We have just come to the end of another successful series of Wednesday Webinars.
More than 7,000 attendees for Wednesday Webinars
More than 7,000 attendees for Wednesday Webinars
John Parker, CEO
By the time you read this, we will be at the end of another successful series of Wednesday Webinars.
In the series – sponsored by Barton Hyett Associates – we welcomed 20 speakers covering topics including the new National Tree Safety Group guidance document, carbon sequestration, Green Legacy Hiroshima and The Tree Care Manual, the Association’s newest publication. As ever, our speakers generated an interesting list of favourite tree-related book recommendations, which you can find below.
We attracted more than 7,000 viewers for the live sessions, with an average of more than 550 attendees per session from all over the world. Our 100th webinar – Jim Chambers talking about definitions of veteran trees – also saw us attract 1,000 viewers for the first time.
Looking back through the records, I have found that between May 2020 and December 2021 we held a remarkable 52 webinars. If we consider 2020 as series one, 2021 as series two, 2022/23 as series three, 2023/24 as series four and 2024/25 as series five, then 2025/26 was series six of the Wednesday Webinars.
It has become a staple part of our year, offering a unique forum for a global community of tree professionals and enthusiasts. By ensuring the webinars always remain free to watch on the day of broadcast, we also provide a straightforward way for professionals to pick up CPD (or CEUs if you are in the United States).
If you joined us for any of the webinars in 2025/26, then thank you! If you missed any, they can be found on our website.
Series seven will start in October/November this year. If you have an idea for a presenter or a theme that you think we should cover, then please get in touch and let us know – several of our webinars have been inspired by audience recommendations.
We would also like to invite interest from any potential Wednesday Webinar sponsors. The extensive reach of the webinars – both live and on YouTube – offers a great opportunity to promote your company whilst supporting the arboricultural sector.
You can reach me at john@trees.org.uk.
Recommendations from our 2025/26 speakers
Speaker |
Recommendation |
|---|---|
National Tree Safety Group |
|
|
Caroline Harrison |
The New Sylva by Gabriel Henry and Sarah Simblet |
|
Nev Fay |
The Tree by John Fowles and The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak |
|
Jim Smith |
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White |
|
David Ball |
‘Scotland’s missing trees: the great eco-conspiracy’: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuTV-1SiYeu4 |
|
Richard Stead |
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy |
|
Simon Richmond |
The Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent |
|
Andy Tipping |
Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and The Overstory by Richard Powers |
Tree establishment |
|
|
Lara Roman |
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate |
|
Daisy Brasington |
Spot 50 Trees by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Trees and Aftercare: A Practical Handbook by Barbara Kiser, There is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee |
Carbon capture at Wakehurst & A new look at the giant sequoia in the UK |
|
|
Mat Disney |
The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, Tropical Trees and Forests: An Architectural Analysis by F. Hallé, R.A.A. Oldeman and P.B. Tomlinson |
|
Phil Wilkes |
Into the Woods: The Battle for Tasmania’s Forests by Anna Krien |
| Planting ideas in the urban forest | |
|
Mark Johnston |
Shade Trees in Towns and Cities by William Solotaroff |
Lost elms & The Trees and Shrubs Online Resource |
|
|
Mandy Haggith |
Trees be Company: An Anthology of Poetry |
|
John Grimshaw |
The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland by Henry John Elwes and Augustine Henry |
A year among trees |
|
|
Chris Knapman |
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2026 by Lia Leendertz, Witch’s Forest: Trees in Magic, Folklore and Traditional Remedies by Sandra Lawrence |
| Fungi in the USA | |
|
Michelle Jusino |
The Fungal Decomposition of Wood: Its Biology and Ecology by A.D.M. Rayner and L. Boddy |
|
Elena Karlsen-Ayala |
Uprooted by Naomi Novik |
Veteran trees: navigating too many definitions |
|
|
James Chambers |
A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Human Civilisation by John Perlin |
Reforesting Devon |
|
|
Sir Harry Studholme |
Oak Origins by Andrew L. Hipp |
Bats and trees |
|
|
Jim Mullholland |
In Praise of Plants by Francis Hallé |
The Tree Care Manual |
|
|
Kenton Rogers |
Sahara Challenge by Richard St Barbe Baker |
|
Tony Kirkham |
The Tree Hunters: How the Cult of the Arboretum Transformed Our Landscape by Thomas Pakenham |
In the company of arbs |
|
|
Ted Green |
A forthcoming book on the ecology of opengrown trees, edited by Kevin Frediani |
This article was taken from Issue 212 Spring 2026 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.