John Parker, CEO
On 11th April 2024, the Arboricultural Association announced the passing of Dr David Lonsdale. For a man such as David one obituary was never going to be enough, and on the following pages you will read a series of tributes from some of the people who knew him and who were inspired by him.
All of these pieces share certain characteristics. Naturally they acknowledge his vast knowledge, experience and contributions to our sector. However, they are also consistent in their assessment of David as a person.
His kindness, approachability and humility; his sense of humour and his willingness to always take the time to listen, and to gently advise. A true gentleman. At his funeral, a beautiful humanist ceremony with – fittingly – a woodland interment, attendees heard how these traits had been apparent in this remarkable individual since childhood, when he first became fascinated with understanding and conserving the natural world.
One of the words most commonly used to describe David is ‘modest’, and this also became apparent at his funeral. When I introduced myself as being from the Arboricultural Association, one of the representatives of the Amateur Entomologists’ Society replied, ‘Oh yes, we always forget that he did some work with trees. We just thought of him as an entomologist.’ Further discussion revealed that he had won the 2009 Marsh Award for Insect Conservation and had been Editor of Invertebrate Conservation News for more than 50 years. Needless to say, the entomology delegation was equally unaware that he had also won the 1999 Arboricultural Association Award (see below), and they had never heard of The Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management.
Dr David Lonsdale – regarded as a giant in the worlds of both arboriculture and entomology, and neither knew much about his work or achievements in the other. We hope that you enjoy reading these tributes, and invite you to join us in celebrating the life of a great man.
Thank you, David. You will be greatly missed.
Arboricultural Association Award 1999
Extract from Arboricultural Journal 23 (2000): 311–312
This year’s award winner is well known to most of the profession. Those who have met him will never forget his charming character.
Observers have declared that he wears no watch and professes not to own a television set, both unusual omissions when related to the ‘hustle and bustle’ of today’s life.
David Lonsdale FArborA is a keen cyclist and has been seen riding to and from work on a touring tricycle. On one occasion it is reported that he cut his thigh with a scalpel and was seen the next day walking backwards down the stairs, justifying his strange actions by stating that it was less painful. This logical approach has been evident in all his work, in which he takes great pride. He is a meticulous individual, an ecologist of great aptitude and a great supporter of ancient trees.
David commenced work with the Forestry Commission’s Research Division, now Forest Research, in 1975. In 1982 he was appointed Project Leader in tree disease, decay and safety research, and specifically to investigate pruning wounds and their decay. He worked in parallel with, but often in the shadow of, Alex Shigo. Much of David’s work, however, provided the scientific evidence to confirm Shigo’s theories and observations.
Throughout his arboricultural research work, David has published papers in scientific journals and in more accessible forms such as ‘Arboriculture Research & Information Notes’, and more recently in ‘Tree Damage Alerts’. His knowledge and experience have been drawn upon to revise existing publications such as ‘The external signs of decay in trees’ and the Forestry Commission’s leaflet ‘The recognition of hazardous trees’. This summer his magnum opus The Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management was published. This work has taken several years to complete and its content is a reflection of his dedication to consult widely with practitioners to present his scientific information in a credible and easily understood manner. In addition to the above, David’s translation of Claus Mattheck’s The Body Language of Trees has given him the well-deserved status of a leading force in the advancement of arboriculture. As implied earlier, in addition to being a scientific researcher, David is also a capable field naturalist and he has been prominent in promoting the concept of ‘deadwood habitats’.
For several years David has acted as an examiner for the Royal Forestry Society’s Professional Diploma in Arboriculture. In doing so he befriended many candidates who recognised his knowledge and empathy with trees. As the recipient of the Arboricultural Association’s 1999 Annual Award he receives the thanks of the Association for his contribution towards the furthering of our arboricultural knowledge.
From Ted Green MVO, MBE
Speculating about the value of ancient trees and hollowing back in the early days, I should have used the phrase ‘seeing is believing’ because, like every other person, I was looking at brackets on trees and seeing them as the cause of the decay.
I think I began to challenge this assumption when I met up with David Lonsdale of the Forestry Commission’s research team. It was a ‘must do’ visit, so I turned up at his laboratory with a carload of fungal brackets to discuss. This very modest scientist listened primarily to my identifications with only a few comments. He had nothing but encouragement. When we said goodbye, he added, ‘I don’t want you to think this meeting has been a one-way learning curve; it has been a very fruitful day.’ To me, somebody who had spent 34 years working for scientists, that was a fantastic compliment and it was rocket fuel to take me forward. My head had to be squeezed through the door as I left.
