John Parker

Title: Tree management in the UK: Challenges and opportunities

Biography: John Parker has been Chief Executive Officer of the Arboricultural Association since July 2021, and previously held the role of Technical Director at the Association from August 2019. John is UK & Ireland President of the International Society of Arboriculture, a member of the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) International Steering Group and a UK representative on the European Arboricultural Council. He is a Chartered Environmentalist, Chartered Forester and an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Biology. He frequently presents at national and international conferences and has delivered a TED Talk entitled Why trees are better than people (available on YouTube). Since spring 2020 John has chaired the Arboricultural Association webinar series, covering a huge range of topics to a global audience. From 2012-2019 John was a member of the Executive Committee of the London Tree Officers Association, which he Chaired in 2016-18, and until 2019 he was a Director of the National Association of Tree Officers. In 2018 he was named Young European Urban Forester of the Year and in 2022 he was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in Horticulture by Pro Landscaper Magazine. From 2020 until 2022 he was as a Trustee of the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, the national UK tree collection. John is interested in public engagement, green equity and promoting the benefits of trees, with particular consideration for their social and cultural value. He is the founder of the Stonehouse Community Arboretum and is a Trustee of the Doverow Hill Trust.