RHS Trees

Jordan Bilsborrow (Author)

Dr. Jordan Bilsborrow is a senior botanist at the Royal Horticultural Society, specializing in plant identification. His passion lies in identifying a diverse range of plants, from humble weeds to mighty trees.

He manages the plant identification team at the RHS, part of the Gardening Advice Service, and researches the ecosystem services of trees and hedges. Jordan also teaches plant identification skills on various topics, such as conifers and winter trees, to RHS Horticulture Students. Previously, he taught plant diversity at the University of Reading, after completing his PhD there on daffodil species identification. His PhD research involved fieldwork throughout Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.

A champion of botanical education, Jordan also contributes to the Botanical University Challenge, writing questions to inspire the next generation of plant scientists.

Elisabeth Larsen (Author)

Dr. Elisabeth Karlstad Larsen developed a love for forests and trees while growing up in Norway. Her early work investigated black poplar drought tolerance for biofuel as part of her MSc studies. She then joined a research team in Valencia to study the water-use of Aleppo pine forests in a Mediterranean climate for her PhD. She recently concluded a five-year project on ecosystem services provided by garden trees as a Tree Scientist at the Royal Horticultural Society. This role expanded her focus to a greater range of tree species and led to opportunities to supervise students, participate in and organize conferences, and serve on expert panels.

Passionate about the challenges trees face due to climate change, she currently works at Forest Research, focusing on forest biodiversity and agroforestry across the UK.