Episode 237 — Tree Books! What to read, why it matters, and how it shapes practice

SummaryFrom Westonbirt inspirations to field guides and plant-hunter epics, Lewis and Gemma pull 13 tree books and ask how reading changes woodland practice. Hear about ships with greenhouses, coppice cycles, charcoal burning, fungal networks, minimalist nursery design, mapping with old OS layers and LiDAR, plus a practitioner’s starter stack for ID and ethnobotany.SponsorsTENTSILESave 10% on tree tents and hammocks with code ForestChildren10 at checkout. Ideal for leaders who want flexible base-camp shelter without ground impact.Chris HollandExplore Chris’s 54-page Plant of the Week guide with songs, stories and QR videos. Use our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcastKey takeawaysBooks are tools. Ideas on the page translate into better planning, richer invitations to play and clearer woodland decisions.History explains today’s woods. War, trade and enclosure shaped plantations and access.When the landscape is the resource you can need fewer add-ons.Mycorrhizal science challenges the clean slate approach to plantations. Diversity can feed young trees.A balanced shelf helps practitioners. Mix narrative inspiration, technical ID, land-use history and local mapping.Chapters00:00 Audio or video and how to follow along02:10 Westonbirt, tree hunters and why one book leads to three more06:40 Plant collectors, ships with greenhouses and species introductions11:20 Remarkable trees and the Douglas fir story15:20 Finding the Mother Tree and what fungal networks show us20:10 Managing woods for play, coppice cycles and charcoal25:40 Enclosure, disafforestation and the Western Rising rabbit hole30:40 Rackham, old OS maps and first steps with LiDAR35:30 Practitioner stack for sessions and ethnobotany40:50 Photos or illustrations for ID, trends in tree writing, the squirrel book wishBooks and resources mentionedThomas Pakenham — The Tree Hunters; Meetings with Remarkable TreesJohn Evelyn — Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest TreesSuzanne Simard — Finding the Mother TreePeter Wohlleben — The Hidden Life of TreesRichard Powers — The OverstoryOliver Rackham — Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape; The History of the CountrysideTristan Gooley — How to Read a TreeRay Mears — British Woodland: How to Explore the Secret World of Our ForestsRoger Phillips — UK wild plants and fungi photographic guidesChris Holland — Plant of the Week collectionHandy tools referencedOld OS map viewer for historical layersLiDAR overlays for spotting ridge and furrow, pits and platformsListen now🎧 Catch the full episode:Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9Stay in touchQuestions, feedback or collaboration: [email protected] hello on Instagram and Facebook. Tell us your favourite tree book or share a shelf photo and tag the show so we can reshare.SupportMore episodes and resources: theforestschoolpodcast.comBack the show from £2 a month: patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastHashtags#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #NaturePlay #ReflectivePractice #TreeBooks