News updated: 16 July 2024

BGCI Webinar in July was about Tree Health and Biosecurity – teaching and engagement activities from the Tree Health Centre at The Yorkshire Arboretum

Our speaker, Ginette Alexander, Head of Tree Health and Training at the Yorkshire Arboretum, provided an overview of the teaching and engagement initiatives from the Tree Health Centre at The Yorkshire Arboretum over the past 18 months

Ginette studied ecology at university and has worked with plants, one way or another, for 25 years – as a horticulturalist in the early years, then in plant health for the last ten. As a plant pathologist specialising in mycology at Fera Science, Ginette diagnosed fungal plant pathogens and later worked as a Plant Health and Seeds Inspector (PHSI) for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Having experience across the whole process of plant health through growing, inspecting and diagnosis, she has a wealth of knowledge, experience and industry connections which she now uses to engage learners with courses in the Tree Health Centre, along side project work focused on engaging the wider public with tree health and biosecurity issues.

Some of this work is connected to BGCI’s International Plant Sentinel Network (IPSN), a coordinated international network dedicated to safeguarding plant health. This is done by raising awareness about plant biosecurity and promoting practices, facilitating surveillance efforts to provide an early warning system of potential harmful organisms, fostering collaboration, and building capacity through the development of resources. Learn more about the IPSN here.

We also celebrated the excellent work Åsa Krüger and Stina Weststrand who received the Marsh Award for Education in Botanic Gardens for their magnificent podcasts for the Gothenburg Botanic Garden. See more information on the Marsh Awards here.

If you missed it you can see the recording here: