With Ian Allan of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah
What are some common misconceptions about trees? How can we foster meaningful experiences with them? In which situations does anthropomorphizing work and not work? Arborist Ian Allan spends most of his time among trees in the 200 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Wilderness Area that he manages in New South Wales, Australia. He has amassed a treasure trove of stories and insights about the woody giants that surround us and provide so many ecosystems services. Ian joined us to discuss how to connect trees with people — both the initiated and the uninitiated. He also shared some details about a new project being conducted in partnership with a local First Nation.
Guest:
Ian Allan achieved his dream in 2016 by becoming the Supervisor of Natural Areas, Arboriculture, and Open Space at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. With over 20 years of experience, he now looks after one of the best cool climate tree collections in Australia, manages hundreds of hectares of World Heritage quality wilderness, helps present incredible lawns and gardens whilst conserving vulnerable species like the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and Dwarf Mountain Pine (Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii). He still remembers planting his first tree on Arbor Day as part of Australia’s bicentennial celebrations. The joy he felt at watching the tree grow, and his curious pondering over its blue-grey compound leaves, would lead him into a lifelong love of the natural world and plants.
Episode 62: Energy transition narratives: good-faith, bad-faith, and keeping the faith
Episode 61: A Two-Worlds Approach to nurturing empathy in young children
Episode 60: Nature’s best hope (for kids)
Episode 59: The lives of bees and pollinating wasps
Episode 58: Learning through a forest lens
Episode 57: Regenerating habitat for native pollinators
Episode 56: Having richer and more meaningful conversations with children
Episode 55: Pre-K environmental ed.
Episode 54: Engaging children in climate/waste solutions
Episode 53: The power of nature stories
Episode 52: Two-eyed seeing
Episode 51: Balancing screen time and green time
Episode 50: Navigating ecological threats with storytelling
Episode 49: Comics, cartoons, and humour for climate change ed.
Episode 47: Climate literacy and resilience
Episode 46: Attention restoration theory
Episode 45: World Rivers Day
Episode 44: Phenology-based teaching
Episode 43: Regenerative education, incl. learning session
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The No-Frills Teacher Podcast
Heal, Survive & Thrive!
Summarize | رادیو سامرایز
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast