The Meaning of Trees Podcast

May 11 2024 1

The Meaning of Trees Podcast artwork

Hosted by Trees & Woodland Specialist, Tom Hill, The Meaning of Trees Podcast explores what trees mean to all of us in 2024. Tom uncovers his guests' personal histories with trees and forests, investigates our basic human dependency upon them and highlights the predicaments many of our oldest trees and woods face today globally in terms of their ongoing protection and care. The Meaning of Trees Podcast shines a light on the many weird and wonderful ways that trees remain quietly essential to all our lives today.

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E10: Jill Butler - Tree Protection Activist

May 11 2024 27 mins

Jill Butler has spent a lifetime fighting for better protection of ancient and veteran trees in the UK as a long-time ambassador for the Woodland Trust and Ancient Tree Forum.We discuss how old trees are integral to our cultural and natural heritage, how many irreplaceable trees remain under threat from human development and the insights she's gathered from like-minded tree activis

E9: Kevin Martin - Kew's Head of Tree Collections

May 04 2024 48 mins

Kevin Martin is Head of Tree Collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and a cutting-edge Climate Researcher.He's leading an innovative climate modelling project to help us understand what the future holds for Kew's renowned tree collection in 2090, if temperatures continue to rise as expected.Tom and Kevin discuss his childhood memories of following his dad around as a tree sur

E8: Anita Prasad-Willems - Wellbeing Coach

Apr 27 2024 36 mins

Anita Prasad-Willems is an experienced counsellor and wellbeing therapist that depends on trees to keep her rooted and grounded day-to-day.Based in Brighton, Anita recently set up her own practice - Wisdom Within Therapies - focusing on reconnecting us to the divine feminine and mother earth.In this episode, Tom and Anita discuss the otherworldly realms she's encountered personally

E7: Martin Hügi - Ancient Tree Pilgrim

Apr 20 2024 37 mins

Martin Hügi is Senior Conservation Advisor at the Woodland Trust and known more widely as the Ancient Tree Pilgrim.In spring 2023, he set off on foot from Lands End to John O' Groats to meet more than 2000 of the UK's oldest, most majestic trees.In this episode, Tom and Martin discuss the origins of his sacred solo mission, the reverence he holds for ancient trees and how his jour

E6: Mo Wilde - Wild Food Forager

Apr 13 2024 43 mins

Mo Wilde is a wild food forager, author and ethnobotanist living in West Lothian, Scotland.Tom and Mo discuss the 12 month Wildbiome experiment she undertook in 2020 where she survived solely on wild foraged food for a full year, testing the effects upon her gut microbiome health.Mo describes her early memories among trees in Kenya, shares thoughts on modern food production and rev

E5: Tom Burns - Knepp Wildlands Ranger

Apr 06 2024 39 mins

Tom Burns is Ranger and Woodsman at Knepp Wildlands, a pioneering rewilding project and a leading light for nature recovery in the UK.In this episode, we're taken on a virtual safari of Knepp to encounter the best of its wildlife and we tackle some of the most common misconceptions surrounding the rewilding approach.We hear about Tom's passion for woodcraft, his urban upbringing an

E4: Rosie Heydenrych - Guitar Maker

Mar 30 2024 33 mins

Rosie Heydenrych is founder of the Turnstone Guitar Company and makes beautiful handcrafted guitars at her workshop in the Ashdown Forest.Tom and Rosie discuss the history of her craft and she talks us through some of the sounds and characteristics her different woods produce.Rosie recalls childhood memories of climbing trees and explains how she's adopting locally grown timbers in

E3: John Deakin - NT's Head of Trees & Woods

Mar 23 2024 34 mins

John Deakin is Head of Trees & Woodland for National Trust, Europe's largest natural and cultural heritage conservation charity.In this episode, Tom and John discuss the aftermath of the Sycamore Gap incident and the Trust's ambitious plans to establish 20 million new trees on their land by 2030.John describes his memories of yew trees growing up, explains why active woodland m

E2: Ted Green - Ancient Tree Legend

Mar 16 2024 26 mins

Ever thought-provoking, Ted Green is a name synonymous with the world of ancient trees and remains Conservation Adviser to the Crown Estate at the age of 89.In this episode, Tom and Ted discuss how trees transport us back in time, Ted recalls how the oaks at Windsor Great Park have kept him going since his father went missing in World War 2 and he shares his theories on seed disper

E1: Dr Amy Christianson - Indigenous Forest Fire Specialist

Mar 09 2024 45 mins

Dr Amy Cardinal Christianson is a Fire Research Scientist for the Canadian Forest Service and a woman of Indigenous Métis heritage with a life-long appreciation for trees and forest ecosystems.Amy's own podcast - 'Good Fire' - explores the ancient practices of forest fire stewardship around the world.In this episode, Tom introduces series 1 of The Meaning of Trees Podcast, he and