A Celebration of the Sid Valley’s Trees >>> Protect - Improve - Expand!!

The Arboretum's event on Friday
Futures Forum: A Celebration of the Sid Valley’s Trees >>> kick-starting National Tree Week >>> Friday 25th November

... opened with Steve Potter talking about the yew:
Futures Forum: Celebrating the yew tree @ Radio 4's Natural Histories.... and @ the Arboretum's celebration of trees Friday 25th Nov

These are the parting words from Steve, who rounded off the evening with an overview of proceedings and a look to the future:


So what keywords lit our candles this evening?

Vision, witness, change, education, stewardship, community, caring, contribution.

John [Wilding of Clinton Devon Estates]  illuminated the Value of the forester - the arch-seer - someone empowered to see way beyond the average government..., a Capability Brown with vision of the future in context of current plans and their consequences.

And how squirrels - and other diseases impact our choices

Ruth [Worsley of the AONB's Legacy to Landscape] personified King John's Oak - fending off nibbling deer - without looking anything like its age! 900 years in three phases, like the moon goddess, and living 25x the lifespan of a contemporary human....

Brian [Golding of the Parish Church] noted the changing landscape of the parish church yard - like the King John's Oak, it's witnessed many changes.

Richard [Huntington of the Sid Vale Assn], Monica [Matthews of the Friends of the Byes] and Jo [Forsyth of Devon Wildlife Trust] enlightened us on local efforts to manage and anticipate change in our tree-scape and landscape - and the wildlife that integrates them.

Graham [Cooper on 'health'] reminded us of the sensory therapy of trees - reminding me of how every day we open our curtains and think 'wow!'

Louise [Woolley on bats] reflected that trees also support communities, of bats, birds and insects, yet another area where our contributions count - without effort our valuable resources vanish.

Laura [Goble, EDDC warden] linked us to wetter climate issues and how yet again trees are our friends, and that once again land utility has consequences.

Kate [Tobin of the Forestry Commission] and Claire [Wright of the Woodland Trust and Devon County] showed us that on a larger scale forestry is still a learning and educational as well as regulatory process, with macro-management of tree-communities and of epidemics within those communities. If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

The psalteries and lyres of Ancient Sumeria were made of yew, and we still value its charm as a veneer and as a spiritual icon.

Another thing hasn't changed tho, we still sing and celebrate communities of humans and communities of trees, and in that we celebrate our connection with our INTERNATIONAL pasts and futures.

Protect - Improve - Expand!!

Thank you - everyone - for making this a wonderful evening :)

See also:
Futures Forum: A Charter for Trees >>> 'bringing people together to celebrate the woods and trees at the heart of their communities and help feed ideas and stories into the building of the charter'
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