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In: feature

Earlier this month I discovered a warbler in full song, perched in a leafing ash tree.  I was unsure what species it was because although I’m not bad at the visual identification of birds, I’m not so good at identifying them by their song.  I thought it was a blackcapContinue Reading

On:
In: feature

I’m a forester.  That’s a simple description of my profession without much room for misunderstanding – or so you’d think.  Therein lies an etymological dilemma for me and my fellow tree professionals. As a forester I practice forestry, which is the management of forests.  In the public mind the termContinue Reading

On:
In: feature

Today is Easter Day or the day of ressurection in the Christian world. Trees feature as very sigificant elements of the bible …Continue Reading

On:
In: arboriculture, feature

Trees in our streets improve air quality, provide beneficial micro-climate, enhance property values and aesthetics, attenuate storm water, conserve energy, reduce noise pollution, provide wildlife habitat, and have a positive effect on physical and mental human health. There’s no denying that trees can cause problems in the built environment. TheirContinue Reading

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In: news

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. Topics I’ve featured, celebrating all things sylvan, have rangedContinue Reading

On:
In: feature

Today is April Fool’s Day. Perhaps the most famous April Fool’s Day hoax of all time involved trees.  Viewers of a BBC Panorama programme in 1957 were told that due to a combination of favourable growing conditions and a fall in the population of the spaghetti weevil, there was aContinue Reading

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In: feature

Trees provide us with many miracle cures, most famously aspirin from the willow and the cancer-busting drug taxol from the yew. However, they can also affect human health negatively. Pollen from the silver birch, Betula pendula, is the second most severe allergen for people in the UK. Late March isContinue Reading

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In: news, technology

There are now 18 million blogs hosted like mine by WordPress.com.  Globally about  750,000 page views a day are now made by iPad visitors.  I’ve made the most of some great new features provided by WordPress that exploit the functionality of the iPad.  Let me know if you have viewedContinue Reading

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In: news, policy, science

I took part in the inaugural Ride for Research today; cycling 25 miles around London’s streets, visiting three schools along the way to plant trees with children and to raise money for tree research. We visited three London schools en route: two primary schools at Harrow and Islington, and aContinue Reading

On:
In: feature, forestry, health, science

Chronic oak decline, acute oak decline, sudden oak death … there is widespread public concern about the health of the nation’s flagship tree species. What’s the difference between these diseases and what causes them?Continue Reading