ICF National Study Tour 2011                                          4 (evening) - 5 October

Tree Collections in Practice

How Britain's great arboreta shape forestry & arboriculture knowledge

This event has taken place.

Presentation slides are available in the ICF Resources Download Library.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, West London 
Tuesday 4 October (from 5.45pm) and Wednesday 5 October (from 8.30am)

Why you should attend the Study Tour
Fundamental questions are being asked about the professional management of trees and forests in Britain.

• How can we diversify urban trees and forests to be more resilient to climate change?
• How many more pests and diseases will affect trees?
• How can we communicate the value of trees, in particular their “ecosystem services”?  

Knowledge and understanding of the range of species that have been introduced to Britain since the start of plant hunting expeditions is fundamentally important in trying to answer these questions. To examine this subject in more detail this year’s ICF National Study Tour will visit Kew Gardens and will focus on four key areas as part of the programme:

Trees of current and future interest to forestry and arboriculture
Species that may benefit from a changing climate, produce valuable timber, offer significant ecosystem services and offer opportunities for non timber forest products.

Management of the tree collection
Acquisitions policy, trees of note/historical interest, public safety and risk assessment, scientific expeditions, Millennium Seed Bank.

Pests and diseases
History and current situation of Oak Processionary Moth (effects on trees and human health, methods of control and future outlook) and biosecurity measures to mitigate risk of future pests and pathogens.

Communicating the value of trees to humans
What lessons from Kew could be used in other contexts and how can professionals develop skills in this area? 

We will be hearing from: Dr Paul Elliott, School of Humanities, University of Derby; Dr Richard Jinks, Centre for Forest Resources and Management, Forest Research; Tony Kirkham, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

-  Booking Information
-  Programme & Speakers
-  Accommodation & Dinner
-  How to Get There
-  Information for Delegates