The Tree Register Patron and Trustees
Founders and Trustees of The Tree Register
Who founded the Tree Register?
Alan Mitchell
The late Alan Mitchell (1922-1995) was an internationally acclaimed dendrologist who came to public notice when his book A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe was first published by Collins in 1974.
Alan studied forestry in Dublin, Ireland from 1947-51, gaining a degree before going briefly to Trinity Botanic Garden and then the Forestry Commission as assistant geneticist at the Alice Holt Research Station, Surrey, England. His work gave him access to many private estates in search for the selection of fine trees for seed collection. He had an insatiable thirst for compiling lists, helped by a genuine photographic memory for statistics.
His travels enabled him to find and re-measure trees recorded by JC Loudon in the 1800's, Elwes and Henry 1906-1913, the 1890 and 1930 Conifer Conference Reports by the Royal Horticultural Society and the more recent work of the Hon. Maynard Greville in the 1950's.
His continuing work provided most of the data for the 1970 Conifer Conference. In 1972 the Forestry Commission published his detailed descriptions, identification and further data on exceptional specimens as their Booklet 33 Conifers in the British Isles. This work led to the Collins Field Guide and a later Pocket Guide both still selling well. He received the Royal Horticultural Society's Veitch Memorial Medal for his data on conifers and a Victoria Medal of Honour in 1970.
His continuing search for rare and exceptional trees enabled the Forestry Commission to publish the first comprehensive list of Champion Trees which they continued to update until 1994. Alan retired from the Forestry Commission in 1986 and set up a consultancy service Green Scene with Victoria Schilling (then Hallett) before founding the Tree Register in 1988. Alan continued measuring and recording trees on his hand written card index completing records of over 100,000 trees before his death in 1995.
Image Right: The Honorable Maynard Greville pictured at Highclere Berkshire in the 1950`s.
Victoria Schilling
Victoria Schilling worked alongside Alan Mitchell as assistant dendrologist at Alice Holt for many years before Alan retired and together they set up the tree consultancy Green Scene.
By 1988 they realised the future of this vast register of trees would be best protected within a charity and through its trustees. Vicky became the driving force of this new charity called The Tree Register (TROBI), encouraging a band of keen volunteers to help update and expand the Register. By 1995 the Forestry Commission had recognised the Tree Register's exceptional status and began passing all inquiries on data collection and champion trees directly to the charity.
After working as the Tree Register Registrar, Secretary and Treasurer and at one time all three, Vicky retired and moved from Sussex to a new home with husband Tony in the north west of Scotland. After a relatively short illness Vicky sadly died in November 2019. In 2020 The Tree Register set up the Vicky Schilling Bursary to help fund tree measuring volunteers.
Trustees and Officers
Patron
The former Prince of Wales
The former Prince of Wales was born Charles Phillip Arthur George at Buckingham Palace on 14th November 1948.
The former Prince of Wales has a wide variety of interests, enjoys gardening, sports and the performing arts and painting in watercolours.
King Charles III, formally known as The Prince of Wales, became King on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.
In addition to his official and ceremonial duties in the United Kingdom and overseas as The Prince of Wales, His Majesty has taken a keen and active interest in all areas of public life for decades. The King has been instrumental in establishing more than 20 charities over 40 years, including The Prince's Trust, The Prince's Foundation and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF).
His Majesty has worked closely with many organisations, publicly supporting a wide variety of causes relating to the environment, rural communities, the built environment, the arts, healthcare and education.
Vice President
Mrs Philippa Mitchell
The widow of Alan Mitchell, co-founder of The Tree Register. She is a keen naturalist.
Trustees
Colin Hall
Chairman of Trustees. Retired partner in a leading firm of solicitors in the City of London and keen conservationist.
Maurice Foster VMH
Owner of a private arboretum in south-east England, with plantings of known wild provenance. A member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee.
Thomas Pakenham VMM
World renowned author, chairman of Irish Tree Society and custodian of Tullynally Castle, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.
Author of the best selling book: Meetings with Remarkable Trees.
Roy Lancaster CBE VMH
A freelance writer, broadcaster, lecturer and garden advisor who has enjoyed a distinguished career as plantsman and botanical explorer worldwide.
Rupert Eley
Manages his own arboretum at East Bergholt Place, Suffolk. A member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee.
Tony Kirkham MBE VMH
Retired Head of the Arboretum at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Author and appeared in the television series "Trees that made Britain". A member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee.
Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd
Heads the internationally renowned Arabella Lennox-Boyd Landscape Design practice which has been designing landscapes around the world for over 40 years.
Jim Gardiner VMH
Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society. Jim retired after a 28-year career at the society as its curator and horticulture director. A member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee.
Jill Butler
Freelance expert advising on ancient trees. Jill specialises in old growth, forest, wood pasture and parkland trees.
Philippa Lewis
Senior Environmental Advisor for Highways England. Philippa has also been our European Representative since 2015 and has previously volunteered for the Tree Register as Membership Secretary and helped archive materials now held at Kew.
Director (Hon)
David Alderman
Freelance dendrologist. David supports the Trustees and is the Tree Register database manager and volunteer network co-ordinator. As part of the Tree Register partnership with the Woodland Trust he is the Head Verifier for the Ancient Tree Inventory.
Registrar (Hon)
Dr Owen Johnson MBE VMM
Dendrologist, conservationist and author of The Sussex Tree Book, the Collins Tree Guide, Champion Trees of Britain and Ireland and Arboretum. Received the MBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to the environment, which Owen received from Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle and in April 2020 was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal (VMM) by the RHS (later awarded at a ceremony in 2021 due to Covid-19).
Secretary and Treasurer (Hon)
Celene Pickard
In March 2023 Celene became only our third secretary, after Vicky Schilling and Pamela Stevenson.
Celene brings a wealth of experience as one of her other roles is as Executive and Membership Secretary for the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge.
Ancient Yew Recorder (Hon)
Tim Hills
Retired teacher. Leading authority and recorder of more than 1,000 ancient yew trees. Organises the Ancient Yew Group who in partnership with the Tree Register maintains the web site The Ancient Yew.
News Editor and Events co-ordinator (Hon)
Alison Evershed
School Administrator (ex-Ancient Tree Hunt Project Officer at the Woodland Trust)
Volunteer support (Hon)
Clair McFarlan
Environmental Consultant
Hon. President
The Earl of Rosse
A founding Trustee since 1988 retiring to become President in 2023.
The family home of the Earl's of Rosse at Birr Castle, Co.Offaly, Ireland are the largest gardens in the country and feature thousands of trees and plants propagated from seed that was collected all over the world by three generations.
At least 50 trees at Birr Castle are champion trees of Britain and Ireland
Past Presidents
Tony Schilling VMH (Hon. President 1995-2022)
Tony was a horticultural consultant, lecturer and author. Retired Curator of Wakehurst Place, "Kew in the country" and plant hunter. Tony set up the Vicky Schilling Bursary in 2019 in memory of his wife Vicky, co-founder of The Tree Register.