Tag: Botany

An Identification Guide to Trees of Britain and North-West Europe is a fantastic new guide to 89 of the most commonly found and easily recognised trees in the region. Suitable for everyone, from the complete novice to the experienced naturalist, the book contains lively and interesting text from Dominic Couzens, complemented by Gail Ashton’s photographs. These show details of each species throughout the seasons as well as features that are useful for identification.

Dominic Couzens is a bird expert, nature writer and the author of over 40 books. He is also a regular print columnist and writes for Bird Watching Magazine, Nature’s Home (RSPB) and Water Life (WWT). He is passionate about communicating about the natural world  and has a particular passion for writing about current threats to the planet and how they can be best addressed.

Gail Ashton is a photographer and writer with a passion for wildlife and invertebrates in particular. Well known for an incredible project where she undertook to photograph 500 UK invertebrates over the course of a year, she is passionate about encouraging everyone, young or old, to observe and appreciate the natural world.

We recently got to the chance to ask Dominic and Gail some questions about the book; about the process of compiling such a guide, the most fascinating things they learned in the process and their concerns for the future of trees in Britain and further afield.

Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and how you came to be working together in writing this book?

DC: I am an experienced writer of natural history books and I’ve written a number of field guides, both to birds and mammals. However, in 2021 I came across Gail’s remarkable project to photograph 500 species of invertebrates in a single year. Her fabulous library was the perfect material for an insect guide, so we published An Identification Guide to Garden Insects in 2022. The project was a great success so here we are.

GA: I have always loved nature and one of my favourite ways to be outdoors is in woodland and forest. Studying insects brought me a new layer of fascination for trees as I found out just how many other organisms they support, and just how complex they are. Trees came on the back of the very-well received ‘Garden Insects’, and follows the same, beautiful format and layout.

There are numerous books available on tree identification. What do you think sets your book apart from other ID guides of its kind?

GA: Yes, there are a good number of outstanding tree guides out there – some of which I use myself. But they can be quite expansive and overwhelming, especially for those of us just starting our tree identification journey. This book is a perfect entry-level guide which introduces you to the different ways in which you can look at trees in order to recognise key features.

DC: It’s very different. For a start, while most tree guides even just to Britain have 300 or more species, we have cut this down to about 90. So it’s simplified and entry-level, including all the common wild species and some introduced ones – those that people might see. It is very far from technical and we have tried to make every species interesting and fun in its own right. We have included some really great facts about many of the trees.

I’m always fascinated by the process behind the compilation of such a comprehensive ID guide. What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

DC: Trees are complicated, with all the different parts from leaves to bark. As the writer of most of the text, even though I had a decent grasp of many British trees, it was always a challenge not to forget all the details. The other very difficult task was in selecting the species. We wanted to include all the species people will notice, including such non-natives as Magnolias and Eucalyptus, while including the bona fide wild trees. But we couldn’t find room for all the tricky willows, and in the end we just hope our choice chimes with people.

GA: Believe it or not, the biggest challenge for me was actually finding the trees. It sounds mad, because trees are everywhere, right? But finding that perfect tree to photograph took a lot of research, walking and finding, and then the light had to be right, so I would revisit trees multiple times. Some of the trees were quite difficult to find, such as the Wild Service and Mulberry, so a lot of detective work was required to pinpoint them. I also had to make repeat visits to capture them in all their seasonal phases. There are trees from all over Europe in this book -thousands of miles and hundreds of hours! But those are the lengths I’ll go to get a great photo.

I particularly enjoyed the fascinating facts that you included for each species in the book. Did you learn anything new or particularly surprising about any of the tree species covered over the course of your research?

DC: I learnt an enormous amount. Did you know that each Holly leaf lives an average of seven years, for example? I also love the fact that Monkey Puzzles are essentially adapted to cope with browsing Sauropod dinosaurs.

GA: I became particularly fascinated with the Ginkgo – a unique throwback to the very beginnings of life on Earth; a tree which is neither conifer nor broadleaf, but somewhere in between.

