25th August 2026
A Personal Tribute to Neville Fay
By Ted Green – Founder President of the ATF
The tree care world lost a key figure, and I lost a great friend and ancient tree ally, when Neville Fay died on 17 August 2026 after a short illness.
Neville Fay (Credit: ATF)
Keith Alexander and I met Nev in March 1994. By then, there was a growing group of people who were meeting frequently at sites with ancient trees. Nev had been commissioned to work on trees at Ashton Court and we went there to meet him and discuss his management work. Soon after I met him, we talked about how I was watching the ancient oaks in Windsor Great Park grow downwards. This inspired Nev to develop his ideas about Conservation Arboriculture. He coined the phrase that ‘there should be no further avoidable loss of ancient trees’ – one that should always remain an aim for the ATF and the Arboricultural Association.
Nev immediately joined our group and from this time on played a very significant part in the formation of the Ancient Tree Forum (ATF). Building on his experience of working with Tree Aid, Nev led the way in developing the ATF into a charity and Nev was its excellent first chair. By 1996 there was such awareness of the importance of ancient trees that English Nature (later Natural England) developed the Veteran Trees Initiative (1996-2000) which set up various projects and ran many events around England to help spread the word. Nev and I contributed to many of these events and I had a lot of time to get to know him. Through the Initiative, Nev developed the Specialist Survey Methodology and contributed to the guidance materials for the management of ancient trees. He went on to work with others in the production of the National Tree Safety Group and set up the Sustainable Soils Alliance.
We also travelled together to many important European places such as the forest at Fontainebleau, to Versailles to see the impacts of the 1999 ‘hurricane’ and the pollards in the French and Spanish, Basque Pyrenees. As our experience grew, we went on to share platforms together not only in the UK but in many other European countries and Nev became an international leading light for old trees.
Nev excelled at bringing people together, drawing out individual contributions and giving people recognition for their efforts. He would make people feel appreciated and inspire them to get more involved. Through collaboration with other like-minded specialists, he ran a number of very well attended and highly regarded Innovations in Arboriculture Seminars on a wide range of topics. His background in tree work ensured that he always kept a focus on raising standards in the management of ancient trees.
Nev read widely, thought deeply and wrote a great many articles and several books about the care of ancient trees. He would love to weave in metaphysical associations which helped to challenge one’s depth of understanding! He leaves a great tree care legacy.
When I became less mobile and was less able to join so many events, Nev made a point of ringing me up by phone to have a chat – typical of his thoughtfulness and shows the measure of the man. Goodbye to a very special person. Friendships made under a tree last the lifetime of the friends.
Neville Fay (Credit: Rob McBride)
