Natural History in an ancient Chiltern Beechwood with Professor Richard Fortey - 13th December 2018 7:30pm
Professor Richard Fortey is the most recent owner of Grim’s Dyke Wood, four acres of semi-natural beech woodland in the Chiltern Hills. Drawing upon a lifetime of scientific expertise and an abiding love of nature, he has been researching every aspect of this wood since he bought it in 2011.
In this talk Richard will explore the human and natural history of his ancient wood, showing how human exploitation and biology have interacted over a thousand years. He will be focusing on the unexpected aspects of geology, and the lives of plants, fungi and animals to show how they create this special environment. He will also be discussing how long term exploitation of the woodland for its natural products has guaranteed its continued existence, but now the future is less secure.
A glass of wine or a soft drink is included in the ticket price and for those keen to do some Christmas shopping, (or just want to spoil themselves), Richard will be bringing copies of his latest book on his woodland, ‘The Wood for the Trees’. He will be able to sign them on the night if requested.
About the speaker: Professor Richard Fortey had a long career as a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London and his research interests famously include above all, trilobites. Richard is also a well-known natural history television presenter and popular science author. He was President of the Geological Society of London for its bicentennial year and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. Richard has won the Micheal Faraday Prize for science communication at the Royal Society and the Lewis Thomas Prize for science writing, as well as many other distinguished awards for his scientific work.