Why cutting down trees can save Britain's woodlands, with Luke Barley

“It seems quite counterintuitive to wade in with our chainsaws, but we are replicating a natural process that we're missing,” says National Trust woodland advisor and author, Luke Barley. Whilst one side of the battle for our world's forests involves protecting trees from destructive deforestation, Luke shares that British woodlands are actually suffering from the opposite problem, being left entirely alone. For thousands of years during what some have called ‘The Wood Age’, humans didn’t just live alongside forests, but actively shaped them, echoing the activities of wooly mammoths and other large animals from prehistoric times. Luke busts the myths of untouched, pristine, dark forests, and reveals why responsible and active forest management is essential to revive Britain’s biodiversity, by reconnecting us to our woodland roots.

National Trust plant a tree campaign: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/plant-a-tree

Find Luke’s book ‘Ancient’ just won the 2026 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing and is available here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/ancient/luke-barley/9781805222231

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Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper

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