On another occasion at one of those blue-sky thinking days we had at the beginning of the original Ancient Tree Forum, I remember David listening to Antony Croft, a true thinking arb, who was making observations about the burrs on oak trees and a possible link to beefsteak fungus Fistulina hepatica. David’s comments were encouraging and not at all negative. A good scientist who was also a good listener.
Of course, it was David who suggested that many old trees can divide into individual columns which virtually become individual trees themselves. This was certainly the case for a lapsed hornbeam pollard we cut with Jill Butler, Mike Ellison, Geoff Sinclair and David at Hainault. In those days, when old pollards were cut they were usually cut back to the original bolling and it seemed the older the tree or limb cut, the more likely it was to die. David thought that if there was any initial successful growth on the re-cut pollard, this was the new sprouts of an individual column living on its starch reserves, but that the new growth was never sufficient to sustain the column and could never replace the loss of photosynthesis capacity, because when an old pollard long out of rotation cutting is repollarded, the stems which are cut are large and are often taken back to the branch collar leaving no stub.
I named the individual columns David had noted as ‘Lonsdale columns’ so that he should get the credit for this observation. However, John White, retired dendrologist at the Forestry Commission, had already explained this process years before, so perhaps we should call them White/Lonsdale or Lonsdale/White columns.
On reflection, David was a regular attendee at the original ATF meetings and an active contributor in the discussions. In fact, he was the only professional tree scientist that supported our meetings at that time. He was a lovely man.
A personal appreciation by Chris Knapman
I consider myself fortunate to have known and shared the presence of David Lonsdale at numerous ancient tree and other arboricultural events, over several years. Although a gentle, softly spoken and private man, David was a giant of the arboricultural profession and left a priceless legacy of work.
Despite being a heavyweight academic, you could still discuss ‘normal stuff’ with David over dinner and I fondly remember his sense of humour and engaging smile. David could talk authoritatively on many subjects and was also an accomplished entomologist and natural historian in the great British tradition.
Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management (1999) – the ‘bible of tree inspection’ – was and remains an important influence in my personal career development, as I am sure it is for many others. Commissioned by Caroline Davis as part of the Research for Amenity Trees series, David also contributed to Diagnosis of Ill Health in Trees (1994) by R.G. Strouts and T.G. Winter and was a technical editor of The Body Language of Trees (1998) by Claus Mattheck and Helge Breloer.
These three books represent the ‘holy trinity’ of arboricultural handbooks to which was later added the important collaborative work (Ancient Tree Forum and Tree Council) Ancient and other veteran trees: Further guidance on management, which was edited by David. In January 2013 he wrote: ‘It is, therefore with hope for the future care of this great heritage that I approach the end of my work on this book.’ As professional arboriculturists, we should reflect on these words and continue the work in his memory to fulfil that hope of ongoing care for our outstanding arboreal heritage that David clearly held so dear.
In June 2012 during the Ancient Tree Forum Summer Conference, I recall a late afternoon hike near Ambleside and becoming detached from the main group with David, sharing an exclusive hour in his company traversing the leafy roadsides of the Lake District as we endeavoured to find our way back to the town for dinner in the pub. Needless to say, there was extensive discussion of trees, nature and the landscape which remain a treasured memory.
I always found David very approachable if I had a technical question and am indebted to him for reviewing an Ancient Yew Group guidance note that I co-wrote and edited: ‘Why are Ancient Yew Trees a Special Case for Management?’ (revised 2021). David really cared about trees and was always generous with his deep knowledge to assist in the advancement of awareness and understanding of tree care and management.
I was pleased to repay the favour by supplying an occasional image to illustrate, for example, David’s Arboricultural Journal paper on individual functional units in trees – now affectionately known as Lonsdale Units. (See journal vol. 35(4), 2013.)
My last conversation with David was just prior to his record-breaking Wednesday Webinar ‘Tree decay: a few questions still worth asking’. The title stimulated questions on tree matters that warranted personal discussion and of course David’s deeply considered responses were invaluable as always.
At the end of the webinar, when asked about his book recommendation, David held up A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization (1989) by John Perlin – an inspired choice as one of Harvard’s 100 Great Books. It was ordered immediately!
I was deeply saddened to hear of David’s passing, but now reflect on his outstanding personal and academic qualities. His contribution to arboriculture and natural history is superlative and the light of his work will always shine brightly upon our profession. Despite his personal modesty and humility, he will indeed be recognised as one of the greats for the legacy of his work and his contribution to trees and nature conservation.
