A NEW book from the founder of a forestry charity promises to show readers how to make the most of Britain and Ireland's wonderful woodlands.
The Tree Almanac 2024: A Seasonal Guide to the Woodland World is the latest work from forester Dr Gabriel Hemery, who created the Oxfordshire-based Sylva Foundation alongside Sir Martin Wood.
A "beautifully illustrated" month-by-month handbook, it follows the seasonal journey of trees, from bare branches to budbursts, the first leaves to the first blossom and the great autumn colour change. Each month has a wealth of practical content, scientific gems, and cultural wonders.
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Dr Gabriel, who currently chairs the Forestry and Climate Change Partnership, said: "Trees transcend time with a fortitude and grace that humans can only reach in their dreams or describe in works of fiction.
"They are time sentinels, experiencing climate change unlike any other organism, whilst their long lives are particularly vulnerable due to their immobility.
"There are trees alive in Britain and Ireland today which were adolescents when human society was still in its mere infancy, when we relied heavily on wood to build, transport, cook, hunt, farm and more."
The book includes recipes (elderflower champagne, pickled walnuts, spiced apple chutney), crafts (whistle whittling and making alder ink), curiosities to spot, notes on woodland wildlife, tree care instructions, folk traditions, and marvels from a variety of trees and their surrounding habitats.
Dr Gabriel added: "Our society came from the forest, the cradle of civilisation itself, and many of us will choose to be laid to rest surrounded by wood when we are of this Earth no more.
"I have written this book to celebrate the majesty and minutiae of our trees, but it is impossible to do so without also acknowledging the wider context in which we all exist together."
Dr Gabriel has also served on a number of boards and committees, including the Woodland Trust's Conservation Advisory Committee, a Forestry Commission Advisory Committee, and the Board for the UK Tree Charter.
Published by Robinson Books, the Tree Almanac 2024 comes out on November 9. RRP is £14.99.
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