The Institute’s Vice President, Sharon Durdant-Hollamby FICFor, recently chaired a thought-provoking cross-sector debate on the importance of landscape architecture in woodland design.
The event was organised by the team at Landscape Matters, a project founded in November 2020 by the Landscape Architects Edward Hutchison and Brodie McAllister BA DipLA FLI FHEA.
The aim of Landscape Matters is to “soften the edges of the silos of thought surrounding all matters to do with landscape” and promote a dialogue between anyone interested in any aspect of the landscaping profession, who might not normally find a mutually convenient channel in which to explore ideas. The project includes a quarterly e-magazine and a debating forum held six times a year. The first issue of LANDSCAPEmatters magazine attracted a readership of over 2,000, a fifth of this is global. The new online publication aims to promote the study and general advancement of the arts and science of landscape whilst encouraging discussion between members of the profession and related sectors.
The event attracted speakers and delegates from across a wide range of sectors. Richard Hellier CMLI, Landscape and Woodland Design Advisor for Forestry Commission England, gave a presentation on the design of woodlands and the role of the landscape architect. This was followed by a debate on use, management, design, grants, soil, rewilding, engagement and many other points for well over an hour. Jane Findlay CMLI, President of the Landscape Institute, referenced the Institute’s fantastic Chief Executive Roundtable from #TPBE4, suggesting one of the outcomes might be a sub-group specifically looking at how landscape architects and foresters might work together on forest design going forward. There are many other was of working together, but this could be a focussed group and a great first step towards the collaboration we need for the future of our built and natural environments.