A big part of conservation and land management is knowing what species are where and how many there are. How much do we currently know about the trees present in Britain and their population sizes?

GA: According to Forestry Research, only 13% of the United Kingdom is currently wooded. That’s such a small percentage compared to a few thousand years ago. Our ancient woodlands have all but disappeared, replaced by farmland, urban development and plantations. Veteran trees are our most important, as they support more communities and sequester more carbon than young trees. It’s essential that our remaining veteran trees and woodland fragments are fully protected to ensure the health of our future natural landscapes.

DC: The recent Atlas of British Flora means that we are well covered in these terms. For some of the rarer trees, such as Black Poplars, we know how many individuals there are of each sex.

Within this guide you include information on the months when leaves, flowers and buds might be seen for each species. Do you have any information or a feel for how rapidly climate change is impacting these features?

DC: Trees are a good early-warnings system, and you don’t need to write a book on trees to see that many are coming out earlier than they used to – hazel catkins in December, for example. However, it was very difficult to get any accurate figures for the book because it varies so much from year to year, and we were also covering Northern Europe as well as Britain. However, we certainly got a feel for the potential problems. Birch catkins are coming out earlier in response to warming, but might be approaching the earliest they can cope with physiologically. Oak budburst will affect both the caterpillars that feed on it and the Blue Tits that feed on the caterpillars. On a wider scale, temperature changes will affect the whole distribution of trees through the country, with northern species retreating. We could lose some specialists such as Dwarf Willow, and the climate will also become easier for introduced trees.

GA: I think that trees are more difficult to use as indicators than insects as trees have a much longer generational turnover, and they don’t move; however monitoring the emergence of blossom and leaves in spring and the falling of leaves in autumn is a great citizen science tool to establish changing trends.

Are there any trees in the UK for which the future seems particularly bleak?

DC: There are well known problems for ash trees and to a lesser extent oaks, and we simply don’t know how far their respective diseases will go. But as a warning, remember that the Field Elm, in its various forms, used to be lowland England’s most abundant tree. Paintings by our forebears of the countryside were often dominated by elms – now they are a shadow of their former selves. And as mentioned above, the warming climate will impact upon our more northerly species.

GA: Ash dieback is currently decimating younger adult trees, though there is a glimmer of hope in that veteran ash are currently immune to the fungus. Juniper is in massive decline across the UK due to loss of suitable habitat.

Finally, what are you both working on now? Do you have plans for further books?

DC: We have co-written two books on insects recently: A Year of Garden Bees and Bugs and An Insect a Day, both of which are published by BT Batsford and are narrative-style books.

GA: I am currently working on upcoming books about invertebrates. I have an exhibition of my photos planned, as well as workshops, talks and podcasts.

An Identification Guide to Trees of Britain and North-West Europe was published by John Beaufoy Publishing in April 2024 and is available from nhbs.com.

The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them is forester Peter Wohlleben’s follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees. Throughout this eye-opening book, Wohlleben describes how trees pass knowledge and their ability to survive climate change down to future generations. He is also unsparing in his criticism of those in positions of economic and political power who plant trees solely for logging and virtue-signaling, while continuing to ruthlessly exploit nature.

The Power of Trees is an impassioned plea for the preservation of nature’s incomparable biodiversity, not just for the sake of the trees, but also for all of us. Author Peter Wohlleben kindly agreed to answer our questions, discussing topics such as what inspired him to write this latest follow-up, the most effective ways to battle misinformation and his current and future projects. His new book was published by Greystone Books in April and is available at nhbs.com.

After your highly successful book, The Hidden Life of Trees, what inspired you to write this follow-up?

Research into trees and forests is progressing rapidly. Almost every week, something new and surprising is discovered. Also, I am seeing for myself the way trees in the forest are reacting to climate change. And not all the news is bad. Trees react and learn, they adapt, which gives us hope that they will be around for a long time.

Nach der Veröffentlichung Ihres erfolgreichen Buches, ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’, was hat Sie dazu inspiriert einen zweiten Teil herauszubringen?

Die Forschung zu Wald und Bäumen schreitet rasend schnell voran. Fast wöchentlich gibt es überraschende neue Erkenntnisse, zudem beobachte ich selbst in den Wäldern die Reaktion der Bäume auf den Klimawandel. Und es gibt nicht nur schlechte Meldungen: Bäume reagieren und lernen, passen sich an und machen so Hoffnung, dass es sie auch noch lange geben wird.

In Chapter 1 ‘When Trees Make Mistakes’, you make a very interesting point about how trees growing in a community can support one another through stressful periods, while ones growing away from woodland are ‘on their own’. Given the increasing fragmentation of our woodland habitats, do you think this lack of a network between trees will exacerbate the impacts of climate change?

That’s right. We urgently need larger forests. In Germany, for example, the forest is divided into about 2 million fragments. This reduces the trees’ ability to cool the landscape and create rain clouds. This is why when we rewild landscapes, as the nations of the world agreed to do in Montreal, we should pay attention to creating large contiguous natural areas.

Im ersten Kapitel, ‘When Trees Make Mistakes’, machen Sie eine sehr interessante Beobachtung, dass Bäume, die in Gemeinschaft wachsen, sich gegeseitig in stressigen Zeiten unterstützen können, während jene die nicht in Gemeinschaft leben, ‘alleine’ sind. Wenn man bedenkt, dass der Lebensraum Wald immer mehr zersplittert wird, glauben Sie, dass die Abwehsenheit einer solchen Gemeinschaft einen Einfluss auf die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels haben kann?

Richtig – wir brauchen dringend größere Wälder. In Deutschland etwa ist der Wald in rund 2 Millionen Fragmente zergliedert. Die Fähigkeit, die Landschaft zu kühlen oder Regenwolken zu erzeugen, leidet darunter. Deshalb sollten wir bei der Renaturierung der Landschaft, wie sie in Montreal von den Nationen der Welt beschlossen wurde, darauf achten, große zusammenhängende Naturgebiete zu schaffen.

Wood and wood-derived products are so integrated into our ways of life, from building materials to toilet paper, and it is often seen as the more environmentally friendly, ‘sustainable’ option compared to material such as concrete. Do you think it’s possible for us to move towards less destructive forestry practices and still be able to use this material at such a large scale, or will usage need to be adapted as well?

To harvest wood, we need forests, that’s pretty obvious. At the moment, however, the question we always focus on is how we can satisfy our demand for wood, without giving much thought to how the forest itself is going to survive. We need to move the survival of the forest front and center in our discussions. Only then will we be able to answer questions about how much timber can be harvested without damaging the ecosystem too much. Trees, after all, produce biomass to meet their own needs and not the needs of sawmills.

Wälder und deren Produkte sind so sehr in unsere Lebensweise integriert, von Baustoffen bis hin zum Toilettenpapier, welche oftmals als umweltfreundlichere und nachhaltigere Optionen im Gegenzug zu Materialen wie Beton gelten. Ist es Ihrer Meinung nach möglich, dass wir uns weniger zerstörerische Praktiken in der Forstwirtschaft aneignen können und dennoch Materialien in dem gleichen Ausmaß verwenden können wie bisher, oder muss dies auch angepasst werden?

Um Holz zu ernten, brauchen wir Wald – eine Binsenweisheit. Doc aktuell stellen wir immer zuerst die Frage, wie unser Bedarf nach Holz befriedigt werden kann und weniger, wie der Wald überlebt. Deshalb muss das Überleben des Waldes ins Zentrum unser Bemühungen gestellt werden. Erst anschließend können wir die Frage beantworten, wie viel Holz geerntet werden kann, ohne das Ökosystem zu sehr zu beschädigen. Denn die Bäume produzieren die Biomasse ja für ihre Zwecke, nicht für das Sägewerk.

COP26 in 2021 produced a pledge signed by over 100 nations to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, though it only refers to net deforestation, with forest loss being replaced ‘sustainably’. Why do you think the value of ancient woodlands is so often overlooked when policies surrounding climate change are made?

Honestly, I don’t know. Way back around 1800, the world-renowned naturalist Alexander von Humboldt described the importance of forests for cooling landscapes and creating local rainfall. Modern satellite research confirms that old-growth forests are especially good at doing this. And yet, these days, forests are viewed mainly in terms of carbon storage. That’s far too narrow a view.

Bei COP26 in 2021 unterzeichneten über 100 Nationen das Versprechen die Entwaldung bis 2030 einzustellen bzw, rückgängig zu machen, jedoch geht es lediglich um die Netto-Entwaldung und den nachhaltigen Ersatz von bereits abgeholzten Wäldern. Warum werden alteingesessene Waldlandschaften Ihrer Meinung nach oft außer acht gelassen, wenn es darum geht Richtlinien zu erstellen?

Ich weiß es ehrlich gesagt nicht. Schon Alexander von Humboldt, der weltweit berühmte Naturwissenschaftler, hat um 1800 die Wichtigkeit der Wälder für die Kühlung der Landschaft und die lokalen Regenfälle beschrieben. Moderne Satellitenforschung bestätigt, dass gerade alte Wälder dies besonders gut können. Doch aktuell wird Wald überwiegend unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Kohlenstoffspeicherung betrachtet. Das ist viel zu kurz gesprungen.

Part 3: ‘Forests of the Future’ mentions that climate change is often blamed for the impacts of mismanaged forests. What do you believe are the most effective ways to combat this misinformation?

The only thing you can do is to push back. And that is exactly what motivates me in my work. I educate the public about what is really going on so they can decide for themselves what needs to be done. That is why I write books and travel to give presentations, and why I have established a new course (social and ecological forest management) at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. My goal is to create an emotional connection between people and trees. Trees make people happy!

Teil 3: In ‘Forests of the Future’ sprechen Sie davon, dass der Klimawandel oft für die Auswirkungen von schlecht geführten Wäldern verantwortlich gemacht wird. Was sind Ihrer Meinung nach die effektivsten Methoden um die Verbreitung solcher falschen Informationen zu vermeiden?

Da kann man nur gegenhalten. Das ist genau der Grund für meine Motivation: Die Bevölkerung über die wahren Hintergründe zu informieren, damit sie selber entscheiden können, was zu tun ist. Deshalb schreibe ich Bücher, deshalb reise ich zu Vorträgen, deshalb habe ich einen neue Studiengang an der Hochschule Eberswalde initiiert (sozial-ökologisches Waldmanagement). Mein Ziel: Menschen und Bäume emotional zu verbinden. Bäume machen glücklich!

One of the main solutions that a number of people are beginning to promote is the stepped back approach of allowing nature to regenerate without serious hands-on management. In a world where people often want to see governments taking action to help nature, do you think this method would be accepted by the public?

There’s no quick fix. People want to help. They want to actively participate in making everything better. But our activities lie at the heart of the problem. It’s difficult for us to step back and simply observe. Nature has been healing itself for hundreds of millions of years and it does this better without any help from us. The solution is to elevate the art of observation. If you visit the same places for years and take photographs, you see how the landscape recovers and changes for the better. This gives people hope and makes them happy! It’s the best cure for “climate depression”.

Eine der Hauptlösungen, die mehr und mehr Aufmerksamkeit bekommt, ist es, der Natur die Möglichkeit zu geben sich selbst zu regenerieren ohne größere Eingriffe. Kann Ihrer Meinung nach in einer Welt, wo Menschen von der Regierung Hilfe für die Natur erwarten, solch eine Methode öffentlich akzeptiert werden?

Das ist ein langer Weg. Menschen wollen helfen, wollen aktiv umgestalten, um alles besser zu machen. Doch unsere Aktivitäten sind ja Kern des Problems. Sich zurücklehnen und zuzuschauen, wie die Natur es seit Hunderten von Millionen Jahren immer noch besser macht, ist schwierig. Der Ausweg: Wir sollten das Beobachten thematisieren. Wer immer wieder dieselben Orte über Jahre hinweg aufsucht und auch Fotos macht, sieht, wie sich die Landschaft erholt und positiv verändert. Das macht Hoffnung und macht glücklich! Es ist das beste Mittel gegen die “Klimadepression”.