It is said that you should never meet your heroes, but sharing David’s company was most certainly an exception to the rule. I feel honoured to have been a Padawan to a Jedi Master of Trees on the road to enlightenment.
From Michael Yallop on behalf of Ireland Branch
Back in January, I sat down on a Wednesday evening to watch the webinar of a man who I considered one of the greatest educators to tree folk.
What a joy I felt sitting watching David, thinking, I wish this was in-person somewhere. Only a short time later I was so shocked to hear of his passing. That day, as I carried out my tree surveys, I felt a sadness at the loss of such an expert in our field, someone who was always willing to share his knowledge.
I had met David while I studied at Myerscough. For me it was like meeting a celebrity of the tree world. At the time I thought, how could I ever have even a snippet of the knowledge that Dr Lonsdale has? His advice: work hard, study hard and enjoy trees. Never truer words were spoken. Many or most of us in the industry and those with even an interest in trees have leaned on David’s books and publications. Unsure of problems we come across, we look to his work for proper guidance. The Ireland Branch Committee shared each individual’s interactions with and thoughts on David. All were saddened to hear of his passing and, like many of our members, were so glad we had got that webinar with the record number of attendees showing the esteem he was held in.
The Arboricultural Association Ireland Branch would like to pass on our condolences to David’s family on behalf of our members and let his legacy stand out for the amazing contribution he gave to the arboricultural world and as an example to those starting out in the arb industry.
Ar dheis de go raibh a anam, Mo chomhbrón ort agus ar do mhuintir.
Tributes from across the world
After the Association announced David Lonsdale’s death, people from all over the world responded by leaving their tributes, thoughts and memories on our social media pages. Thank you all. Here are some of them.
Peter Wharton, Director at Wharton Natural Infrastructure Consultants: David has inspired so many generations in our industry and well beyond. One of the most thought-provoking and articulate people in the industry. He was assuringly quietly spoken whenever I was with him.
Kevin Frediani, Curator of Botanic Garden and Head of Grounds at University of Dundee: Every now and then we share part of a journey with people who are truly wonderful. David was a gentleman who sought to understand, who willingly shared the knowledge he gained and inspired a whole generation to ask their own questions. His dedication to the cause as a scientist is only surpassed by his legacy in the many people who have learned from him. A true legend of his generation.
Tony Kirkham, Retired Head of the Arboretum at RBG Kew: We have lost an absolute arboreal treasure. He gave me so much support when I badly needed it. RIP David.
Peter Hasted, Urban Forester & Sunken Gardener: When I had a strange anomaly that I needed investigating recently, David was recommended time and time again. He was very kind and helpful and although we never met or gained a full prognosis, his guidance, knowledge and understanding gave me a much better approach to my development and learning. I hope some of his passion managed to influence others as it did me.
Peter Thurman, Retired Landscape Designer, Tree, Environment & Horticultural Consultant: David was a fellow examiner on the RFS PDArb Management Exercise Days for many years. So modest, intelligent, wise and witty. A great man.
Bruce Hatton, Arboricultural Consultant – BHA Trees Ltd: A true giant, humble, enchanting and dedicated to his love of trees. A very nice man who will be missed.
Mark Johnston, Independent scholar – arboriculture, landscape and urban forestry: This is very sad news. David was a giant of British arboriculture and a true gentleman. His published work will ensure his vital contribution is never forgotten.
Naomi Zurcher, owner at Arbor Aegis: What a loss to trees, to the earth and to the entire arboricultural family concerned with their sustainability and their care. RIP David. The wisdom you shared will live on in those of us that benefited from your presence and will continue to inspire.
Alex Piddington, Parks & Landscape Operational Management: Very sad. A unique specialist. Came and lectured to our group on the Kew diploma course many years ago.
Paul Barton, Arboriculturist, Urban Forester, Trustee of Arboricultural Association: David was a great example to us in the arboricultural industry (and as humans) – inquisitive, dedicated, thoughtful and humble. He will be missed but leaves a wonderful legacy.
Rob Keyzor, owner, Rob Keyzor Tree Surgeons & Arboricultural Consultants Ltd: A softly spoken, fearless giant of the industry. I hope it will be of comfort to the family to see the love and respect with which he was held by all.
Oliver Tong, Arboricultural Consultant, Greenwood Environmental Ltd: Such sad news, his various works are essential reading, truly inspirational and foundational for myself and I’m sure most arbs through their careers 💚
Jon Hartill Ã…kerlind, Arborist, Managing Director and Senior Consultant: Very sad. We have fond memories of David, on long car journeys he was like a talking encyclopedia of trees, always willing to share his knowledge and always prepared to say, we simply don’t know.
