A Journey Through Trees

In summer 2024 I was invited to speak at the Wooden Boat Gathering whose members had gathered at Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. I am pleased to share a recording of the talk which has just been released.

Gabriel describes his journey through trees and how he believes caring for forests and planting more trees is a shared responsibility. Drawing upon drawings, photographs and fascinating histories, we learn how humans emerged from the forest, built empires using their timber, and may turn again to trees to live sustainably.

The two-day gathering was held at the wonderful Windermere Jetty Museum, surrounded by boats. In my talk – A Journey Through Trees – I provided an overview of the state of Britain’s woodlands and some context for the challenges we all face in the tackling the climate emergency and nature emergency. I also introduced the work of Sylva Foundation, a charity I co-founded in 2009, including education activities at the Sylva Wood School. Finally, a little bit about my writing and some of my (then) recent books. Scattered throughout are examples of my tree and woodland photography, many of which (unsurprisingly) feature boats to please this specialist interest audience!

I am very grateful to the Wooden Boat Gathering for inviting me to speak and for sharing this high-quality recording of the talk. A special thanks to Megan Henwood.

Read more about the Wooden Boat Gathering.

Swallows and Amazons (c) Gabriel Hemery

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