Do you have any current projects or plans for the future that you could tell us about?

I’m still writing books of course and I work nationally and internationally with our non-profit organization to prevent illegal clear-cutting and bring back old-growth forests. I also work at our forest academy almost every day (www.wohllebens-waldakademie.de) to tell people more about the wonder of trees. Forests are endlessly fascinating and you never run out of things to discover–I am still learning something new every day.

Haben Sie zukünftig Projekte oder Pläne, die Sie hier gerne besprechen möchten?

Ich schreibe natürlich weiter Bücher, kümmere mich national und international mit unserer gemeinnützigen Organisation um die Verhinderung illegaler Kahlschläge und die Rückkehr der Urwälder. Daneben arbeite ich fast täglich in der Waldakademie (www.wohllebens-waldakademie.de), um Menschen das Wunder der Bäume näher zu bringen. Wald ist so faszinierend, dass es unendlich viel zu entdecken gibt – ich lerne also jeden Tag immer noch dazu.

Answers translated from German by Jane Billinghurst.

The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them was published by Greystone Books in April 2023 and is available from nhbs.com

Solitary Bees is the newest volume in the New Naturalist series, drawing on the great wave of new knowledge to give a wonderful insight into the complicated lives of solitary bees. Honey bees and bumblebees make up only a small proportion of the bee species that live in Britain but are often the ones people first think about when discussing bees. Now, it is recognised that the other bees, whose 230 or so species make up the majority, play an important role in the pollination of crops and wild flowering plants.

Authors Ted Benton and Nick Owens are entomologists that have a particular interest in behaviour and ecology. Both have written several previous books on bees, including Bumblebees, The Bees of Norfolk and The Bumblebee Book. The main focus of this new book is on the wonderful complexity of the behaviour and ecology of solitary bees, a remarkable group of insects.

Could you tell us how you both became interested in entomology and what drew you to write this new book?

(TB) Since my earliest memories, I have been fascinated by insects – finding Large White chrysalids on a playground wall, or, later, seeing such species as the Silver-spotted Skipper in a museum showcase, and wondering if I would ever get to see one. That led to an attempt (over more than 35 years) to photograph all the European butterfly species in their natural habitats. Meanwhile, I became interested in other, less spectacular groups of insects, and wrote about dragonflies, grasshoppers and crickets and bumblebees. To manage these interests alongside family life and work commitments, I chose groups with relatively few species, in the hope that would be easier. Since then – partly through the expert help from leading lights in the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) – I was led to appreciate the great diversity and awesome fascination of this larger group of insects. Then I met up with Nick, and he seemed to be an ideal companion with whom to work on the project. An impression that was amply confirmed as we worked together over five years or more.

(NWO) I have been interested in all aspects of natural history from an early age, growing up in Yorkshire beside the River Foss. I was intrigued by aquatic insects and was also very excited to rear moths such as the Garden Tiger from caterpillars. Later my interests revolved especially around birds and I was employed by the Nature Conservancy to study Brent Geese. A diversion from birds included a PhD study of baboons in East Africa. After a teaching career, an intense interest in wild bees developed in retirement and led to the publication of The Bees of Norfolk. Ted and my shared interest in solitary bees resulted in the joint New Naturalist project, which was originally offered to Ted, following his two previous excellent publications in the series and his monograph on Solitary Bees (Naturalists’ Handbooks).

This book celebrates the solitary bee, a type of bee that’s often overlooked in favour of honey bees and bumblebees, despite solitary bees making up the majority of bee species in Britain. Why do you think honey bees and bumblebees are more ‘popular’, so to speak?

(TB) Honey bees have a lot of positive publicity because they have an economic importance as suppliers of honey, and the belief in their role in pollination (probably exaggerated). Bumblebees, too, are appreciated because of their attractive colours and ‘cuddly’ appearance. Also, there are relatively few species, so learning to identify them is not too difficult (and both of us have written books which might have increased their popularity!). The most exciting aspect of our study of the solitary bees has been in the astonishing complexity of their behaviour – how, with very small brains, and just their adaptive body parts they are able to dig deep burrows and seal them, make waterproof and bug-proof linings to their brood cells, collect various materials to line and plug their nests, defend their offspring from innumerable parasites and predators, access complex floral structures, seek out their specialised food sources and accomplish many other demanding tasks. These are the topics that made us want to study and write about the bees, but this would have been impossible without the landmark books by Falk and Lewington, and Else and Edwards. Armed with these books, we expect the public interest in solitary bees will continue to grow – along with the desire to conserve their habitats.

The UK’s insect population has declined dramatically, with flying insect populations falling by as much as 60% in the last 20 years. Have there been long-scale surveys into solitary bee populations, and are they following the same trend?

(NWO) Solitary bees seem to be following a similar trend in terms of their distribution, particularly among scarcer species and in upland areas. At the same time, there has been a sequence of new solitary bee species arriving in Britain by natural colonisation or through inadvertent human assistance. Also, quite a number of solitary bee species are extending their British range, largely by spreading northwards. The picture is a complex one and there are no systematic counts of solitary bee numbers equivalent to those for butterflies and birds for example. This is difficult to achieve since most solitary bees cannot be identified at a glance while walking through the countryside. The Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) maintains a database of all British records and these are mapped on the Society’s website. A large proportion of the records are provided by amateur entomologists.

The behaviour and ecology of solitary bee species are incredibly diverse, and in this book, an entire chapter is dedicated to the ‘Cuckoo Bees’. Why did you choose to focus on this particular group of species?

(NWO) Cuckoo bees comprise about 28% of our solitary bee fauna, so one chapter out of ten in fact under-represents them. The behaviour of cuckoo bees is fascinating and involves the cuckoo laying its eggs in the nests of a ‘host’ bee, this typically being just one or a few closely-related species. The reasons for this specificity and the exact hosts used by each cuckoo bee species are only partly known and understood. The means by which cuckoo bees evade the defences of the host and the host’s attempts to protect itself offer many opportunities for careful research and we were able to make some novel observations as well as synthesise what is already known about them.

Chapter 10 ‘Ecology and Conservation’ mentions the potential impact of the new Biodiversity Net Gain scheme, where areas that are important to solitary bees, such as bare ground, soil heaps and sandpits, may be given a low ‘biodiversity value’. How do you think this scheme will impact solitary bees once it’s rolled out across England?

(TB) The role of the planning system in harming or protecting biodiversity, and solitary bees in particular, is hugely complex. In some respects, since BNG makes it necessary to include biodiversity in planning decisions, it may be welcome. However, there are serious problems. One is the generally low estimate of many habitats that are important for bees, as your question suggests. Another problem is that the idea of ‘net gain’ already carries the implication that biodiversity will be lost – but, hopefully, mitigated or compensated. First, if a site has survived with rich biodiversity, it is likely to have a significance for people as well as nature. There needs to be far more emphasis in a time of ecological crisis for recognising the uniqueness of such places, and the impossibility of complete replication: ‘irreplaceability’ should be the most common start and finish for the ‘mitigation hierarchy’. Second, in practice proposals for mitigation and ‘offsetting’ invariably fail, and by the time that is recognised, it is too late. Thirdly, despite the careful qualifications set out in BNG guidance, there are numerous loopholes that a developer and a colluding planning authority can jump through with ease. I could give examples!

The book ends with a question about whether a cultural shift towards strong action to protect biodiversity could generate enough of a demand for the radical changes needed in sectors such as food production and transport. How have attitudes changed towards protecting biodiversity, particularly insect biodiversity, since you became involved in entomology?

(TB) This is an impossible question to answer with confidence, as no one was measuring public opinion on such matters when I was young. In the mid-1950s I made a small butterfly collection, but I remember being very shocked to see whole drawers-full of set specimens of rare species in the cabinets of older local entomologists. In those days there was no general feeling that butterflies, or any other sort of insect, were in any way at risk. In fact, most insects were often seen as unwelcome pests. From the beginning of the 1960s, the effects of pesticides on predatory birds were beginning to gain public recognition, and from that, the inference to the poisoning of their insect prey was commonly made.

