ARBORICULTURE MEETINGS. CULTURAL LANDSCAPES ASSOCIATED WITH TREE MANAGEMENT. TRIBUTE TO TED GREEN

Arboriculture Meetings.

Tribute to Ted Green

«CULTURAL LANDSCAPES ASSOCIATED WITH TREE MANAGEMENT»

Lagartera. 28 and 29 January 2027

REGISTRATION

SPONSOR THE MEETINGS

Cultural landscapes associated with tree management

Organised by the Spanish Arboricultural Association (AEA) and Lagartera Town Council, we present a new edition of the Arboriculture Meetings, devoted this time to the cultural landscapes associated with the traditional management of trees — pollarded poplars, pollarded beech and oak, pollarded chestnuts and dehesas — and as a tribute to Ted Green, an international reference in the conservation of old and veteran trees.

The AEA promotes these sessions with the aim of exploring in greater depth the biology, historical management and conservation techniques of these trees, with a panel of top-level national and international speakers. The meeting includes a day of lectures in the hall on 28 January and a day of field workshops with rotations on 29 January.

These meetings aim to raise the profile of tree culture and encourage it, to raise awareness of poor practice and reverse it, and to deepen understanding of tree management, its history and its landscape.

Tribute to Ted Green

These Meetings are dedicated to Ted Green, whose work and way of looking at trees have inspired several generations of arborists across Europe. With this meeting, the AEA wishes to pay tribute to him and to thank him for what his example has meant for our profession and for arboriculture.

Objectives

• Explore in greater depth the biology, historical management and conservation techniques of the cultural landscapes associated with the traditional management of trees (pollarded poplars, pollarded beech and oak, pollarded chestnuts, dehesas).
• Pay tribute to Ted Green and raise awareness of his contribution to the conservation of old and veteran trees.
• Foster technical exchange among professionals in arboriculture, forest management and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
• Raise the profile of tree culture and encourage it, raising awareness of poor practice in tree management and helping to reverse it.
• Through the field workshops on 29 January, bring the traditional techniques of pollarding and management of these trees closer to the participating professionals.

Venue

📍 Lagartera (venue to be confirmed) (Toledo)

Dates

DAY 1: Thursday 28 January · Day of lectures in the hall, from 08:00 to 17:30

DAY 2: Friday 29 January · Day of field workshops with rotations, from 08:15 to approx. 13:30 (attendees must arrange their own transport)

Registration

👥 In-person format with limited capacity.

Aimed at…

The meeting is aimed at professionals involved in the management, conservation and maintenance of old and veteran trees, and in general at any professional group related to arboriculture.

Sponsors

Speakers

Ted Green

Scientist

Founding member and chairman of the Ancient Tree Forum, and honorary vice-president of the International Tree Foundation. Awarded an MBE for his work in conservation, especially of trees and fungi, and an MVO for services to King Charles III. Received the Arboricultural Association’s annual award for his contribution to arboriculture. Also awarded the Royal Forestry Society’s Gold Medal for services to forestry. Appointed honorary professor at Imperial College, University of London. Works as a conservation consultant for the Crown Estate at Windsor. Regularly appears in the media and publishes specialist texts. Gives international lectures on ancient trees, conservation and fungi.

Vikki Bengtsson

Ecologist

Senior ecologist working at Pro Natura in Sweden, and also a part-time researcher. Has more than 30 years of professional experience in nature conservation, focused on areas such as the practical management and restoration of wooded pastures and ancient trees, the management of pollarded trees and “veteranisation” (inducing senescence features) in Europe. She also trains arborists, landscape architects, nature-site managers and planners in the care and management of ancient trees, and was the director of the VETree and VETcert projects.

Ola Bengtsson

Senior ecologist at Pro Natura in Sweden, with more than 35 years of experience in nature conservation. Specialises in biodiversity inventories, species protection and ecological monitoring. His work has focused mainly on grasslands, wooded pastures and broadleaved forests, as well as on the ecological processes that shape these habitats.

Chris Knapman

Arborist

Professional consultant in arboriculture, horticulture and ecology, with a special interest in heritage trees of aesthetic, biological and cultural value. Member of the Ancient Yew Group and the Ancient Tree Forum, with more than two decades of experience as a Local Authority Tree Officer. Has served as tree protection officer at the Chelsea Flower Show. Since 2022 he has delivered training for the Arboricultural Association. He is a member of the committee of the Arboricultural Association’s Scottish branch.

Reg Harris

Arborist

Consultant specialising in working with veteran and ancient trees. He has been an arborist for more than 35 years and works at some of the best sites in the UK with large populations of old trees, including the internationally renowned Sherwood Forest. Over the past 20-plus years he has been instrumental in promoting and developing pruning techniques to help safeguard these trees, along with extensive experience in habitat creation work and the veteranisation of younger trees. Reg holds Vetcert certification at both practitioner and consultant level and is also a Vetcert examiner.

María García Martín

Arborist

Arborist, forestry worker and teacher. Passionate about farmland trees and the cultural landscapes that arise from their traditional management. Committed to preserving this heritage, she has coordinated and carried out pruning work on pollarded trees and has delivered arboriculture training aimed at their conservation and recovery. She is the author of the book Guía para la gestión y la poda del roble trasmocho.

Samuel Alvarez

Forestry Engineer

With a professional career that began in 1995, he works as an arborist specialising in the conservation and management of trees, and has worked independently since 1999. He holds the European Tree Technician accreditation. In 2007 he founded TREPLARI, the Basque-Navarrese Association of Arborists. His specialisation in old trees and remarkable specimens has led him to carry out numerous interventions, especially in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, where he combines technical experience, knowledge of trees and a vision centred on their conservation.