Teign Trees and Landscapes South West Limited: Such a sad loss, we are all sending wishes to his family and friends.
Dr Glynn Percival, Plant Physiologist/Technical Support Specialist at Bartlett Tree Experts: A true legend. I had the pleasure and honour of meeting David a few times at various conferences.
Monica Gillespie, Arboricultural Consultant: Very sad news. A great man. His books have been on my bookshelves through my career. I have always admired his thoughtful and considered observations and dedication to sharing his knowledge and understanding of trees. Condolences to his family and friends.
Matthew Norman, Senior Arboriculturist at Network Rail: So very sad to read of this news, but at the same time so glad I was able to attend the webinar he gave only a few months ago. A consummate professional and walking encyclopedia of all things tree.
Jonathan Astill, Arboricultural Consultant: Very sad to hear of David’s Lonsdale’s passing. When David spoke, the tree world listened. IMHO no other person has communicated how trees work as clearly and comprehensively in his books, publications and talks as David did. He will be hugely missed.
Stuart Kidd, Arboriculturist and Vice Chair of Municipal Tree Officers Association: Any arboriculturist with their salt has this author’s work in their library. The industry has lost a real treasure.
Percival Worsley, Senior Tree Officer at Solihull MBC: Such a sad loss for those close to him and also to our industry as a whole. A truly inspirational person who has had lasting impacts on modern arboriculture.
Mark Roberts, Roberts Consulting: In NZ there is a Maori proverb: ‘a totara has fallen in the forest of Tane’ (a great and important thing has fallen) – this seems fitting. RIP
Arb Innovators: Such an inspiring man and a wonderful ambassador for the arboriculture industry. His knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for ancient and veteran trees has been, and continues to be, hugely inspirational to so many. He gifted us all an amazing legacy.
James Wade, Arboriculturist/Dendrologist: Genuinely upset to hear this news. I’d say he had a significant effect on how our industry thinks about trees. Inspirational man and will be sadly missed.
Ian Braddock, Associate Director (Arboriculture) at ADAS: A sad loss, he’ll be truly missed. Like others, I was fortunate to meet and chat with him on a couple of occasions.
Christopher Chambers, Baumsachverständiger/Consultant Arborist: The loss of a brilliant man, and a humble man, a true scientist. He leaves a great legacy behind.
David Lonsdale in 1990 at a joint Forestry Commission and Arboricultural Association research conference in York. (Photo: Peter Spurway)
hane Lanigan, Senior Partner at Urban Forestry: So sad, the loss of one of the world’s greatest arboriculturists. Hugely knowledgeable, quietly spoken and totally unassuming.
Tree Hunter Rob McBride, media ambassador and campaigner for ancient trees: The world of Trees is a much poorer place after the sad passing of Dr David Lonsdale. A true gentleman and an incredibly knowledgeable tree professor, respected the world over. One of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. I am so lucky to have been in his presence so many times.
Terry Crick, Chartered Arboriculturist: A sad loss to all of us that were lucky enough to have learned from him.
Chris Davies, Arboricultural Consultant, Crawford & Company, International Loss Adjusters: Very sad, lovely chap. I was a ‘significant contributor’ to his book Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management. The profession and his family have lost a limb.
Rebecca Byrne, Arborist and Tree Risk Assessor: I really enjoyed and learned a lot from hearing him speak. Condolences to his family and friends from Vancouver, Canada.
Natalie Brewin, Consultant Arborist and Freelance Editor: That’s terribly sad and a huge loss to the industry. One of the kindest and most humble people I have met.
Roderick Leslie, Independent Environmental Advisor: It was a privilege to have known and worked with David – the go-to on anything arb. A great man, sadly missed.
Jacqueline Waring, Principal Arboricultural Consultant, Temple Group: A great loss but an even greater legacy.
James Roberts, Senior Arboricultural Consultant, AECOM UK: Really sad to hear this. I only met David once but it was a pleasure. An intelligent, thoughtful, unassuming gentleman. He has been a true leading light in our industry.
Katerina Hadincova, Arboriculture Officer at London Borough of Barnet: Very sad news. He was inspiration to many of us. RIP David.
Meurig M., Irrigation Coordinator at Cannara Biotech Inc.: A true loss to the Ancient Tree Forum and to our society in general.
James Allnutt, Senior Arboricultural Consultant at Tim Moya Associates: A true navigator of arboriculture.
This article was taken from Issue 206 Autumn 2024 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.