W
hat a great way to explore the fascinating
history of professional arboriculture in
Britain. Navigating chronologically the evolution
of tree experts, Mark Johnston, a well-known
tree expert himself, provides a clearly con-
structed narrative that is brimming with
historical references providing endless details
to immerse yourself in time and time again.
It provokes so much consideration taking a
look back in history around what has occurred
before and the issues experienced, many of
which are the same today. For example, the
requirement for a national tree planting effort
in the 1500s which continued throughout
the ages to focus on large scale tree planting
schemes has such parity with the current
focus, albeit under climate change today.
The 'right tree in the right place' was first ref-
erenced in 1612, around the same time the
term 'arborist' came to fruition. So many fas-
cinating facts and points of interest all set out
in a very readable format and stories not pre-
viously heard before, including the rise of tree
risk management and public safety around the
18th Century and references to tree surveys
being documented as far back as 1676. The book
is supplemented with illustrations showing the
intriguing methods and techniques used histori-
cally, bringing the reader up to the present day.
I was amazed to learn that the three stake tree
protection method, which is still utilised today,
can be dated back to 1706 and that women
only started to have opportunities in horticul-
ture from the 20
th
Century (which astounds me
BOOK REVIEW
e Tree Experts:
A History of Professional
Arboriculture in Britain
by Mark Johnston
Reviewed by Amelia Williams MICFor
This review was originally published in the Autumn
2021 edition of TREES, the Institute of Chartered
Forester's (UK) quarterly membership magazine.
30 CityTREES