Juan Estrada

Arborist

Founder and technical director of Forest Roots S.L., a company specialising in the management and conservation of veteran and monumental trees. Develops urban arboriculture, forest management and remarkable-tree conservation projects in south-eastern Spain. Specialist in biomechanical assessment, risk analysis and sustainable tree management. Researches traditional dehesa management techniques and cultural pruning practices in north-west Toledo. Integrates technical, ethnobotanical and cultural-landscape knowledge in the conservation of tree heritage. Contributor to specialist publications such as La Cultura del Árbol, Árboles Singulares and Al-Basit.

Gerard Passola Parcerissa

Biologist

Consultant in arboriculture, specialising in the conservation of high-value trees, specimen transplanting, special anchoring systems and physiological recovery. Works mainly in Spain, with consultancy and training projects in Europe and the Americas. Specialist in urban tree management, risk studies, master plans and technical reports. Author of numerous articles and of the books Hongos xilófagos que viven en los árboles, Apuntes de Raíces and Trasplantes.

J. Gaspar Bernárdez Villegas

PhD in Agricultural and Forestry Research

Works as an arborist at the Estación Fitopatolóxica do Areeiro, part of the Pontevedra Provincial Council (Diputación de Pontevedra), where he carries out tree assessment, diagnosis and conservation. His research focuses on the remarkable trees of Galicia, the biodiversity associated with veteran trees and vascular flora. His doctoral thesis analyses the conservation status of more than a thousand remarkable trees and tree formations, considering their natural, historical, cultural and landscape values. He has taken part in projects to inventory and conserve tree heritage.

Chabier de Jaime Lorén

PhD in Geography

Has worked as a teacher of Biology and Geology in Secondary Education. Was the promoter and managing director of the Alto Alfambra Pollarded Poplar Cultural Park (Parque Cultural del Chopo Cabecero del Alto Alfambra). His doctoral thesis focused on the pollarded poplars of southern Aragon. He has driven the conservation and promotion of these remarkable trees, and has also contributed to the socioeconomic development and cultural promotion of the area. A member of the Centro de Estudios del Jiloca, he organises the annual Pollarded Poplar Festival (Fiesta del Chopo Cabecero) and researches the trees’ ecology. He is the author of numerous books and scientific articles on trees, birds, education and the environment in Aragon.

Matthew Shute

Arborist

Works as a consultant arborist with solid practical experience in tree work. Since moving into consultancy in 2021 he has specialised in tree safety and in the management of ancient and veteran trees. He continues to work on selected veteran-tree projects, including propping and support work. He holds the European VETcert certification at both operational and consultant level, and acts as a VETcert examiner for the Arboricultural Association in the UK.

Ricardo Barberá Soriano.

Forestry Technical Engineer

Began his professional career in the environmental field as a works manager and author of forestry projects; since 2012 his work has focused on the protection and conservation of monumental and remarkable trees. He works in the VAERSA-CIEF tree heritage team; the CIEF (Centre for Forest Research and Experimentation) is the body of the regional environment department that leads the management of tree heritage in the Valencian Community.

Gabriel Saralegi

Forestry Technical Engineer

Expert and judge in rural sports, instructor at the aizkolari (wood-chopping) school in Leitza. Has been involved in pollarding work in Leitza, Navarre, for 20 years. Leader of the Cultural Practices workshop, together with Juan Estrada and Fabián Carreras.

Programme

28 January

Lecture day

Morning session

08:00 – 08:30
Reception and registration Arrival of participants and distribution of documentation.
08:30 – 09:00
Gerard Passola Talk. Title to be confirmed.
09:05 – 09:35
Ted Green Opening lecture: “Friendships made under our ancient trees know no boundaries”
09:40 – 10:10
Helen Read Cultural landscapes with pollards: Importance for biodiversity, threats and future management.
10:10 – 10:20
Questions and discussion Joint discussion with the session's speakers.
10:20 – 11:00
Coffee break and snacks Mid-morning breakfast and snacks.
11:05 – 11:35
Juan Estrada Dehesas as a stronghold of traditional management on a large scale. Toledo and Extremadura.
11:40 – 12:10
Chabier de Jaime Pollarded poplars in southern Aragon. A natural and cultural heritage.
12:15 – 12:45
Miguel Mari Elosegui The pollarded beech. Navarre.
12:45 – 12:55
Break
12:55 – 13:25
María García Martín The pollarded oak. Q. pyrenaica. Madrid.
13:30 – 14:00
J. Gaspar Bernárdez Villegas The pollarded chestnut and its traditional uses: the cultural landscape of the soutos of Galicia.
14:00 – 15:30
Lunch

Afternoon session

15:30 – 15:35
Welcome back Return from lunch.
15:35 – 16:05
Chris Knapman Castanada: A Celebration of Monumental Celtic Chestnuts – Value, Conservation and Management
16:10 – 16:40
Vikki Bengtsson Pollarding in Sweden, then and now
16:45 – 17:15
Reg Harris Conservation techniques for trees whose pollarding cycle has lapsed.
17:20 – 17:30
Closing Words for Ted and close of the conference.

29 January

Field workshop day

6 groupsof up to 20 people

30 + 10 minof workshop + travel

Picnicshared, 30 minutes

Schedule

08:15 – 08:40
Reception Reception and formation of the six groups.
08:40 – 09:00
Transfer Explanation of how the day works and travel to the first station.
09:00 – 11:30
Rotations 1 to 4 30 minutes of workshop and 10 minutes of travel per rotation.
11:40 – 12:10
Picnic Shared 30-minute stop for participants and workshop leaders.
12:20 – 13:30
Rotations 5 and 6 30 minutes of workshop and 10 minutes of travel per rotation.
13:30
End of rotations Regrouping and coordinated return to the meeting point.