Date – 24 March 2022
Time – 7:00 pm
With the ever-increasing threats to our trees in the landscape from pests and diseases and climate change, we need to be more adventurous with our tree selection for future plantings if we are to have a treescape for the future. We need more diversity in our plantings and must avoid monoculture planting. This will mean that we must integrate exotics with native species, and we must be planting nursery stock that will make shade trees when mature and not stick to planning pioneer species because they are easy to establish, albeit for a short time. The talk will explore potential species that we can plant in new planting schemes in the future. Hosted by Clive Parker FCIHort.
Tony Kirkham Bio
Following an apprenticeship in the forestry industry and 2 years as an arborist, in 1978 Tony started at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew on the 3-year Diploma course, graduating in 1981.
In July 2020 he retired as the Head of the Arboretum, and Horticultural Services, where he was responsible for the management and curation of over 14,000 trees in the collections.
He participated in and led several plant collecting expeditions to Chile and the Far East of Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan, S. Korea, and Russia and has co-authored several books on his travels including: “Plants form the Edge of the World” and “Wilson’s China: A Century On”.
In 2004 he completed the revision of the “Pruning of Trees Shrubs and Conifers” with Timber Press and more recently written “Essential Pruning Techniques” and in 2019 the “Haynes Workshop manual of Trees”, and “Remarkable Trees” for Thames Hudson. His latest book is called “Growing Trees” and is a general guide to growing trees in the garden. Tony has also worked with Francis Lincoln on a series of games featuring trees, Match a Leaf, Tree Vision and Tree families.
He has featured on several tree related TV programmes and lectures internationally and regularly writes many popular articles and papers.
He is chairman of the RHS woody plant committee and sits on the RHS awards committee, the scientific and education committee of the International Dendrology Society, Action Oak, the Queen’s Green Canopy and is a trustee and chairman of the advisory board at the Chelsea Physic Garden and TROBI, (Tree Register of the British Isles).
In 2009 he was awarded the Associate of Honour by the RHS for distinguished service to horticulture, the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour and an MBE in 2019 for services to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Arboriculture and made an Honorary Lifetime fellow of the Arboricultural Association in 2015. He was made the Vice President of the Arboricultural Society and awarded the AA Lifetime achievement award in 2019.
Registration for this event has now closed.
Organised by the CIH Northern Branch.