We are elated to share that we’ve received #NationalLottery funding from The National Lottery Community Fund for our Trees for Health project!
This means that our charity can continue with its employees, big-dreaming projects, and expand into a new era.
Thank you to National Lottery players for helping #MakeAmazingHappen.
Katy Hawkins recently visited St. Joseph’s Primary School in Nechells, to host some creative tree care and identification sessions with three of the school’s classes.
Years 1 to 3 spent some time with Katy over two days, learning creatively just why trees are so important, sharing their youthful and thoughtful insights.
The children talked with Katy about the things we can do to help trees, and the things they do for us in return. The year 3 class was taken to see, identify, and water 4 of their local trees close to the school, and how best to do so, solidifying their place in the community, and hopefully encouraging them to look after the trees in the years to come.
Katy and the kids created The Woodland Trust inspired tree swatches, with information and drawings of their local trees, how to identify them, and how to care for them! They enjoyed their time learning with Katy, and rightly so, as they are the ones who will carry that legacy forward. Thank you, St. Joseph’s, for collaborating with us and letting us pass onto the residential youth the power of trees.
Benjamin Zephaniah, dub poet, musician, actor and activist, was a Birmingham symbol of creativity and freedom, propelling Brummies further onto the international stage with his prolific and profound poetry. Universally recognised for his unique approach to his craft – being third on the list of Britain’s favourite poets – having been offered along the way a British Honour, and the status of Birmingham Poet Laureate (both of which he turned down), Zephaniah’s death shook the foundations of the local and wider community. That’s why his youngest brother – David Springer – contacted Birmingham TreePeople on behalf of the whole family at the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, in the hope of carrying on this iconic legacy through his love of trees and nature.
Growing up in a large, loving family with seven siblings, David explained that their usual ‘stomping grounds’ were Newtown, Nechells, Aston, and some of Lozells and Handsworth. With its good number of tree-pit locations, Newtown’s Burbury Park has been identified as the ideal home for The Zephaniah Forest: a 65-strong conglomerate of poetry-tagged, community-consulted, and communally planted trees, to commemorate the life and works of Benjamin Zephaniah – 65 trees for the 65 years of Benjamin’s inspirational life.
Alongside Benjamin’s dedicated family members, Birmingham TreePeople plan to work with other prominent individuals from across the city as well as nature, community and arts groups, so we can plant this mini forest in his name, and over the years it will have the potential to grow further. By working with the communities within which these trees will be planted, we hope to ensure their long-term care and establishment, ensuring the dedicated memorial forest continues to grow and thrive for years to come.
The trees will be tagged and documented using TreePlotter software, alongside a Tree Trail to follow the newly planted trees, and with dedicated poems associated with each one. This means that we need 65 poems for the 65 trees (the first one has already been written – see the final poem)! The TreePeople want to work with the arts and poetry community to achieve this – examples of the poetry themes could be Benjamin himself, the idea of memory and how we remember, or of course Mother Nature (and all that she includes) that he so revered. Trees, flowers, and the roots!
During the next tree planting season which coincides with National Tree Week at the end of November, community planting days will be organised, as well as live poetry readings and music events. The final planting day for this project will be a private ceremony with his family members to plant the ultimate tree, to mark the one-year anniversary of Benjamin’s passing.
Birmingham TreePeople are currently in the process of fundraising for The Zephaniah Forest; our initial crowdfunding link is www.spacehive.com/grow-the-benjamin-zephaniah-forest, and we would especially welcome other organisations’ support and involvement with the community memorial project, to create a legacy forest for a legend in the heart of his home city.
We have enough Kings and Pharaohs and
Leaders – what about a man?
A man of the people, of family and nation,
Of composition and poetry and passion –
Forget Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Withering away in a silicate wasteland,
Released from worship and remembrance,
Sands of time eroding a stone crown.
What about a man? Zephaniah,
Man of men, purveyor of dub and verse,
Creator of word, reggae, and rhyme,
Words that withstand the tests of time
That no sand can destroy, and the crown
Never slips or chips, remains intact,
For all to see, steadfast, for all of time,
Where Kings are eclipsed by the morals of Man.
– Charlotte McDermott
A record-worthy effort by the Street Tree surveyors yesterday, Saturday 29th June in Nechells, with a total of 61 trees surveyed! Thank you to Nina, Julianne, Mario, Tanim, Charley, Alex, Jeevan, Lawrence, and Kathy for wonderful morning and afternoon sessions tree surveying!
LOTS of pruning, as well as stake and tie removals; the most we’ve ever collected. See our before and after photos, as well as some scary-looking noble false widows (don’t let them bite you!) who helped us take the tree measurements… 
Nina Griffiths was out with her team of tree surveyors on Tuesday 18th June, where there were five interactions with Bartley Green residents, talking about our survey and what we do at Birmingham TreePeople!
29 trees were surveyed in the 2-hour time slot by the 8 surveyors, and lots of walking was done, enjoying the open air and the urban forest. Lots of wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) things were spotted, especially a birdhouse a local has installed on a street tree!
Thank you to everyone who took part, and for those of you who’d like to get involved, there’s still plenty of time to do so before the project finishes in November.
West Midlands Combined Authority, Heart of England Community Foundation.
What would a green network of tree people around our city look like? On the 12th June 2024, many tree people from organisations all over the country came to find out. Trees for Cities, in partnership with us at Birmingham TreePeople, organised the first Tree People Network Day, where community group representatives came to learn and share with a professional panel of experienced speakers. In the spirit of empowering communities with knowledge to undertake local tree maintenance, the day was dedicated to exploring ways in which we can create a city-wide web to connect us, meaning the urban forest can receive the love it desperately needs.
Ian McDermott (BTP) gave the opening remarks of thanks and praise for the organising of the event and those involved, moving onto say that although urban tree people are now relatively recognisable in government, trees are still predominantly planted into rural areas where people don’t live, and instead travel to visit – it’s time for a change. “From today, we want a network for the voice of the trees in the urban environment.”
After introducing Mark Johnston to the podium, the independent scholar in arboriculture, landscape, and urban forestry reiterated his fifty-year career in the field, beginning with the history of the Belfast urban forest. Unplanned, ad hoc, and detached from the community, residents were not involved in consultation or engagement exercises for decades (especially women), and therefore the tree equity suffered greatly in poorer areas. He faced the same issues in Wandsworth; when trees were planted at Battersea flats without consultation, they were vandalised, leading to the conclusion that community consultation and engagement was imperative to ensure the establishment of the trees.
Eric Jorgensen coined the phrase ‘urban forestry’ in Toronto, focusing on the ‘people aspects’ of the trees, and how they can improve the public welfare. With the three aspects of community forestry being education, consultation, and practical participation, the LA TreePeople – started by Andy Lipkis, the author of ‘The Simple Act of Planting a Tree’, whom we are also greatly enthused by – with their strong background in community engagement and informed planting, worked with Mark on the Forest of London project, which inspired further projects, support structures, and residential involvement.
Mark co-authored ‘Trees in Towns II’, an executive report involving expensive tree strategy, a document that has predominantly been online-only. However, Trees for Cities and Birmingham TreePeople we humbled to receive a signed copy of the report, thanking us for the great work we have been doing to advance the urban forest, to which we are perpetually grateful for the gesture and kind words of encouragement and motivation. And to motivate further, his closing words were (to paraphrase), “Look to the future – this climate crisis will be a huge challenge for the next generation, but trees are a huge part of the solution, so it’s about changing hearts and minds.”
The ensuing group sessions were run by Catherine Nuttgens, Nuttgens Urban Forestry, with an extensive certified background in urban forestry and consultation. Using some rather ‘nifty tech’, each table was able to create a live word-cloud to brainstorm their shared ideas with the room, the first focusing on the main aims of a Tree People Network, and the second concerned the missing aims in the UK. The second half of the session included using plasticine models to represent firstly obstacles to the network, and secondly assets – one table certainly had fun bringing their ideas to life with plenty of laughter and stimulating concepts.
During the dinnertime break, Simon Needle (Birmingham City Council, BTP) led an optional rooftop tree walk at Birmingham Library, showing attendees around the variation of the garden, as well as drawing attention to certain views from the balcony. He told the loss story of the Broad Street Plane, the last of a row of 1800’s trees, sadly removed for the new Metro line when it was unfortunately missed out of the planning concepts. Sometimes we can’t win them all, but that’s why the wins we have should be celebrated.
