Dr Helen Read MBE has been the Conservation Officer for the City of London Corporation at Burnham Beeches for over 35 years. Initially carrying biological survey work, she became fascinated by the ancient pollarded trees and their history. Helen was closely involved in the formation of the Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) and was commissioned to write Veteran trees: A guide to good management (2000). She also works for the ATF and has helped deliver a variety of projects including two funded by the European Union, creating training material and designing a certification system (VETcert) for people managing veteran trees. In 2003 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to look at pollarding techniques across Europe.