Introducing Tree Talk with… Richard Smith

An environmental sustainability professional and CFT Trustee, Richard is an advocate for the multiple benefits of trees and forestry, and the golden rule of ‘right tree, right place’.

 

As an environmental sustainability professional I am very aware of the importance of trees and forestry and the multiple benefits they bring.

 

How did you become involved in the world of community forestry?

A friend asked if I'd be interested in becoming a Trustee, which I was. So a few months passed and here I am! The slightly longer version is that I'd had contact with City of Trees in Manchester through my day jobs for some years, so I had a little knowledge about what it's all about.

 

I hope we will see many more trees and forests, albeit always following the golden rule of ‘right tree, right place’.

 

Please tell us a little more about your interest in community forestry that led you to becoming a Trustee for CFT?

No specialist knowledge I'm afraid to say, other than that as an environmental sustainability professional I am very aware of the importance of trees and forestry and the multiple benefits they bring.

Just as importantly, I love being among trees. I feel enriched by them in every way; they are an instant mood enhancer. I love running through woodland near my home on the edge of the Peak District and on a hot day the shade even a single tree can give is always very welcome.

What are your future hopes for trees and forestry?

Obviously I hope we will see many more trees and forests, albeit always following the golden rule of ‘right tree, right place’. I want the more business-minded among us to recognise the enormous ‘value’ which trees bring to everything from flood prevention to reduced mental health costs. And I want those of us who don't have to put a number on everything simply to take the time to enjoy what we have, wherever we may find it, and be inspired to do what we can to save our existing forests and promote new growth.

What are you most excited by currently in the world of community forestry?

Simply by the level of interest and the hope that we can regain the forestry that's been lost over time.

 

We should celebrate the fact that (again, as long as ‘right tree, right place’ is followed), tree planting is itself a good thing... but it doesn't compensate, in my view, for taking immediate action to reduce and ultimately eliminate emissions.

 

What do you think will make the biggest difference in the next 5 years?

I think the growth in corporate interest in tree planting will lead to a market-led boom in forestry-related projects. That said, I cannot emphasise enough that we should be doing *everything* we can to reduce our own emissions rather than jump to tree-planting as a quick, relatively cheap and populist solution.

We have to halve our carbon emissions by 2030 if we are to have a chance of averting global temperatures which no one would want for themselves or their children. Tree planting is part of wider nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises, but we must never kid ourselves that we have a licence to continue business as usual just because we've planted some trees.

We should celebrate the fact that (again, as long as right-tree-right-place is followed), tree planting is itself a good thing... but it doesn't compensate, in my view, for taking immediate action to reduce and ultimately eliminate emissions.

Do you have any recommendations for anyone who would like to get more involved in community forestry in their local area?

Just the obvious stuff... do some internet searching or ask around, find out what's going on and don't be afraid to get in touch. Tree lovers are unlikely to be the kind of people to not welcome you with open arms (that is if they're not too busy hugging trees! No bad thing in my book).

Explore the map of community forests on England’s Community Forests website

Where do you enjoy going for a walk and do you have any recommendations for fab places that people can experience woodlands?

I live on the northern tip of the Goyt Valley so I regularly run through the woods there. They're not huge but they're enough to make you feel you're in a very different environment to the semi-urban streets just a couple of hundred meters away.

Do you have a favourite tree?

I have three answers to that. My first rather silly answer (forgive me) is that I love a band called Porcupine Tree. However, as far as I know that's not a real tree so I will move on.

My next answer is I love the tree you can see me standing next to in this picture here. Shamefully I don't know what type of tree it is, but I believe it's informally called the ‘Elephant Tree’ (for obvious reasons) and it's found in the woods at Portmeirion in North Wales, which is a place my family love.

Finally, I love the cherry tree in my garden. It self-seeded and once I pruned back a hedge to let it grow, it's flourished. I love looking at it just before I close my eyes when I'm meditating. There's nothing special about this tree other than it's ‘ours’, although of course none of us really own any tree... we're just lucky enough to look after them while we're here.

 

Richard Smith and the ‘Elephant Tree’

 
Jo Gamble