Coutts Woman

From private equity to ancient woodlands – the role of the unpaid trustee.

Nicola Nicolls is yearning for the day when she can take a tape measure out and wrap it round the trunk of a tree. Nicolls is not a tree hugger, but a trustee of the Woodland Trust and is currently helping to raise £1.2m for its Ancient Tree Hunt.

The trust, which owns over 50,000 acres of woodland, is seeking to locate ancient trees, which have been around for over 400 years and, in some cases, form the last link with the original wildwood that covered the UK after the Ice Age. It estimates there could be as many as 400,000 ancient trees in existence.

The tape measure is still a prototype, but helps identify trees from their leaves. ‘All you have to do is wrap the tape measure around the trunk at a certain height from the ground, and you can work out how old that species of tree is by checking against the relevant leaf,’ she explains. ‘Then you should let the Woodland Trust know the location, species and age and it will produce a map of Ancient Trees.’

Nicholls regularly lobbies her friends to recycle ink jet cartridges and mobiles since becoming a trustee. ‘I am always suggesting they should buy a tree for auntie’s birthday, or a grove in memory of a late parent,’ she admits.

A former private equity banker, Nicholls responded to an advert for the Woodland Trust 18 months ago. ‘I grew up in Epping Forest and my mother, a councillor with the Corporation of London, was very involved with managing parks and woodland, such as Burnham Beeches, within London, so I was always interested.’

“I am always suggesting [friends] should buy a tree for auntie’s birthday, or a grove in memory of a late parent.”

More than 50 people applied for the role of unpaid trustee but Nicholls’ enthusiasm for the subject and her financial background won the day. ‘There were some pretty tough interviews,’ she recalls. ‘I think anybody who is considering doing voluntary work needs to have a passion for the subject. You will give up a lot of your time, and you can only do that willingly and well if you care. It also makes you a credible applicant.’ Nicholls spends at least 20 days a year on Woodland Trust business.

Nicholls advises potential trustees to do ‘some due diligence. I spent a day with the marketing department before I took the role. It gives you an insight into the day-to-day workings’.

Nicholls believes people with board level experience are extremely valuable to charities and non-profit organisations. ‘But you need to understand the difference between the role of a non-executive and a trustee. You will work in a team with people with very different talents and experiences,’ she explains. ‘I have been involved with government discussions regarding protection of woodland, discussed EU regulations and lobbied different groups for grants.’

‘I have learned so much as a result of this experience, particularly about conservation,’ she enthuses. ‘Another trustee is a biology professor, and I have been fascinated by his knowledge of how anthills, spiders and different types of deer affect trees. I have learned that the first trees to return after deforestation are birch, followed gradually by oak and beech.

‘But most of all I have learned that a tree is not just a tree. It is also a habitat, and if we can protect just one tree we also protect so many other species.’