David Lloyd-Jones, President of the International Society of Arboriculture UK+I Chapter recounts his childhood experience of school nature walks, and discusses how changed attitudes indicate great promise for new generations.

David Lloyd-Jones considers children today to be more closely engaged with their environment. 
I attended good primary schools but can only ever remember going on one nature walk. How things have changed.  Today, children have the opportunity to closely examine and understand the organisms around them. This gives the new generation a heightened appreciation of the environment, which was perhaps lacking in the past.

Whilst training to become an Arborist, my close study of interdependent organisms revealed how detached we had become from our immediate biosphere. Children of this and subsequent generations will never be so disassociated and that can only be good.

Schools can now Benefit from Stimulating and Diverse Grounds. 
There are valuable initiatives in place to help diversify school fields: Landrover offer free trees to locally administered grants and there are many lesser known locally run schemes to consider. Talking to your Education Authority Environmental Adviser is a good place to start.

All sources of assistance should be utilised to sensitise the children by exposure to the natural environment.

Arborists Can Provide Far-Sighted Advice for the Design of School Fields.
When planting, careful consideration must be given to the final size and spread of the mature tree, along with the potential impact of the root system on any boundaries or buildings. Professional Arborists can offer these and other long-sighted insights avoiding eventual conflicts, by design.

Trees Create a Healthier School along with New Learning Opportunities 
Through Ozone depletion and reducing UV filtration there is a growing appreciation of the natural UV protection provided by trees. 
Educational opportunities include:

1. Trunk or leaf rubbing
2. Mini environmental audits
3. Nature watch - trees and shrubs provide nesting and feeding site for bats, birds and insects. Increasing biodiversity within the school grounds would not be complete without trees.

The Role of the Arborist 
Consulting Arborist Society members and ISA Certified Arborists are qualified to advise on any issues relating to new or existing trees and, how to make the school grounds more vibrant species banks for the school children. Arborists can not only advise on the safe management, but, could also come up with innovative suggestions for recycling the stumps and woodchips within the grounds.

Eco-Diversity in Schools 
As an arboricultural contractor and consultant I am pleased to have led the drive for ecological diversity in schools by offering a service creating:

1. Species Rich ponds
2. Woodlands
3. Hedgerows
4. Timber and Woodchip Activity Landscaping projects.

Of the 140 projects we have completed, these have far and away accounted for the greatest number.

Activity Landscaping Design Guidance Booklet
This is available for free download from www.Arbornauts.com to all primary schools in the UK. The Booklet is written in accordance with National Curriculum Key Stage 2 and takes the children through the whole design and implementation process, allowing them to design their own playground features.

The prevailing trends of my early years inspired me to learn more about eco-systems and interdependency of species. Now that the outdoors is beginning to come into the classroom and vice versa, we can be proud that children are now more responsive and empathic to environmental threats, if and when they occur.