During the afternoon panel sessions, participants had a chance to see short, insightful presentations from a range of professionals in the industry, with a Q&A session at the end, giving everyone the opportunity to learn more. Georgia Logan from Trees for Cities discussed all-important tree establishment and aftercare in planting, followed by a double-act from Russell Horsey (Woodland Dwelling, also one of our generous sponsors) and Carolyn Doyley (East Marsh United, Grimsby community group) putting it into practice, explaining their journey working together to target low equity areas. They initially received backlash from certain residents regarding the planted trees, and yet the trees have all survived, due to the upskilling and bond established with the community ensuring the trees’ aftercare and therefore survival.
Maria Adebowale-Schwarte (Living Space Project) was the third panellist, confidently recalling her memory of her mother helping their neighbours with their trees, recognising the hierarchy of need in hindsight. From a climate justice and local capacity perspective, Maria echoed the need for better understanding of the value and heritage of trees, with a focus on fairness (equity) to the people and the planet by planting them where they’re needed most. She stated, “I’m gobsmacked at what I’ve learned today, and I want to take the things I’ve learned straight back. […] Equality, equity, and diversity – the key is consultation.” Maria has a strong theme of placemaking within her work, but how can make our places better if they’re not green?
Birmingham TreePeople’s own Tonia Clark, talked about funding for community groups, starting with core funding for overheads like admin, insurance, workspace and management, and how it helps to have someone on your committee with finance experience.
Taking to the stand again as the final panellist, Mark Johnston discussed multicultural society in terms of urban forestry, at first continuing his story from his morning presentation regarding Wandsworth. Having learned a lesson, the second time they attempted to plant trees at Battersea, the community were consulted beforehand. It encouraged children and family involvement, and thus – this time – the trees remained.
Mark (a self-professed lover of reggae music) stated that to reach a diverse audience we need to use the right language that’s accessible to everyone, and not to expect them to come to you; you must go to them. In Belfast, during a time of great turmoil, Mark felt as though it was his duty to bring people together through the power of trees; he planted trees with the only mix-gendered school in the area, alongside a specialist disabled school, to promote diversity within green space and proving that trees are for everyone.
After a small Q&A session, and an afternoon session discussing more networking ideas, the first Tree People Network Day drew to a close. The day was filled with energy and ideas, sharing and learning, and we look forward to establishing our Tree People Network, feeding and allowing it to grow strong like a tree.
We would like to thank Trees for Cities, who organised and hosted this conference in partnership with Birmingham TreePeople, and our charitable sponsors Woodland Dwelling, Kier Group, The Woodland Trust, University of Birmingham (also our venue hosts), and People’s Postcode Lottery. We look forward to next year.
The first UK Tree Cities Forum took place on the 11th June 2024 in the University of Birmingham’s The Exchange, seeing a menagerie of expert speakers take to the podium to discuss The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Cities of the World programme. From councils all over the country, attendees have had the chance to hear first-hand experience from professionals in their field of urban forestry, and why their special cities received the Tree City status that they have proudly and individually achieved.
After an introductory remark from Kate Sheldon of Trees for Cities – the charity responsible for organising the programme in the UK and the host of today and tomorrow’s conferences in partnership with BTP – our first speaker was Matt Spitsen of the Arbor Day Foundation. With their in-depth network of community partners, they’ve been planting trees where they’re needed most by engaging volunteers and corporate leaders, planting millions of trees in degraded forest land as just one example.
The World Forum on Urban Forests 2018 saw the birth of the Tree Cities of the World, and by its second iteration in 2023 garnered 1,000 participants from 60 countries. Today, there are 200 tree cities in 22 countries around the world. Matt mentioned an analogy of a young boy throwing a rock into a pond, leaving without waiting for the ripples and let the pebble sink. We must plant the seeds and wait for them to grow, taking our time to engage communities and meet the criteria needed to make change.
Cecil Konijnendijk was the second speaker, Founder of Nature Based Solutions Institute and instigator of the 3-30-300 rule now employed across most of the urban forestry sector for evidence-based metrics, and this global urban forester has revolutionised tree strategy not only in his home country of the Netherlands, but every country he’s operated within. Highlighting the impact green space has on our mental health and well-being, and how the monetisation of these natural assets enhances the assessment and management of the urban forest within a region. Cecil believes adding value to the programme by means of activities, standards revisions, visibility and awareness drives, and expanding the global scope into underrepresented regions, will boost the programme exponentially.
Birmingham TreePeople’s Simon Needle, Birmingham City Council, discussed the first standard of the Tree City programme – there are 5 standards that a city must meet to qualify as a Tree City – establishing responsibility. Due to the challenges this city faces with a rising young population, myriad low canopy high priority wards and high greenhouse emissions, maintaining appropriate green space has been difficult. Falling tree deaths marred the Council over a decade ago, and to rectify the tree management situation they have endeavoured – the last 15 years – to renew the public realms lost trees, and business improvement districts have picked up on this to introduce more greenery into the city centre.
Working with Birmingham Trees for Life to plant more trees in Birmingham, the Broad Street plane tree was still removed, due to the new Metro line extension, leading to a review of their street tree policy. This new policy was received with open arms and unanimously voted for by a cross-party board and using CAVAT to evaluate the trees as community assets. Now that Birmingham TreePeople are employing community engagement surrounding nature and trees, by shaping and delivering equity-based planting and community urban forestry around the city, the volunteer network has grown exponentially, the Urban Forest Masterplan has been constructed to inform green infrastructure until 2051. All of this led to Birmingham receiving Tree City status in 2019, in response to genuine municipal and residential needs.
Belfast City Council was the next Tree City to present, regarding the second criteria for the programme: setting the rules. Ross Deering of Belfast posed the stark contrast between their concrete jungles versus green space, thus employed a Tree Strategy like ours built on a similar model, and was also produced in partnership with Treeconomics.
John Rose, Treeconomics representative, in the second half of this talk stated the importance of stakeholder engagement and public consultation in implementing the strategy, as it is the cornerstone of success for these types of projects. Local detail equals the tools for local action, and by informing communities using tree mapping also informs the planting itself, ensuring long-term involvement and care. It isn’t just about setting the rules, it’s about building upon them.
Steven Cuthill from City of Edinburgh Council took to the podium to discuss the third standard, know what you have, and took us through the key stages of their journey from 2012’s Forest and Woodland Strategy, through to the Nature Emergency declared last year. 2013 saw an iTree survey take inventory of the city’s trees, to inform the action plan the following year in 2014 to address the attrition (damage, vandalism, weather, etc.) by initially crunching numbers. 75% are privately owned, creating intricate challenges, but they have still achieved 36% towards the overall target and became a Tree City in 2020. From here, new realistic targets could be set for achieving a ‘Million Tree City’, introducing citizen science projects to involve the public and increase benefits for those residents, keeping it simple to build on their curiosity; communal involvement sheds true light on the urban environment.
Kathryn Hand of Forest Research joined Steven, by delving into the reasons citizen science projects are imperative for community engagement, data collection, and long-term establishment or maintenance. We already know trees make us happier and healthier, so those that participate feel those benefits, and by engaging as soon as possible the motivation is increased, and the networking sustained over the period of the project. Online projects are challenging in the sense there’s no face-to-face contact, that’s why group fieldwork appears to draw garner and endure attention, due to the increase in social benefits and targeted localised work is more appealing, especially to individuals.
Cardiff Council’s Chris Engel’s presentation discussed the fourth standard for becoming a Tree City of the World, allocating resources, and the council’s ambition to crease the canopy cover from 18.9% to 25% by 2030, where most cities have a baseline of achieving 10%. They primarily had no expansive budget and hence realised the trees were merely being maintained, for those that weren’t lost, so the One Planet Cardiff Strategy – with a net zero ambition – was introduced, an iTree survey conducted 2015-16, and their pilot project secured almost one million in sponsorship, funding two paid posts to organise the programme and volunteers (similarly to the Future Parks Accelerator and Urban Forest Accelerator programmes). The most impressive feat this council has undertaken is the installation of what was originally a temporary, intermediary tree nursery for the city, eventually moving onto growing their own trees from seed.
Catherine Horan of Tree for Cities led the second part of this presentation, exploring the role of procurement and the social value of green projects, with an emphasis of the economic and environmental benefits that come alongside.
Ipswich Borough Council’s Lisa Stannard covered the fifth standard of celebrating achievements, humorously highlighting the detest for national holidays the project manager harboured, so ‘Ipswich Loves Trees Day’ was born on Valentine’s Day. Through advising and informing that whip planting was good for families with children as well as Councillors, with the trees eventually growing to meet the requirements needed. By teaching people a new understanding of trees, such as the physical well-being, mental health, and social benefits, the community engaged tree planting was well-received, leading to the council establishing community orchards in half of the wards in the area so far (with an aim for one in every ward).
The City of Ealing has been a Tree City for 5 years, and Trees for Cities’ Susannah Littlewood discussed their annual celebration, Ealing Tree Festival, beginning 2022. The initial event garnered 100 attendees to visit the many arts and crafts, nature, and tree-themed stands. The 2023 festival celebrated the programme by mobilising the community, and teaching more tree benefits to expand the residential knowledge, leading to the 2024 festival taking place across the 7 towns of Ealing.
During the questions and answers at the end of the presentation session, a question was asked concerning the measurement of tree establishment, where Edinburgh stated although they account for net gain losses in tree numbers, there is still more work to do on mortality rates, a theme that unfortunately plagues all of tree planting. That’s why these councils and non-profit organisations are working closely with communities, encouraging them to take ownership of their local trees, to care for them and see them grow with us.
Due to a technical error, Ana Macías from Arbocity – representing a Spanish Tree City – was unable to give her full presentation, but for what was heard the themes were carried over from the previous talks, like upskilling through courses, raising awareness through conferences and event presence, and planting with community engagement. The residents are at the heart of the urban forest in any country around the globe.
The afternoon sessions saw the participants working with facilitators at each table, planning and reviewing new themes and ideas for the expansion of the Tree Cities network and scheme in the UK. After the inspiring talks beforehand, the discussions were insightful and fruitful, and the future of the Tree Cities of the World programme in the UK looks adequately bright.
We want to deeply thank every enthusiastic organiser, speaker, sponsor, and attendee individually, for making this conference a ‘start as we mean to go on’ moment, leaving us waiting eagerly for the second UK Tree Cities Forum next year.
The first UK Tree City Forum was organised by Trees for Cities, in partnership with Birmingham TreePeople, and sponsored by Woodland Dwelling, Kier Group, The Woodland Trust, and the University of Birmingham.
Birmingham lost its long serving parks director – Darren Share – last Christmas, when he made the career move to take over as the Director of The Royal Parks. This was probably the only move that was a promotion from the multi-award-winning Brum Parks. Darren is involved in producing a comprehensive tree strategy, that binds all the various Royal Parks Strategies together, so where better to look than BTP, with our exemplar Urban Forest Masterplan.
Consequently, BTP got an invitation to present the UFMP as a case study to the Royal Parks Trustees and managers for them to consider, and Mac was asked to attend the Old Police House (RP have their own Police Force) in Hyde Park to make the presentation. He was joined by Tony Kirkham, as the only other external guest to present to a packed room, on a day dedicated to strategic tree management.
Our presentation took the attendees on the journey from 2016 to the present day, highlighting the 18 months of intense work to produce the UK’s first masterplan. It was very well received by the board, and we hope we have been beneficial in managing the King’s trees.
Katy Hawkins ran a tree-lated story workshop, alongside Nechells POD, under the canopy of Bloomsbury Park trees on 30th May. Synthia, local storyteller, assisted Katy with the workshop and also spun an enthralling yarn, in between tree activities!
The sun beamed down in between light showers, under the gazebo with warm blankets, exchanging knowledge and stories about nature.
The generous lunch spread was thoroughly enjoyed by all children and parents alike, and one of the wonderful participants included Halima, who came from Hall Green to attend.
We wanted to thank the roughly 30 people who attended, as well as the POD, Synthia, and Julianne. It was a great turnout, and we hope to see some of you again very soon!
The Woodland Trust kindly invited us to speak at their Tree Equity seminar, as part of the Urban Tree Festival 2024. After Paul Wood from Urban Tree Festival introduced the Tree Equity seminar as part of the wider festivities, Adam Cormack from The Woodland Trust introduced Tree Equity on the whole, and their Tree Equity Score tool developed with American Forests.
Mark Johnston was the first speaker, with a wealth of knowledge and extensive background in arboriculture and a focus on the urban environment. Relaying a personal and historical view of tree equity through his experiences, he informed us the concept of urban forestry coupled with equity is something that has long since existed, yet never quite realised in poorer areas of cities – a problem we still have.
We were blessed to hear once again Beth Collier, Founder of Wild in the City, who helped The Woodland Trust as a consultant through phases of creating the scoring tool. Her non-profit organisation focuses on the relationship between people of colour/ethnic minorities and nature, bringing people together through her qualified workshops on ecotherapy. From an environmental justice angle, Beth wants to use tree equity to highlight further the unequal access to green space for ethnic minorities, and use it to plan a better urban forest to close the gap – something we’ve already started.
Our Engagement Officer, Katy Hawkins, was the last to speak about our tree planting initiative last year for Tree Week 2023. She explained her process of engaging groups and communities – something echoed from Mark – being an important process, and how this lays the foundations for further partnerships and endeavors. We work with local community groups to empower them and to take ownership of their trees, by watering them, pruning them, as well as general love and care.
We want to thank Adam at The Woodland Trust for inviting us onto this fantastic seminar, and we look forward to the next Urban Tree Festival event: tomorrow Katy will be running a Tree Equity walk and talk around Nechells, starting at Nechells POD at 10:30-1, a great follow-up to this online seminar. Follow this link if you’d like to join us: https://urbantreefestival.org/birmingham-tree-equity
13/05/24
A fantastic turnout today for the Urban Tree Festival Tree Equity Walk & Talk by Katy Hawkins, our Engagement Officer, detailing our equitable planting approach for Birmingham.
With representatives from groups and organisations all over Birmingham and beyond, people gathered to hear the small talk on the ethos of Birmingham TreePeople, and how the Urban Forest Accelerator team also from National Trust and The Woodland Trust, have helped propel last year’s planting programme using community engagement and tree equity.
After a round of introductions, David Coughlin (NT Project Manager for UFA) explained the premise of the UFA wanting to use the TreePeople as best practice example. Katy explained her community-led approach to her role in engagement, drawing attention to existing trees before continuing engagement for planting new trees: “unearthing how local people connect to trees.”
She gave us a tour of some of the equitable planting sites from last year’s programme (Bloomsbury Street, Home/Queens Towers, Vauxhall Road), particularly the ones we planted alongside Nechells POD around their local area, and how the trees are being looked after moving forwards. We even took one of the watering cans from a previous tree care event to water the trees (even though it was raining).
Beautiful poetry and prose extracts were read next to the new trees, to remind us of that beauty, and to continue to notice it around us.
We want to thank every single person for attending this seminar today; seeing members of local groups joining us is why we are doing what we are doing, and it’s all about empowering residents in their local areas to take ownership of their new trees. Thank you to Emily Cooke (NT Senior Project Coordinator for UFA) for arranging the event, and to the Urban Tree Festival. We will have some professional photos coming soon!
16/05/24
Urban trees are now widely recognised for the array of ecosystem services and benefits that they provide. Politically, trees have risen a long way up the agenda. They are now at the forefront of tools in the fight against climate change, loss of biodiversity, air quality, the Urban Heat Island effect, flooding etc. There is also wide recognition for tree planting, establishment, and tree care across political parties.
Urban Forestry and community groups are key players in the collective effort to protect, promote and plant trees across the UK. A dearth of coordinated, tailored support for these groups means that their potential for positive, widespread action and impact has not been realised. If that potential could be unlocked and coordinated, the protection, planting of and promotion of urban trees and green spaces could be scaled up – with local people at its heart.
Trees for Cities and Birmingham TreePeople have joined forces, to scope the idea of a new national network of Urban Forestry community groups in the UK. The purpose of the “Tree People Network” (working title) is to build community capacity, knowledge and skills to plant, protect and promote urban trees and woods.
As part of the scoping phase for this project, Birmingham Tree People and Trees for Cities have planned an initial in-person, one day consultation event in June 2024, with a selection of existing Urban Forestry community groups. The feedback and findings from this event would lay the ground for developing a national network.
If you’re a member of a community group involved in urban trees and engagement, you won’t want to miss this – the first of its kind, as UK Tree Cities meet to learn, share, and connect. Tree People Network Day is taking place at The Exchange in Birmingham on Wednesday 12th June 2024. This gives attendees a chance to connect with other urban forestry and community groups from across the country in a unique event. We have a range of panelists and speakers from various parts of the industry sharing their knowledge:
Keynote Speaker: Mark Johnston
Panelists:
Maria Adebowale-Schwarte - CEO, Foundation for Future London, and Founder, Living Space Project
Georgie Logan-Thorpe - Senior Urban Forests Manager, T4C
Tonia Clark - Principal Finance and Bids Officer, BCC, BTP
Russell Horsey MICFor, Urban Forester