Amenity Conference

4-7 September 2022

Loughborough University, LEICESTERSHIRE

Welcoming delegates back to an in-person Amenity Conference for the first time since 2019.

A tree can represent something different to all of us. Join the UK’s biggest arboriculture conference and experience a special 3-day event redefining what a tree can represent, as an ecosystem itself and as part of the wider ecosystem.

Make new connections, enjoy field trips, interactive workshops and a refreshing change of pace from traditional conference formats. 21 world class, expert speakers will transform our thinking first hand, through ground-breaking innovations and research.

We are also delighted to be able to invite some of the speakers who were due to present at the cancelled 2020 (and then online 2021) Trees and society conference. As well as presentations in the main lecture theatre there will also be a series of workshops led by internationally-renowned experts. And, of course, we will be seeking to celebrate our return to an in-person conference with plenty of social events and opportunities to catch up with old friends and colleagues, and make new ones. A full programme will be made available in the near future.

We will be considering the concept of tree ecology, with the tree both as part of a wider ecosystem and as an ecosystem in its own right. For too long, urban and amenity trees were often viewed as existing in isolation – each an individual tree, perceived and managed as an individual unit. Over time we have come to appreciate that this is not the case.

Trees are not only key elements of wider ecosystems, but can constitute ecosystems in their own right. Once, when asked the question what is a tree?, we might have replied with a dictionary definition – a tall plant with a wooden trunk and branches, or a woody perennial plant with an elongate main stem. We might have quoted Justice Cranston and responded that a tree is anything that would ordinarily be regarded as a tree. A tree is an assemblage of cells, arranged as roots, stem, fruit. We know that it can be far more complicated than this, and that a simple answer is not easily given. We must consider tree ecology. What impact does our increasing understanding of how trees function have on our understanding of what a tree actually is? To what extent must fungi be considered part of a tree when we cannot always tell where the roots end and the mycorrhiza begin? What about the soil and the microbes? The endophytes and epiphytes? What about all of the flora, fauna and funga which coexist with trees?

There are also going to be plenty of opportunities for sponsors and exhibitors, so please contact admin@trees.org.uk if you are interested. We look forward to seeing you all in September! To keep updated on speakers and programme details for the Conference, as they become available, visit www.trees.org.uk/Conference22

Early Bird pricing Extended Due to Demand Until
Friday 12 August 2022

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Timetable

All prices shown above exclude VAT.

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For the first time the Sunday conference field trip takes the form of one of our most popular series of events in recent years, the Thinking Arbs Day with Ted Green. The spectacular Calke Abbey National Trust Estate provides the perfect setting for an exciting day of tree discussion with the living legend himself.

The National Trust’s Calke Estate encompasses over 600 acres of historic parkland, a third of which holds the important status of National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. This ancient wood pasture and its historic avenues are home to over 650 veteran trees, 350 of which are considered ancient.

The ‘Old Man of Calke’ is the most well-known ancient veteran on the estate. At an estimated 1,200 years old, he certainly earns the title, but he’s not alone, his neighbour, another English oak, is 900 years old.

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