A Passion for Trees : The Legacy of John Evelyn

By urging the planting of timber trees “for the supply of the Navy, the employment and advantage of the poor as well as the ornamenting of the nation” John Evelyn was responsible for a great influx of tree introductions in the 17th century, creating a lasting impact on Britain’s landscape.



There can be no better place to begin a celebration of our trees than with John Evelyn. This luminary of the seventeenth century was not only one of the founders of The Royal Society, gardener, diarist and royal advisor, but he was also the author of a number of exceptional horticultural works. The greatest of these is Sylva: a Discourse of Forest Trees, published in 1664. The product of the nation's urgent need for more timber, Sylva is also among the first books in English to show an appreciation of the decorative value of trees and the benefit of planting trees to shape the landscape.
Maggie Campbell-Culver's book might be described as a stroll through the woods in the company of the great man, as between them they give us portraits of over thirty of our best-loved trees, their peculiar characteristics, history and uses. Evelyn's work speaks to us as much now as it did to his contemporaries; as his influence echoes down the centuries, he emerges as a precursor of the present-day environmental movement. While the practical and aesthetic uses of trees may have altered a little, our need to appreciate our trees and to preserve and manage our woodlands remains as crucial now as ever.