Many people have not given any thought as to the value of a tree, beyond perhaps as raw timber. Yet most would agree that trees in gardens, parks and on streets are of importance to individuals and communities.

As an arboriculturist I am frequently required to assess and express the value of tree in monetary terms…

Starting a career as an ecological consultant can be daunting. Many employers expect their graduate ecologists to come with skills and qualifications that can only be gained through years in the industry. This post is to help point those thinking of embarking on a career in ecological consultancy in the right direction, although I’m sure many of the tips here will be useful to those interested in other roles in the ecology sector.

UKHab is a relatively new method for classifying habitats which was produced by the UK Habitat Classification Working Group in 2018. For the majority of ecology surveys this the method that I now use for mapping and categorising habitats, replacing the JNCC Phase 1 Habitat Survey method which has been widely used across the industry.

Dutch elm disease caused widespread devastation in the 1960’s-1970’s. Prior to this, elms were one of the most common – and often the largest – tree species in the British countryside. By the 1990’s elms would rarely survive into maturity, with the exception of isolated populations in East Sussex, where a combination of the South Downs, acting as a natural barrier to the pathogen, and swift and decisive action from local councils enabled many elm trees to survive.

My enthusiasm for mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, has often been met with a blank stare, and I confess that I myself was never particularly interested in fungi until I began to study them in some detail.

Tree planting has often become synonymous with conservation movements. Whether its planting for wildlife, to improve our towns as cities, or as carbon offsetting, the general consensus is that planting trees is good for the environment. However, not all trees planted are equal.