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The Forest Guide Scotland

I am delighted to finally see The Forest Guide Scotland in print. Published by Bloomsbury Wildlife, the guide explores 365 of Scotland’s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

“an engaging and comprehensive route map to enjoying Scottish woodlands”

Trees for Life

The Forest Guide Scotland by Gabriel HemeryThe Forest Guide Scotland-7The Forest Guide: Scotland by Gabriel HemeryThe Forest Guide Scotland-4The Forest Guide ScotlandWhere to Buy

Available from all good bookshops, online from Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Signed copies available direct from the author – visit my shop.

Description

A guide to exploring 365 of Scotland’s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

From the precious fragments of Caledonian pine forest to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, Scottish woodlands offer places of sanctuary, both for wildlife and for people.

In this practical guide, Gabriel Hemery brings together the beauty, purpose, history, wildlife and ownership of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in the country, from the largest (the Forest of Ae, which covers more than 10,000 hectares) to the smallest (Halligarth in the Shetland Islands, measuring less than a third of a hectare), and everything in-between. Some woods are notable for having the tallest or rarest trees, others are the best places in the country for spotting ospreys or red squirrels, or even marine mammals; some are known as the best places to explore preserved archaeological features, discovering hidden histories or simply enjoying spectacular scenery.

Divided into 14 regions, each beginning with a summary of the region’s woodland heritage, this guide features 365 sites, including details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, how to access it (including grid reference, post code and ‘what3words’ reference), alongside a description of the site’s key features. Featuring more than 200 stunning photographs of Scotland’s plants, animals and spectacular landscapes and expert region maps to help guide you to your nearest forest site, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in Scotland, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site!

The Forest Guide Scotland is the first of a three-book series which will eventually provide a unique and comprehensive guide to more than 1000 forest sites across Britain.

The Forest Guide Online

Enjoy a high-quality dynamic online map of all sites included within the guidebook(s). Access to the online map is free to guidebook readers, or available to anyone for a small fee. Find out more

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THE TREE ALMANAC 2024

I am delighted to announce that I am working on a new book which will be published in November this year by Robinson Books (Little Brown Group).

THE TREE ALMANAC 2024: A Seasonal Guide to the Woodland World

A beautifully illustrated guide following the miraculous seasonal journey of trees, from bare branches to budbursts, the first leaves to the first blossom and the great autumn colour-change. Each month has a miscellany of practical content, scientific gems and cultural wonders for all to enjoy. The book includes recipes (elderflower champagne, pickled walnuts, spiced apple chutney), crafts (whistle whittling and making alder ink), curiosities to spot, tree care instructions, folk traditions and marvels from a variety of British trees and their surrounding habitats.

Editor Emma Smith commented:

I’m thrilled to be publishing a book that celebrates the majesty and importance of our trees, woods, and forests in such a beautiful, joyous way. Gabriel’s enthusiasm and expertise is infectious, and the book is full of fascinating delights; I can’t wait for readers to discover more of this glorious silvan world.

Emma Smith: Editorial Director, Robinson

Dr Gabriel Hemery is an author, tree photographer, and silvologist (forest scientist). He writes, lives, and breathes trees, and cofounded Sylva Foundation to help nurture a wood culture. Gabriel commented:

It is a privilege working with a publisher which understands the power of books in engaging readers in the wonders of the natural world in an intelligent and entertaining way. Not only that, but Robinson shares my passion for opening minds to the extraordinarily rich and important science, art, and culture of trees.

Gabriel Hemery: Author

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Welsh Woods Wanted

Nominate a copse, wood or forest for inclusion in
The Forest Guide: Wales

I have started research for my next guidebook in the series of THE FOREST GUIDE which will feature 350-400 sites across Wales.

I am hoping that readers can get involved by helping me identify potential copses, woods, and forests to include. These can be anywhere in Wales, near the coast or on moorland, in the centre of a city, or on the banks of a river. For you, they might be a old favourite or perhaps a recent discovery.

I have created two forms for readers to nominate woodland sites in Wales:

As a member of the public, you can suggest a favourite site.If you own a woodland you can register your woodland.

Any suggestions or registrations used in the guidebook will be acknowledged.

Thank you

The first book in the series is THE FOREST GUIDE: SCOTLAND coming April 2023, published by Bloomsbury. Read more

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What factors do you think will most affect woodland management in the UK over the next 50 years?

I am involved in a research horizon scanning exercise exploring factors that might affect UK forestry over the next 50 years and I’m inviting anyone with a view to get involved.

I’ve created a simple interactive poll with poll.ly which allows you to upvote answers by me or other contributors.

My intention is to assimilate the answers to this poll with my own ideas and to use these as part of the process with fellow researchers. No contributions will be directly linked to a named contributor. You can choose to use your real name or an alias.

Please consider this question in terms of environmental, social, and economic issues.

What factors do you think will most affect woodland management in the UK over the next 50 years? 

If the above embedded content does not work for you, please click here to go to the poll.

Thank you for taking part.

What future for UK woodland management?

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The Noblest Forester

Sir Martin Wood (1927-2021) was a patron, companion, and friend whose philanthropy supported much of my professional career as a forester. In 2009, we cofounded Sylva Foundation together. I wrote a poem titled ‘The Noblest Forester’ to read as a eulogy at a celebration of his life with a gathering of family, friends, and colleagues held in Oxford today, 14th September 2022.

Several hundred people from all walks of life joined in celebration of the life of Sir Martin Wood

The poem is one of 30 in my latest book, Blough, published today to coincide with the celebration event. The book itself is also dedicated to the late Sir Martin Wood. Following its first public reading, I was pleased to present a dedicated copy of the book to his widow Audrey Wood.

Martin Wood was a truly remarkable man. Having developed the first commercial MRI scanner and global business, he subsequently became a prodigious philanthropist. I count his friendship and patronage as one of the defining elements of my own life. Listening to tributes from friends, family, and colleagues today, one word stood out among all others: ‘generous’. And, without exception, everyone touched by Martin’s unique spirit and energy, noted how ‘can’t’ was an alien concept to him.

Read more about Sir Martin Wood on Wikipedia

The Noblest Forester

Martin Wood, I can see you now
Forester disguised as engineer
The man who planted seeds
To grow a mighty forest

The forester disguised as engineer
Who planted seeds of innovation
Fed them with insightful passion
To inspire a future forest

The forester disguised as engineer
Who cultivated promising talent
Invested time and dedication
To foster a prodigious forest

The forester disguised as engineer
Who with generous philanthropy
Promoted nature and society
To create a fruitful forest

The forester disguised as engineer
Who embraced the noblest of professions
(While attracted by magnetic science)
To nurture a beautiful forest

Look, forester disguised as engineer
See before you now
How your seeds have prospered
Into a monumental forest

Martin Wood, noble forester
Now you may shelter and rest
Beneath the mighty canopies
Of your growing legacy

The Noblest ForestER, Gabriel Hemery, 2022

Blough is available from all good bookshops as a hardback or ebook, with signed hardback copies direct from my online shop (see below).

Shop Blough, ebook £3.99 Add to basket Blough, signed hardback £12.99 Add to basket

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Book cover released for the first book in the Forest Guide series

I’m excited to announce the cover and details for my next book have been released by Bloomsbury Wildlife. The Forest Guide: Scotland will be published in April 2023.

The Forest Guide: Scotland

I have taken all 200 images for the book, including the one selected for the cover. This image was taken at sunset in Glenmuick in the Cairngorms National Park. The view captures the setting sun seen through Scots pine trees, its light reflected in the sparkling waters of the River Dee.

I look forward to sharing more images from the book as publication approaches.

In case you’re wondering, I have started work on the guidebooks for both Wales and England. Anyone can get involved by proposing sites for inclusion. You can even become a book Patron and have your name (or a loved one’s) listed in the front in all future editions. Find out more here.

The Forest Guide: Scotland is now available to pre-order direct from Bloomsbury and from all good bookshops.

Pre-Order Description from the Bloomsbury website

A guide to exploring 365 of Scotland’s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

From the precious fragments of Caledonian pine forest to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, Scottish woodlands offer places of sanctuary, both for wildlife and for people.

In this practical guide, Gabriel Hemery brings together the beauty, purpose, history, wildlife and ownership of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in the country, from the largest (the Forest of Ae, which covers more than 10,000 hectares) to the smallest (Halligarth in the Shetland Islands, measuring less than a third of a hectare), and everything in-between. Some woods are notable for having the tallest or rarest trees, others are the best places in the country for spotting ospreys or red squirrels, or even marine mammals; some are known as the best places to explore preserved archaeological features, discovering hidden histories or simply enjoying spectacular scenery.

Divided into 14 regions, each beginning with a summary of the region’s woodland heritage, this guide features 365 sites, including details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, how to access it (including grid reference, post code and ‘what3words’ reference), alongside a description of the site’s key features. Featuring more than 200 stunning photographs of Scotland’s plants, animals and spectacular landscapes and expert region maps to help guide you to your nearest forest site, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in Scotland, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site!

Table of Contents

Map of sites
Scotland’s forests
Forest facts and figures
Geography
Trees and natural history
History of Scotland’s forests
Forestry and silviculture
Gaelic language and place names
Forest ownership
How to Use this Guide
Angus & Dundee (Sites 1-12)
Argyll & Bute (Sites 13-52)
Ayrshire (Sites 53-67)
Borders (Sites 68-90)
Clyde (Sites 91-102)
Dumfries & Galloway (Sites 103-119)
Fife (Sites 120-132)
Highlands (Sites 133-248)
Lothian (Sites 249-273)
Moray & Nairn (Sites 274-289)
North-East (Sites 290-313)
Outer Hebrides, Orkney & Shetland (Sites 314-325)
Perth & Kinross (Sites 326-347)
Upper Forth (Sites 348-365)
Site Designations
Glossary
Useful Information
Further Reading
Maps
Acknowledgements
Index

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A grove in the Caledonian forest

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Blough: an anthology of tree and nature poems

I’ve been working quietly on an anthology of tree and nature poems for some time. I’m pleased to announce that Blough will be published this September.

Blough: an anthology of tree and nature poems includes 30 poems in different form and length, from haiku and ultra short story, to epic poem.

Many of the poems have been included in posts here in my blog or on social media over recent years, but many more are also published in this anthology for the first time.

The book will be available, in both hardback and ebook (no paperback version), from all good bookshops from next month.

Signed hardback copies available direct from author. Visit my Shop

Due a printing error with a pre-production batch, I have three copies of Blough to give away to my regular readers. The books read perfectly but some images are pixelated. Don’t subscribe already? Don’t worry, sign up today for a chance to win a copy, and receive an added bonus of a free short story. A Prize Draw will take place at end September.

Subscribe to my enews

Blough, signed hardback £12.99 Add to basket Back cover

A special anthology of tree and nature poems by Gabriel Hemery, featuring writing selected from published books, social media, and public performances, together with many new pieces published for the first time. From an epic poem, to a ten-word short story, this collection of 30 titles will delight anyone passionate about the natural world and awed by the power of the written word.

Book detailsISBNs: 9781916336278 hardback / 9781916336261 ebook76 pagesRRP: hardback £12.00 / ebook £3.99 (available in other marketplaces)Publisher: Wood Wide WorksDate of publication: September 2022

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High-Pruning Walnut Trees

It’s now the best time of year to prune walnut trees. Enjoy a short video of me at work, high-pruning some young black walnut I planted as a young forester.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with a longstanding research colleague and fellow silvologist Prof J P Skovsgaard from Denmark. We were together in a young plantation measuring some promising young wild service (Sorbus torminalis) as part of a research trial, but given my interest in walnut silviculture, my eye was drawn to some black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees that I planted back in 1995.

Sadly, the walnuts had never been pruned, but luckily I had my 4m-long silky pruning saw in my back pocket. Well, figuratively at least, to hand.

It took just three minutes to prune the lower 50% of the tree of its small branches. The result was a clean stem of about 6m in length. From now on, every annual increment of growth on that stem will be free of branches, producing ‘clean’ timber. The previous year’s growth, when the branches were still in place, will have resulted in knots, but these will be limited now to the centre of the tree, the so-called ‘knotty core’. That means from every year now on, the tree will be fulfilling its promise as a veneer-grade walnut tree.

“Three minutes to turn a reject tree into a prime specimen. Not a bad investment of time over 45-50 years.”

Gabriel Hemery

high-pruning walnut trees

Walnut trees, like cherry, are best pruned in the summer. Tradition in the UK suggests that St Swithin’s day (15th July) is the best time of the year. Read more about pruning walnut trees

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A New Subscriber-only Treesletter

I’ve provided a regular newsletter for readers for many years. It features highlights of my latest news and features, and the occasional discount and giveaway. I am now pleased to announce a new Subscriber-only Treesletter, hosted on the excellent Substack platform.

My Substack Treesletter offers subscribers unique content on a regular monthly basis, including short stories, poetry, extracts from projects underway, and more.

Writing and art from the heart of the forest, written by nature writer and tree photographer Gabriel Hemery.

If you enjoy my tree and nature writing, and would like to support my work at the same time, please go straight ahead and sign-up today!

Gabriel Hemery’s Treesletter on Substack

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