Ulmus Londinium talks, with Thomas Pakenham and Dr Anne Anderson

To celebrate the start of National Tree Week, and the Ulmus Londinium installation at Somerset House, the indefatigable champion of trees Thomas Pakenham and artist and researcher Dr Anne Anderson will talk about London's elm tree heritage, and the wider importance of trees.

Thomas Pakenham, the indefatigable champion of trees, will tell the importance the elm and all our trees hold. His new book, The Company of Trees, recounts his forays with trees, often hazardous plant hunting expeditions, and his efforts to preserve magnificent old trees and historic woodlands.

As a quintessential icon of the British landscape, John Constable and many other artists have used the elm to depict and evoke emotions of our countryside. Artist and researcher Dr Anne Anderson, who is a member of the Arborealists and whose exhibition and publication 'Under the Greenwood' is a celebration of the British Tree in the work of our major artists, will speak about how the elm has been used in art.

The talks are free and will be in the New Wing of Somerset House from 2pm.