Prof. Mike Wingfield, Director of FABI, presented an invited lecture at the National Symposium of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) in Cardiff. The symposium was arranged to focus on the serious tree health problems facing the United Kingdom and the entire world. The theme of the symposium, Tree health, resilience and sustainability, captured this issue of growing international concern. Mike’s invitation was specifically to address the matter of tree health from a global perspective, given his extensive research experience in many different countries of the world. Amongst other issues, his lecture “Lessons from a global perspective on tree health” raised the issue that there is an urgent need for global rather than the currently national or regional initiatives to deal with the huge threat of pests and pathogens to the world’s forests.

A special treat for Mike was to be able to spend time with Dr John Gibbs, one of his first mentors from before he did his Ph.D., going back to 1980. Dr Gibbs lives close to Cardiff and who was also a speaker at the symposium.