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Trustees and Founder President

The Ancient Tree Forum is a charity (registered in 1998) and a Company Limited by Guarantee. There are currently 10 trustees, who are also the company directors. They are all volunteers who have been elected on to the board, and bring a wide range of expertise and experience to the ATF

Keith Alexander, trustee

Keith Alexander is a professional invertebrate ecologist who specialises in the fauna of decaying wood and particularly the rarer and more threatened species associated with ancient and veteran trees. He is the joint author of the European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles (2010) and Honorary Specialist Advisor to the IUCN on European Saproxylic Beetles. Keith represents the ATF on Invertebrate Link, the forum for voluntary and professional organisations involved in the conservation and study of invertebrates in the UK. He also leads the working group that organises the ATF’s field meetings.
Dave Clayden, trustee

David Clayden is a conservation officer for Natural England and has worked for the statutory nature conservation agencies for many years in Wales, the Lake District and the North York Moors, managing ancient tree sites such as Forge Valley Woods, Scarborough and Duncombe Park. He leads both the Natural England partnership group for the ATF, and the Wood pasture and parkland inventory group.
Caroline Davis, trustee

Caroline Davis MBE (Co Vice Chair) is a Fellow and former Vice Chair of the Arboricultural Association, and recipient of its Award for Services to Arboriculture. She has in depth knowledge and experience of legal protection for trees, and of planning issues, having worked in local and national government, where, as arboricultural advisor she facilitated publication of tree management books, and later co-authored the Veteran Trees Initiative’s 'Veteran Trees: A guide to risk and responsibility’. Caroline is a past Chair of The Tree Council, and currently leads their Green Monuments campaign. She leads the Policy and consultation working group of the ATF.
Neville Fay, trustee

Neville Fay was founding chair of the ATF for 12 years, and also founded the charity Tree Aid. As an Institute of Chartered Foresters chartered arboriculturist, and director of an environmental practice, he lectures internationally on ancient trees, conservation arboriculture, tree management and public safety. He sits on the National Tree Safety Group and the London Tree Officers Association, and co-authored ‘The Specialist Survey Method’, the national standard for surveying veteran trees. Neville is a professional member of the Arboricultural Association, and in 2009 was granted its Award for Services to Arboriculture. He leads the ATF’s Pest and Disease working group.
Brian Muelaner, trustee

Brian Muelaner worked for the National Trust for 27 years until 2014, most recently as their Ancient Tree advisor, and he has extensive knowledge of wood pasture and parkland sites across England. He was founder and Chair of the Cornwall ATF, which was the first fully affiliated regional ATF in the country, and has managed historic parklands containing some of the most important ancient and veteran trees in Cornwall. Brian leads the ATF's Strategy and funding, National Trust Partnership and Forestry Commission Partnership groups.
John Smith, trustee

John Smith (Secretary and acting Treasurer) has a great deal of experience in veteran tree recording and conservation, and the use of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems), through his work with two mapping and cartographic companies. John has a passion for veteran trees, and in the late 1990s, he pioneered the use of differential GPS for mapping trees and sites.
Vikki Bengtsson, trustee

Vikki Bengtsson (Co Vice Chair) has worked for the City of London and the National Trust, and now lives in Sweden where she works as an ecologist. Her prime interests are the protection and practical management of wood pastures and ancient trees. Vikki speaks fluent Swedish and has helped develop the ATF’s activities in Sweden, including the VETree project in which Pro Natura, the co-operative consultancy she works for, was a partner. She also delivers training in Sweden and England on the management and wildlife significance of ancient and veteran trees, and leads the ATF’s training group.
Tim Hill, trustee

Tim’s interest in trees began in Highgate Cemetery, when in 1973, a photo in The Daily Telegraph showed him planting trees with a group of conservation volunteers ‘to offset losses caused by disease, urban sprawl and intensive agriculture’. He has recently retired from the role of Woodward, an honorary title bestowed on him by Thoresby Estate, in the heart of Sherwood Forest. As their forestry consultant, he had the privilege of working amongst and protecting the legacy of its ancient oaks, whilst at the same time ensuring that the mixed plantation woodland running at a profit. Tim has also worked for the Woodland Trust , and run his own woodland management business in the East Midlands for the past 30 years
Russell Miller, trustee

Russell Miller (Chair) is a professional arboriculturalist and ecologist with a particular interest in the ecology of veteran trees. He works in London and the Scottish Highlands teaching, surveying and working with volunteers. He is a founder of Hackney's Tree Musketeers and also set up Sustainable Hackney. His previous career was in Human Rights law. He is a life long campaigner for environmental and social justice. Russell is set to become Chair of the ATF in July 2016.
Reg Harris, trustee

Reg has worked as an arborist for 30 years, and is the director of an arboricultural contracting company that specialises in working on veteran trees. He is a lead assessor for the Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor Scheme, and was responsible for introducing the European Tree Worker qualification to the UK. Reg has a key role in liaising between the Arboricultural Association and the ATF. He regularly contributes to training courses on veteran tree work at Hatfield Forest for the National Trust, and is the founder of the East Anglian branch of the ATF.
Chris Knapman, trustee

Chris Knapman co-founded Devon Ancient Tree Forum in August 2005. He was a Plymouth City Council Tree Officer between 1995 and 2016 and now works as an independent ecological and arboricultural consultant. He is also an assessor for the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme and has worked as Tree Protection Officer for the RHS at Chelsea Flower Show. Chris is also a member of the Ancient Yew Group and is developing guidance with regard to their sensitive care and management. He is inspired by the aesthetics, biology and culture of all ancient trees and their associated treescapes. The developing field of conservation and heritage arboriculture is of particular interest.
Ted Green, Founder President

Ted Green MBE is Founder President of ATF, and Conservation Consultant to the Crown Estate, Windsor. He is an advocate of modern arboriculture who has shown that ancient trees have greatly increased our understanding of the aging process of trees and the co-evolutionary relationships between trees, fungi and other microorganisms. Ted has gained the Arboricultural Association Award for Services to Arboriculture and his knowledge, and ability to share his knowledge, have also been recognised by the award of an honorary lectureship at Imperial College, University of London. He is also Vice President of the International Tree Foundation