Gabriel Hemery
Encyclopedia
Dr Gabriel Hemery is an English
forest
scientist
and silvologist
. He co-founded the Sylva Foundation
with Sir Martin Wood, a tree and forestry charity established in 2009.
in Oxfordshire. He later became Director of Development for the Botanical Society of the British Isles
, returning to forestry to establish the Forestry Horizons think-tank in 2006. He is currently Chief Executive of the Sylva Foundation
. He has played an active role in the Institute of Chartered Foresters
and is a Fellow of the ICF .
.
He was a founding member of the British
and Irish Hardwoods Improvement Programme
establishing a number of forestry field trials across the UK and Ireland (e.g.).
He gained a DPhil degree at the Department of Plant Sciences
at the University of Oxford
on the genetic improvement of walnut
. His research took him to the walnut fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan
where he collected thousands of Juglans regia seeds for field trials back in the UK. He then researched and published numerous articles pertaining to the silviculture
(e.g.) and genetic improvement of walnut.
He initiated an agroforestry
research project in the mid 1990s, combining free-range broiler chicken
with newly established woodland
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and silvologist
Silvology
Silvology is the study of forests and woods, incoporating both the understanding of natural forest ecosystems and the design of silvicultural systems....
. He co-founded the Sylva Foundation
Sylva Foundation
The Sylva Foundation is a tree and forestry organisation established in 2008, and registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2009. It is based in a rural location in the small village of Little Wittenham in Oxfordshire, England...
with Sir Martin Wood, a tree and forestry charity established in 2009.
Career
He began his career at the Northmoor TrustNorthmoor Trust
The Northmoor Trust was set up in 1969 by the British engineer Sir Martin Wood to promote environmental conservation through land management, education and land science...
in Oxfordshire. He later became Director of Development for the Botanical Society of the British Isles
Botanical Society of the British Isles
The Botanical Society of the British Isles is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botanical Society of London in 1836...
, returning to forestry to establish the Forestry Horizons think-tank in 2006. He is currently Chief Executive of the Sylva Foundation
Sylva Foundation
The Sylva Foundation is a tree and forestry organisation established in 2008, and registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2009. It is based in a rural location in the small village of Little Wittenham in Oxfordshire, England...
. He has played an active role in the Institute of Chartered Foresters
Institute of Chartered Foresters
The Institute of Chartered Foresters is the professional body for foresters and arborists in the United Kingdom. Its Royal Charter was granted in 1982. The Institute grants recognised qualifications to individuals, particularly MICFor , and requires its members to undertake Continuing Professional...
and is a Fellow of the ICF .
Forestry Research
He designed and established a new woodland and centre for hardwood forestry research; Paradise WoodParadise Wood
Paradise Wood is a research woodland being established by the Earth Trust between the villages of Little Wittenham and Long Wittenham in Oxfordshire England.Planning for the wood started in 1992 and tree planting began in 1993...
.
He was a founding member of the British
and Irish Hardwoods Improvement Programme
British and Irish Hardwoods Improvement Programme
The is a registered charity in England and Wales, and in Ireland.It aims to improve and increase the stock of hardwood trees in Britain and Ireland. The charity is supported by a network of organisations . It has six species groups that lead research for:* ash* birch* cherry* oak* sycamore*...
establishing a number of forestry field trials across the UK and Ireland (e.g.).
He gained a DPhil degree at the Department of Plant Sciences
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford
The Department of Plant Sciences, at the University of Oxford, focusses on research and teaching in plant and fungal biology.- History :Forestry was an important part of the university under the name of the Imperial Forest Institute , later the Commonwealth Forest Institute from 1939...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
on the genetic improvement of walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
. His research took him to the walnut fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
where he collected thousands of Juglans regia seeds for field trials back in the UK. He then researched and published numerous articles pertaining to the silviculture
Silviculture
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- + culture...
(e.g.) and genetic improvement of walnut.
He initiated an agroforestry
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock.It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.-Definitions:According to...
research project in the mid 1990s, combining free-range broiler chicken
Broiler
A broiler is a type of chicken raised specifically for meat production. Modern commercial broilers, typically known as Cornish crosses or Cornish-Rocks are specially bred for large scale, efficient meat production and grow much faster than egg or traditional dual purpose breeds...
with newly established woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
.