4th September 2026
My Role as ATF Associate Board Member
by Rhiannon Hoy
In December I was thrilled to be appointed as Associate Board Member to the ATF’s Board of Trustees. So far, I have had the pleasure of joining the other Members in the Trust’s Board meetings and have bi-monthly catch-ups with my mentor from the panel, Tom Hill, to discuss my progress with the objectives we set out for my development role.
Image: Rhiannon with an ancient hazel
The objective I have enjoyed most has been to visit flagship sites for ancient trees, with my favourite to date being Savernake Forest in Wiltshire – home to the big belly oak! Day-to-day my role at the Woodland Trust as Outreach Adviser is to support private landowners with ancient woodland restoration and ancient tree protection and management. The two organisations are already known for their great partnership working in the world of ancient trees, but the additional crossovers and support that my Associate role has opened for me has been invaluable.
Image: Rhiannon visiting the Big Belly Oak
At the beginning of my term, I gave a tour at one of our landowner sites in Kent to the ATF’s Director, Bob Warnock, and Trustee, Tom Hill, to discuss the support and advice I’ve offered for managing their precious woods and trees. Soon I will be working closely with a VETcert specialist at the same site to delve deeper into the nuances of managing the historic laid hornbeam hedges, whether that be to leave them alone or to bring them back into a slow and gradual management cycle. I am also a VETcert trainee, so what better way to learn than in practice with trees I already know! My upcoming plans are to continue attending the local ATF group walks and I am looking forward to the next meeting with my fellow Board members to discuss all things ancient trees!
Image credits: Rhiannon Hoy
Hugh Milner says:
Posted October 18, 2026 at 8:42 am
Well done. Elevate the Ancient Ones!
James Chambers says:
Posted September 10, 2026 at 8:38 pm
Congratulations on your new appointment, Rhiannon! Exciting times, and a well-deserved new role. Your enthusiasm will serve you well!
Robert says:
Posted September 07, 2026 at 5:33 pm
Really interesting to see how the Associate Board Member role connects learning with practical tree management. The experience with the ancient hazel and historic laid hornbeam hedges sounds especially valuable. It’s great to see knowledge being developed through real sites and collaboration.