Trees are the essence of many of our landscapes. Wood surrounds us in our places of work and in our homes yet few people stop and wonder where it has come from. Is it acceptable to cut down a tree for its wood in the modern age? How can the felling of a 150 year old tree be ‘sustainable’?
In 2009 the Sylva Foundation, then a new charity, set out to communicate important messages about sustainable forestry to the general public; told through the life of a single tree. The OneOak project has since engaged with hundreds of school children and thousands of visitors, together with dozens of craftspeople to tell the story of one oak tree; through science, art and its products. Learn how the tree became the most studied in Britain, how it inspired original film, paintings and music, and how dozens of wood products have been derived from the tree, from a boat to fine furniture, from sculpture to spoons, from smoked salmon to firewood.
Dr Gabriel Hemery is Chief Executive of the Sylva Foundation, a forest scientist and writer.