the intervening years and the list is worth updating. I’ve since written my own books so it would remiss of me not toContinue Reading