Arboricultural Association Scottish Branch AGM and public lectures and awards

Activity: Other activity typesPublic engagement and outreach - public lecture/debate/seminar

Description

The Arboricultural Association's Scotland Branch held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, 25th January 2025, at the Baxter Park Centre in Dundee. The event featured a series of talks, an awards ceremony, and a guided tour.

Programme Highlights:

Morning Session:

Welcome and Introduction: The Scotland Branch Chair commenced the meeting with opening remarks.
Talk by Kevin Frediani: As the Curator of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden and Grounds, Kevin presented "Beyond Woodlands and Urban Forests - Exploring the Ecology of Trees," delving into tree ecology.
Talk by Chris Knapman: Chris, the 2013 recipient of the National Arboricultural Aaward and National Consultant, discussed "Castanarda" shedding light on the heritage sweet chestnut trees of Spain.
Awards and AGM:

Ken Martin Memorial Award (Kevin Frediani, University of Dundee) and Tom Hall Literary Award (Dr Many Haggith, UHI: These awards were presented to honour notable contributions in the field.
Annual General Meeting: The formal AGM proceedings took place, discussing branch activities and future plans.
Afternoon Activities:

Guided Tour: Participants embarked on a walk led by Dr Susan Bains through Baxter Park, learning about its history and trees. The tour continued to the Stobswell Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) garden with insights from Ali Floyd and by Kevin Frediani explaining the Robertson Street Wee forest and community garden. The day concluded with an overview of Dundee's Eden Project by Caishlan Sweeney, highlighting its main objectives.
The event provided attendees with valuable insights into arboriculture and urban ecology, fostering discussions on sustainable urban development in Scotland.
Period25 Jan 2025
Degree of RecognitionNational

Keywords

  • Tree ecology
  • arboriculture
  • Community Development
  • Urban Forest
  • Nature-based Solutions
  • Dundee