Gabriel Hemery's Blog: Gabriel Hemery, page 4

Podcast interview with Tree Lady Talks

Join me as I talk with Sharon, host of the Tree Lady Talks podcast, as we discuss a wondrous seasonal journey through Britain and Ireland���s trees in my new book, The Tree Almanac 2024.

This is a Christmas Tree Special! What is better for the environment, a real or plastic tree? What is your Celtic Tree Zodiac? What terms can we bring back to use? All this, with poetry, science and the history of our Christmas decorations.

Sharon also interviews Christmas tree grower Andrew Ingram from The Tree Barn at Christmas Common, in the Chilterns.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1230629/14173113

Visit the Tree Lady Talks podcast

The Tree Almanac 2024 £14.99

A wondrous seasonal journey through Britain and Ireland’s trees. Hardback. Signed copy by the author. ���A seductive mix of science, history and culture��� – Tracy Chevalier

In stock (can be backordered)

The Tree Almanac 2024 quantity Add to basket SKU: 9781472148490 Category: hardback book, shopTags: book, tree almanacThe post Podcast interview with Tree Lady Talks appeared first on Gabriel Hemery.

Wessex Wonderland

Currently, I am busy conducting fieldwork for The Forest Guide: England and recently enjoyed a spectacular cloud inversion on the Wiltshire-Dorset border. The wintery Wessex scenes were too gorgeous to keep to myself. I hope you enjoy this short film.

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Talking trees with Lauren Laverne

I enjoyed talking trees with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 Music this morning.

I was invited to take part in the show’s ‘6th Form’ segment which invites experts in to talk about their specialist subject. Our discussions helped celebrate the advent of National Tree Week, and also marked the recent publication of my latest book The Tree Almanac 2024.

You can listen to the show online and my interview from 07:05 minutes.

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Publication day for The Tree Almanac 2024

At last, it’s publication day for my latest book The Tree Almanac 2024. I can’t wait to hear what readers think.

The Tree Almanac 2024

A seductive mix of science, history and culture

Tracy Chevalier, Foreword to The Tree Almanac 2024

The Tree Almanac 2024 is now available to purchase from all good bookshops. You can find some options here which will earn me a small commission if you purchase after following any of the links (Amazon, Blackwells, Bookshop, Foyles, Hive).

Signed copies are available direct from me, via my online shop:

The Tree Almanac 2024 £14.99

A wondrous seasonal journey through Britain and Ireland’s trees. Hardback. Signed copy by the author.

https://gabrielhemery.com/portfolio/tree-almanac/

In stock (can be backordered)

The Tree Almanac 2024 quantity Add to basket SKU: 9781472148490 Category: hardback book, shopTags: book, tree almanac The post Publication day for The Tree Almanac 2024 appeared first on Gabriel Hemery.

Horizon scan for future forest management issues

I am proud to have supported an important research exercise which set out to horizon scan for issues that are likely to affect forest management in the UK within the next 50 years. The results of this work are published today.

A well-used method was adopted to conduct the horizon-scanning exercise conducted by a diverse Expert Panel that I joined earlier this year. We collated and prioritised a long-list of 180 issues to arrive at a final list of 15 priority issues. I am one of the co-authors of a scientific paper published today in the International Journal of Forest Research which presents the findings.

Schematic of the 15 issues likely to affect UK forest management in futureThe Fifteen Issues

The final 15 issues arose from a process which removed duplicates and collated issues into themes, and these were then ranked. The final list should not be considered a ranked list (i.e. that 10 is more significant than 11), however, Issue 1 – Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse was the most highly ranked issue, with 64% of the Expert Panel ranking it as their top issue and 88% ranking it within their top three.

Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse Increased drought and flooding change the social costs and benefits of trees Forest management becomes more challenging due to changing seasonal working windowsProtecting and enhancing soil microbial ecology becomes a higher priority Viruses and viroids emerge as pathogens of increasing importance for trees eDNA revolutionizes our understanding of forest ecosystems Trees are at the heart of future urban planning The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) drives transparency and investment in nature-positive management Natural capital funding streams are greatly upscaled New technologies facilitate widespread adoption of smart silviculture New technologies improve worker health and safety New wood product markets stimulate more active forest management UK commercial forest resources may not match future value chains Unpredictable supply and demand dynamics in global wood product markets International commitments will spotlight ecosystem integrity and drive monitoring efforts

“The issues represent a diverse range of themes, within a spectrum of influences from environmental shocks and perturbations to changing political and socio-economic drivers, with complex emerging interactions between them. The most highly ranked issue was ���Catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse���, reflecting agreement that not only is such collapse a likely prospect but it would also have huge implications across the sector and wider society.”

Tew et al. (2023). ���A Horizon Scan of Issues Affecting UK Forest Management within 50 Years.�����Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research.

hematic analysis of workshop discussions. The coloured panels on the left and right, and circle in the middle, indicate the three major categories that were identified. Key themes are indicated by the white squares and boxes. Rounded triangles denote issue numbers placed against the part of the model they most closely align to.

The research paper has already attracted widespread media interest, including this article in The Guardian.

It will be interesting to observe how it influences policy development in future, both within government and by other actors in the forestry sector.

