Epping Forest Biodiversity Officer - Andy Froud - E37

Girl in a Tree – Bianca Thomas - @girlinatree – E41

Bianca Thomas is a climbing arborist whose sole purpose in life has become to learn and gather wisdom from trees, following an ayahuasca induced epiphany that she’s never looked back from.  In this end of season special with a final twist, Bianca tells Tom why trees have become her most trusted of guides since leaving behind a career in molecular biology, how her newfound partners are connecting her to an ever-expanding network of other tree inspired people and why the margins of conversation where science, spirituality and human storytelling intersect are providing by far the most reliable sources of curiosity. Watch this interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/_t0AcTWN9gc [https://youtu.be/_t0AcTWN9gc] Read more about how Bianca turned to trees here: https://arbortec.com/blogs/news/tree-surgeon-uk-a-woman-s-path-to-arboriculture?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad1NrSma1yL5GVAj5pcrlsn5qddJvgE8JNlNlf3rmK630RlvNyE68ckt3a3uA_aem_ODqkuzzGzUzUMMTnb_0C6A [https://arbortec.com/blogs/news/tree-surgeon-uk-a-woman-s-path-to-arboriculture?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad1NrSma1yL5GVAj5pcrlsn5qddJvgE8JNlNlf3rmK630RlvNyE68ckt3a3uA_aem_ODqkuzzGzUzUMMTnb_0C6A] Check out Bianca’s YouTube channel and go deeper into her story of personal connection with all things arboreal here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbr51I6t0Zkks4sUcVXwqtA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbr51I6t0Zkks4sUcVXwqtA] Find links to all The Meaning of Trees content and episodes here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast [https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast]

Natural Burial Site Owner - Simon Ferrar - E40

TEDx speaker, Simon Ferrar, is founder and creator of Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground, a multi award winning nature reserve where people are laid to rest sustainably, in harmony with natural processes.  Tom gets Simon's thoughts on how trees are like silent watchers over our lives, learns about the ancient burial practices coming back to life at Clandon Wood and asks for advice on how best to plan for his own death one day. Find out more about Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground here - https://www.clandonwood.com/ [https://www.clandonwood.com/] See Simon's TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HHwBH_fWSI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HHwBH_fWSI] Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast [https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast]

Tree Hugging Lawyer - Sarah Dodd - E39

Sarah Dodd is CEO and founder of the UK’s first and only law firm specialising solely in tree-specific legal and protection issues.  With the dust still settling after the Sycamore Gap trial, Tom gets Sarah’s expert opinion on exactly where this world famous case now leaves us, what might have motivated those who felled the iconic tree that night and how likely a similar event might be tomorrow. Learn more about Sarah’s firm, Tree Law, here:  https://www.treelaw.co.uk/ [https://www.treelaw.co.uk/] Check out the recording of Sarah's 2025 Tree Law conference here: https://youtu.be/9GelfB7sOY4?si=9a57O4Y_bD0wUpu5 [https://youtu.be/9GelfB7sOY4?si=9a57O4Y_bD0wUpu5] Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast [https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast]

Tree Bat Guru - Jim Mulholland - E38

Jim Mulholland is a bat and veteran tree specialist with a knack for leaving a big impression in the expert talks and training courses he delivers. In this wide-ranging interview, recorded at Savernake Forest, Tom and Jim cover everything from bat poo, bat discos and Batman to neurodiversity in the scientific communities Jim is a part of and why Die Hard's opening scene is something we could all learn a thing or two from. Sign up for Jim's Bats & Trees Masterclass training here: https://bats.thinkific.com/courses/Bats-and-Trees-Masterclass [https://bats.thinkific.com/courses/Bats-and-Trees-Masterclass] Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast [https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast]

Epping Forest Biodiversity Officer - Andy Froud - E37

Nobody knows Epping Forest quite like Andy Froud, a man who has spent the past quarter century looking after its 55,000 veteran trees and getting up close and personal with the super-rare wildlife that lives in and alongside them. Tom and Andy chat about his early years spent in West Ham Park, the challenges of managing a vast ancient forest just 15 miles from Big Ben and how to correctly identify a daddy long legs. Learn more about Epping Forest here: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/how-we-manage-epping-forest [https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cityoflondon.gov.uk%2Fthings-to-do%2Fgreen-spaces%2Fepping-forest%2Fhow-we-manage-epping-forest&data=05%7C02%7CThomas.Hill%40nationaltrust.org.uk%7C0f378227c204400f307908dde490a371%7C0fba79b96423460d88eff9c3d4ca2e9f%7C0%7C0%7C638918032072258750%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Wo2BN6iuPLEn1eqdGLsEJD7v1t7sJIQODW8cem3lCiQ%3D&reserved=0]  Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast channels and content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast [https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast]