Lessons from Trees: Walk and Talk with Arborists Bianca Thomas and Al Wolski

Join Bianca, owner of Girl in a Tree and a molecular biologist turned arborist, and Al, a seasoned tree expert with over 25 years of experience, for a tour that’s as inspiring as it is informative.

Bianca’s journey from the lab to the canopy is a reminder that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself or pursue a life more connected to nature. This talk begins by exploring how to start a career in arboriculture—or how to change direction and build a fulfilling new path working with trees. Al will take you through what he has learned from working on trees over the last 25+ years: the lessons trees have taught him, the evolution of the industry, and what it really means to work with nature over decades. You’ll then learn how to observe and read trees: to recognise their language and understand what they’re telling us. Are they stressed or thriving? What does the presence of fungi reveal? And why is deadwood sometimes essential to a tree’s wellbeing?

Finally, Bianca and Al will share what good tree care looks like in a practical garden setting—how trees respond to different cuts and why—and, in light of our changing climate, which species are best to plant for the future.

Leave the session feeling inspired and equipped with practical insights to help you make better, more confident decisions about your own trees—and perhaps even about your own next chapter.