TEDx speaker, Simon Ferrar, is founder and creator of Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground, a multi award winning nature reserve where people are laid to rest sustainably, in harmony with natural processes.Tom gets Simon's thoughts on how trees are like silent watchers over our lives, learns about the ancient burial practices coming back to life at Clandon Wood and asks for advice on how best to plan for his own death one day.Find out more about Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground here - https://www.clandonwood.com/See Simon's TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HHwBH_fWSIFind links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
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38:06
Tree Hugging Lawyer - Sarah Dodd - E39
Sarah Dodd is CEO and founder of the UK’s first and only law firm specialising solely in tree-specific legal and protection issues.With the dust still settling after the Sycamore Gap trial, Tom gets Sarah’s expert opinion on exactly where this world famous case now leaves us, what might have motivated those who felled the iconic tree that night and how likely a similar event might be tomorrow.Learn more about Sarah’s firm, Tree Law, here:  https://www.treelaw.co.uk/Check out the recording of Sarah's 2025 Tree Law conference here: https://youtu.be/9GelfB7sOY4?si=9a57O4Y_bD0wUpu5Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
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40:23
Tree Bat Guru - Jim Mulholland - E38
Jim Mulholland is a bat and veteran tree specialist with a knack for leaving a big impression in the expert talks and training courses he delivers.In this wide-ranging interview, recorded at Savernake Forest, Tom and Jim cover everything from bat poo, bat discos and Batman to neurodiversity in the scientific communities Jim is a part of and why Die Hard's opening scene is something we could all learn a thing or two from.Sign up for Jim's Bats & Trees Masterclass training here: https://bats.thinkific.com/courses/Bats-and-Trees-MasterclassFind links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
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50:49
Epping Forest Biodiversity Officer - Andy Froud - E37
Nobody knows Epping Forest quite like Andy Froud, a man who has spent the past quarter century looking after its 55,000 veteran trees and getting up close and personal with the super-rare wildlife that lives in and alongside them.Tom and Andy chat about his early years spent in West Ham Park, the challenges of managing a vast ancient forest just 15 miles from Big Ben and how to correctly identify a daddy long legs.Learn more about Epping Forest here: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/how-we-manage-epping-forest Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
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29:57
Fungal Ecologist - Professor Lynne Boddy - E36
Lynne Boddy is Professor of Mycology at Cardiff University and has been a true pioneer in progressing our knowledge of much maligned but essential tree and forest fungal communities for the past 50 years.Tom and Lynne discuss some of the strangest and rarest fungi hiding in our woods, why the Wood Wide Web concept definitely needs more work and dive deep into the unsexy world of rot and wood decay.Check out Lynne’s brilliant videos on wood decay and tree fungi as part of Ancient Tree Forum’s VETcert course resources here: https://www.ancienttreeforum.org.uk/resources/videos/vetcert-further-guidance-on-veteran-tree-management/Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
The Meaning of Trees Podcast explores the many ways that trees remain quietly essential to all our lives today.Tree Specialist, Tom Hill, uncovers his guests' personal histories with trees and forests, investigates our basic human dependency upon them and shines a light on how they continue to connect us to each other and to other living things.https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast
UK