Internationally, the Rio conference of 1992, with its biodiversity convention, gave the issue a much higher profile. Local and national biodiversity action plans were devised, usually focussing action on particular threatened species, but there was little effective action to address the wider impact of agricultural intensification and the associated losses of natural and semi-natural habitats. Growing recognition of a global climate emergency has certainly shifted public attitudes in many countries, and certainly in the UK. However, it is only relatively recently, with a combination of citizen science initiatives to monitor populations of butterflies and other groups, scientific studies and radical social movement activity, that at last a distinct ecological crisis has come to be recognised in many communities. Unfortunately, it is still almost always the furry and feathered elements of biodiversity that get public support and media attention: the invertebrate fauna need more allies, or the furry, feathered and human populations that depend on them will suffer the consequences.

Finally, do either of you have any future plans for projects that you can tell us about?

We are both interested in solitary wasps and hope to do some field studies together as well as following up on the many unanswered questions about solitary bees. In addition, TB is considering whether to begin writing up his many years of visiting the wildest and most beautiful spots of Europe in search of butterflies.

Solitary Bees was published by William Collins in May 2023 and is available to order from nhbs.com.

The Forest Guide Scotland is an invaluable guide to 365 of Scotland’s most beautiful, historic and nature-filled woodlands. Ranging from tiny urban copses to sprawling forests, each site is listed by name and location and includes detailed access information and a description of its main features. An essential guide for anyone living in or visiting Scotland, the book is illustrated throughout with the author’s stunning photographs which document the huge variety of plants and animals that can be found within Scotland’s forests.

Gabriel Hemery is an author, photographer and biologist whose life’s passion is the study of trees, forests and silviculture practices. He is the author of several books including two novels, two short story collections and a poetry anthology. His first non-fiction book, The New Silva, was inspired by horticulturist and diarist John Evelyn’s Sylva, which was published in 1664 and provided readers with the first comprehensive study of British trees.

His latest book, The Forest Guide Scotland, is the first of a three part series focusing on the beauty, purpose, history, wildlife and ownership of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in Britain.

It is clear you have an incredible passion for trees, woods and forests, and they have been the focus of much of your life’s work. Your latest book, The Forest Guide Scotland, is very much aimed at getting the public out into the forests of Scotland. What made you want to write this book in particular?

I’ve wanted to write a guide to the forests of Britain for some time. At a basic level, I felt this would work well alongside my previous work The New Sylva which concentrated more on how to care for trees and forests than their character and location. More deeply, I am concerned by the increasing disconnection between modern society and the natural world. Only through seeing and experiencing, can we hope to inspire understanding and ultimately caring. As a proud forester, I was also keen on dispelling some of the myths about modern forest management, which plays so many crucial roles today in promoting wildlife, improving landscapes, cleaning our air and protecting us from floods, and of course producing timber to replace manmade materials which are harming our environment.

Scotland is a wonderfully diverse place with a beautiful language and cultural history. As someone who embodies the role of artist as well as scientist, did you enjoy the process of finding out about the history, names and traditions of each location throughout your research for this book?

I have loved the landscape and culture of Scotland ever since I first visited as a young boy (when I was so disappointed not to spot an osprey). Researching and conducting fieldwork for this guidebook in so many incredible locations across the country was simply a huge privilege. I learnt a lot about the Gaelic language and the names of trees and landscape features, which I began to recognise as I studied maps. I can’t say my pronunciation of some of them improved however, but everyone I met was very understanding!

Scotland differs from both England and Wales in that it offers its public the ‘right to roam’. Do you feel that restrictions on roaming affect how people perceive and appreciate the wild spaces within their country?

Definitely. Most people probably fear that they may not be allowed to roam in forests, or are unclear of the difference between a public right of way and other forms of access. This undoubtedly means that some people may be put off from exploring woods or forests on their doorstep, let alone when travelling to areas they know less well. While they explore a forest, they may also be nervous that they may be doing something wrong, which will certainly affect their enjoyment.