Citation

Tew, Eleanor R, Bianca Ambrose-Oji, Malcolm Beatty, Ulf B��ntgen, Holly Butterworth, Gerard Clover, Dan Cook, et al. 2023. ���A Horizon Scan of Issues Affecting UK Forest Management within 50 Years.�����Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research.
Read full article (free access)

See more scientific publications authored by Gabriel Hemery

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Reveal of The Tree Almanac 2024

This week I received some of the first copies of The Tree Almanac 2024 to roll off the press. Here’s a sneak preview.

The Tree Almanac 2024 – a sneak preview The Tree Almanac 2024 £13.75

A wondrous seasonal journey through Britain and Ireland’s trees. Hardback. Signed copy by the author.

In stock (can be backordered)

The Tree Almanac 2024 quantity Add to basket SKU: 9781472148490 Category: hardback book, shopTags: book, tree almanac The post Reveal of The Tree Almanac 2024 appeared first on Gabriel Hemery.

Join me in conversation with FOLDE

Join me in conversation with the brilliant FOLDE Bookshop of Dorset as I discuss The Tree Almanac 2024; A Seasonal Guide to the Woodland World.

FOLDE brings together the best of classic and contemporary nature writing, Dorset art and traditional craft to help readers reconnect with nature and inspire them to find their own way to make a positive contribution to our planet.

The FOLDE bookshop and gallery is located at the top of the iconic Gold Hill in the hilltop town of Shaftesbury, Dorset. Its central focus is on nature and landscape, and it is proud to be often referred to as ‘the nature writing bookshop’. I am really delighted to be invited to speak for FOLDE and to join its impressive list of nature writers who have provided talks.

The Tree Almanac 2024 by Dr Gabriel Hemery

I will be talking about my passion for trees and what inspired me to write The Tree Almanac 2024.

Event Details

Starts at 7:00PM on Friday 1st December. Booking essential.

The Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury, SP7 8JA

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Entangled wonder: An autumnal survey on trees

Recently I talked about trees and my next book The Tree Almanac with the Royal Horticultural Society for their brilliant podcast.

[image error]Podcast from the Royal Horticultural Society

���We explore the entangled wonder of the arboreal world, getting a behind the scenes look at what trees are up to now and how best to incorporate them within our gardens. Renowned nurseryman Nick Dunn is back to talk crab apples. Silvologist and author Dr Gabriel Hemery is lifting the veil on what exactly is happening with trees at this time of year. And finally, garden designer Arit Anderson and scientist Dr Henrik Sjoman discuss what to keep in mind when choosing what to plant.���

RHS podcast

Listen to the podcast

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Celebrating the Autumn Equinox with Trees

My article in Gardens Illustrated celebrating the autumn equinox with the trees came out this week. It was published to coincide not only with this important seasonal change but to mark the forthcoming publication of my next book, The Tree Almanac 2024.

The autumn equinox on 23 September marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Astronomically, the Sun lights up northern and southern hemispheres equally, and from now on our days in Europe begin to shorten. Phenologically — meaning how nature responds to changing conditions — autumn is more fluid and can vary significantly from year to year with the vagaries of weather and climate. For many people, this might be a time tinged with regret for the passing joys of summer. If you find yourself seasonally affected, for instance suffering from lethargy or even mild depression due to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), then taking a leaf out of nature can be wonderfully restorative.

Autumn is less about decay and cessation than you may think, instead consider it a time to celebrate rebirth and life anew. Our trees in the garden, orchard or forest are burgeoning with fruit, each containing one or more seeds to forge future life. Across much of the UK (less common in Scotland) and Ireland, keep a look out during country walks for our most showy native tree, spindle (Euonymus europaeus). Its pink velvet fruit split open to reveal bright orange seeds known as arils (once used to make dyes), bedazzling the robins, blackbirds and song thrushes which count it as a favourite.

Tree seeds often need periods of cold weather to overcome dormancy

Gabriel Hemery, Gardens Illustrated, September 2023

Berries growing in our hedges and gardens are incredibly important for wildlife. Small mammals, especially dormice and …

Read the full article

The Tree Almanac 2024 by Gabriel HemeryWhere to buy

Available from all good bookshops, and online including:

Amazon

Bookshop.org

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A seductive mix of science, history and culture

I am excited to announce that the foreword to my next book, The Tree Almanac 2024, has been penned by the brilliant Tracy Chevalier, who writes that the book is ‘a seductive mix of science, history and culture’.

Tracy Chevalier is well known as the author of the best-selling novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring. Among her many other works she often writes about trees and nature, including plant hunter William Lobb and pioneer nurseryman Johnny Appleseed in her book At the Edge of the Orchard (Harper Collins, 2016).

‘A seductive mix of science, history and culture’

Tracy Chevalier, Foreword to The Tree Almanac 2024

In the foreword, Tracy Chevalier writes about important it is that we appreciate how crucial trees are in making the world a better place.

Visit Tracy Chevalier’s website

Tracy Chevalier.
Photo by Jon Drori – Tracy Chevalier, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

The Tree Almanac 2024 is published November 2023 by Robinson Books, Little Brown Group.
Read more

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