Episodes

  • E18: *End of Season Special* - Let's Flip the Script!
    Jul 6 2024

    Guest host and friend of the podcast, Arifah Sheikh, takes charge of this end-of-series special with Tom turning guest for the day before interviewing his 10 year old daughter to round off the season.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    59 mins
  • E17: Reg Harris - Tree Doctor
    Jun 29 2024

    Reg Harris is Director of Urban Forestry Ltd and an Arborist and Veteran Tree Consultant who works with highly prestigious trees like the famous Major Oak at Sherwood Forest.

    Tom and Reg chat about the lifelong impressions that a chance meeting with an indigenous North American man made upon him as a child, what it is about ancient trees that makes him so passionate about his work and how he ended up running the London Marathon bare foot.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    56 mins
  • E16: Wyl Menmuir - Nature Writer
    Jun 22 2024

    Wyl Menmuir is the award-winning author of The Heart of the Woods, a new book uncovering our deep cultural associations with trees and the traditional crafts and rituals that continue to bind us to them today.

    Tom and Wyl meet up at the Ankerwycke yew to chat about the legendary Green Man, discuss Wyl’s reflections on ancient forest cultures in Japan and get to the bottom of why he undertook a planned trespass.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    48 mins
  • E15: Dr Cecilia Chavana-Bryant - Rainforest Canopy Ecologist
    Jun 15 2024

    Dr Cecilia Chavana-Bryant grew up amongst the urban sprawl of Monterrey, Mexico's 2nd largest city, before a fascination with trees inspired her career studying rainforest canopies in Brazil, Peru, Guyana and Australia.

    Tom and Cecilia delve into her memories of long bus trips spent looking for greenspace as a child, the exotic forest wildlife she's met during her research and becoming part of a team creating VR experiences with ancient trees to share their majesty.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    40 mins
  • E14: Sir Harry Studholme - Forester, Farmer, Thinker
    Jun 8 2024

    Sir Harry Studholme is a former Forestry Commission Chair, Honorary Treasurer of the Devon County Agricultural Association, owner of an historic family estate and an avid researcher of prehistoric forest activity.

    Tom and Harry enjoy a wide-ranging chat, taking in interglacial safaris, the formation of the Forestry Commission, the worrying existential threat posed by climate change and elephants in Exeter.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    38 mins
  • E13: Cheryl Silvawood - Influencer & Tree Specialist
    Jun 1 2024

    Cheryl Silvawood began her conservation career as a photo journalist in South East Asia, travelling the world to study remote and awe-inspiring habitats before uncovering a love for ancient and veteran trees in the UK.

    Tom and Cheryl delve into her childhood memories of parks, urban wildlife encounters and trees in Singapore, the origins of her tree-inspired blog - inalandofgiants - and her hopes for the future of both planet and people.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    40 mins
  • E12: Mick Duplock - Blind Woodland Runner
    May 25 2024

    Mick Diplock lost his sight more than 20 years ago but the pure joy he gets from running amongst trees has never left him.

    In this episode, Tom investigates how Mick forged a lifelong affection for woods and the great outdoors, how going blind in mid-life changed his relationship with every aspect of the world around him and how he's still crossing the finish line at the age of 80.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    35 mins
  • E11: Liba Ravindran - Climate Justice Poet
    May 18 2024

    Liba Ravindran is a London based Community Organiser, climate justice activist and tree-loving poet of Sri Lankan heritage.

    In this heartfelt interview, we explore Liba's work to support marginalised communities within the UK, the difference in western and global majority mindsets when it comes to the natural environment and the fundamental role trees continue to play in so many different cultures around the world today.

    Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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    55 mins