Writing the guide for Scotland was certainly relatively easy when it came to describing access to forests, while of course explaining responsible behaviour, for example how to avoid disturbing wildlife, being safe during the hunting season, or being a responsible dog owner. In the next guides, which will cover Wales and England, I have a much more difficult task. Many potentially interesting sites are simply beyond reach to the public unless there is a public right of way (e.g. a footpath) or it is part of the public forest estate.

Climate change is a huge issue for every habitat and ecosystem on the planet. What do you think are the main challenges that Scotland’s forests are likely to face in the coming decades? And how well equipped are we to cope with or mitigate these?

Thanks for raising this topic which is personally very important to me, and of course to life on Earth. As a scientist, I have conducted international research on the topic of trees and climate change, and currently I chair a partnership of 16 organisations which seeks to address the urgency of adapting our forests to a changing climate.

Across Britain, our climate will change dramatically, generally becoming wetter and milder in winter, and drier and hotter in summer. Naturally, trees species and associated wildlife will want to migrate northwards to stay within their ideal conditions. Not only does human land use make this very difficult (e.g. competition with agriculture and urban areas) for many species of mammals and plants, but the rate of change is too fast for trees. Trees are individually immobile but do ‘move’ between generations by producing seeds which are dispersed a short distance by wind and other means. If you consider that most trees don’t produce seeds until they are several decades old, it can take a century or more for a tree to move even one kilometre., This is far too slow to keep pace with our changing climate. Scientists believe that our climate zones are moving at up to 5km every year.

There is also a more immediate concern for our trees with increasing threats from pests and diseases. Climate change is making conditions more favourable for many new and invasive bugs and pathogens which affect our trees.

It’s not all doom and gloom. A warming climate will help some trees become more effective at reproducing, provide more suitable conditions for some species which have struggled in the past, and even improve timber yields.

Do you have a favourite forest or woodland from those featured in this book? Or do any stand out particularly in your memory?

Having to choose a favourite forest site from 365 is no easy task! I have so many wonderful memories from my fieldwork for the guidebook. If I were to pick any, I suppose they reflect my own interests in nature and my love of remote places. The Caledonian pinewoods at Glen Quoich near Inverey were stunning and it was encouraging to see so much natural tree regeneration thanks to the effective control of red deer. I was humbled by the passion and dedication of the many community woodland groups across Scotland.

Visiting Berriedale Wood on Orkney was an unforgettable experience, where the trees literally cling to life above the dramatic sea cliffs. I would also have to give a special mention to Inchie Wood near the Port of Mentieth where I had some of the best viewing experiences of my life watching ospreys hunting and nesting.

In 2009 you founded the Sylva Foundation charity, which aims to promote the good stewardship of woodlands through training, knowledge transfer and advocacy. Can you tell us a little bit more about the charity and the work it does?

Sylva Foundation is a charity active across Britain, supporting landowners in managing woods and forests to the best of their ability. We have developed innovative software called myForest which helps them map their woodlands, and complete plans and inventories. Some exciting developments are in the making which will enable landowners to collaborate with scientists to help study environmental change in the woods and forests under their care. Our headquarters is in Oxfordshire where we have a Wood Centre dedicated to supporting people who work in wood to establish thriving businesses. We also run a Wood School helping train a future generation of skilled craftspeople. Readers can find out more at sylva.org.uk.

Finally, as an already well-published author I presume you might have plans for further books? Are there any projects that you are able to tell us about that you’re looking forward to at the moment?

The Forest Guide Scotland is the first of a tryptic, so I am working currently on the guide for Wales (to be published in 2024/5) while the England guide is due out the year after that (all titles with Bloomsbury Wildlife). I am always on the lookout for forest sites to include, and I even have a book patron scheme, so I am keen to hear from potential supporters. Readers can find out more at: gabrielhemery.com/forest-guide.

I am also working on a new book titled The Tree Almanac 2024: A Seasonal Guide to the Woodland World which will be published by Robinson Books this November.

The Forest Guide Scotland was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in April 2023 and is available from nhbs.com.