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Tomorrow's Trees Lecture Series Trees have historically been valued for the timber that they produce and for the land on which they grow. However, natural forest ecosystems contain the majority of terrestrial biodiversity, and trees are also important crops plants. Learn more about this subject with lectures by members of the academic staff from the University of Oxford. Amazonian Trees – Local Knowledge and Use Mary Menton From medicinal products to fruits and nuts, trees provide numerous resources for local communities in the Amazon. This lecture will explore the relationship between local and scientific knowledge of Amazonian trees, focusing on non-timber forest products, their importance for local livelihoods and limitations to sustainable harvests. Monday 9th November 2009 Trees Outside Woodlands: Hidden Changes in Britain’s Tree Cover Nick Brown A very large proportion of Britain’s trees are found in parks, gardens, streets and hedgerows. Over the last 50 years there have been startling changes in their numbers and distribution that have gone largely unnoticed. In this talk evidence, collected this year in collaboration with the Woodland Trust, will be presented showing where the losses and gains have been greatest. The talk will examine what the ecological consequences of these changes are likely to be. Monday 16th November 2009 Fungi or Fertiliser? Sarah Watkinson Why do farm crops need fertiliser, while woodlands do not? The answer is that trees use symbiotic fungi – mycorrhiza – to scavenge and channel nutrients. DNA technology is revealing the complexity and diversity of these underground feeding systems. Whether the aim is to grow a wildflower meadow, restore a tropical forest, or grow rare orchids, it’s critical to have the right fungi in the soil. This talk gives the context of current research on plant-symbiotic soil fungi and presents new findings from an Oxfordshire woodland by a team from the Plant Sciences Department. Monday 23rd November 2009 The Causes and Consequences of Plant Diversity Robi Bagchi We are in the midst of one of the largest extinction events in the earth’s history and humans are driving it. Does this loss of biodiversity matter? What processes maintain diversity in natural ecosystems? Robi’s talk will investigate how diversity is maintained in plant communities and how that diversity might be important for the functioning of ecosystems. Monday 30th November 2009 The Living Dead or an Ally for Conservation? David Boshier Forest conversion to agriculture and other uses has dramatically reduced forest cover. This talk examines management of trees in a range of land-uses and the extent to which they can offer conservation, economic and social benefits. Monday 7th December 2009
Lectures take place at 8.00pm in the Daubeny Lecture Theatre at the front of the Botanic Garden. Tickets cost £7.00 or £32.00 for the series (Please note no refreshments are served at these lectures) Special Garden Lecture The Winter Garden Val Bourne We are terribly fortunate to have four seasons and even if global warming disrupts them in the future, our position in the Northern hemisphere causes a seasonal change in light. Low sun picks up detail and deepens colour in an almost theatrical way so late-season perennials and grasses age rather grandly. They may even catch the frost-like icing on a cake. Then as the days lengthen once again the pendulum swings the other way. The first flowers of the New Year appear - setting the gardener’s pulse racing faster than ever. Find out what to grow at this time of year at this talk. Thursday 5th November 2009 This lecture will take place at 8.00pm at the Said Business School.
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