The new R.A. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum in the United Kingdom was launched to advance scientific tree care research, diagnostics, and green industry partnerships across the UK and Ireland.
Bartlett recently celebrated the opening of its new tree research facility and arboretum in Spencers Wood, a village south of Reading in the Borough of Wokingham, England. With the opening of The R.A. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum, Bartlett has expanded its research, diagnostic, and educational capabilities for arborists, researchers, and horticultural professionals throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The research facility builds upon Bartlett’s long-standing commitment to scientific tree care research and preservation. Since Francis A. Bartlett founded the company in 1907, it has continually invested in research-driven arboriculture, plant health care, diagnostics, and arboricultural education.
A history of arboricultural research
The facility was designed to support applied, evidence-based arboricultural research by combining advanced laboratory capabilities with a living arboretum developed for real-world field trials, diagnostics, and long-term tree research. The site is already serving as a center for industry professionals, academic institutions, nurseries, and horticultural organizations focused on advancing tree health, establishment, and management practices.
Robert A. Bartlett Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bartlett Tree Experts, said, “We are excited to expand our research facilities in the United Kingdom with a focus on developing practical solutions to tree and shrub care concerns in landscapes. The expansion of our arboretum and research lab in the United Kingdom reinforces Bartlett Tree Experts’ ongoing commitment to scientific research, innovation, and the preservation of healthy trees and landscapes worldwide.”
Scientific tree care across Bartlett’s footprint
This year, the company is also celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories, which F. A. Bartlett launched in 1926 on his farm in Stamford, Connecticut. In 1965, the original Bartlett laboratory and arboretum were moved to its current location in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the past 100 years, Bartlett scientists and arborists have worked across a broad range of disciplines including plant pathology, entomology, horticulture, soil science, and urban forestry.
Bartlett’s Arboretum in Charlotte includes over 366 acres of tree and other woody plant collections and ongoing research trials, with expansive collections of over twenty-six thousand accessioned plants in fourteen major groups. In 2022, Bartlett Tree Experts purchased a 17-acre arboretum and research lab site west of Portland, Oregon, in Cornelius, with more than 1,000 accessioned plants, including conifers, maples, dogwoods and rare species from around the world.
Speaking of the new arboretum in the United Kingdom, Patrick Franklin, Vice President of Special Operations, said, “We are excited to open our new lab and arboretum in the United Kingdom. The team worked hard to make this happen, and it is gratifying to see tree research activity already underway. We look forward to the advances in plant health care we will provide for our clients, arborists and industry thanks to this beautiful centre for applied research.”
Arboricultural research and collaboration already underway
Current studies include work focused on root establishment and transplant success in balled-and-burlapped tree plantings, helping address growing industry interest in clearer, evidence-based planting guidance and practical solutions for improving long-term tree establishment. Multiple nurseries provided trees used in the ongoing trials. This allows researchers to evaluate planting and establishment practices under a range of conditions.
The new facility is already attracting collaboration and engagement from leading organizations across the horticultural and forestry sectors. Bartlett recently hosted the Arboreta Advisory Committee at the Lab and Arboretum with representatives from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Forestry Commission, and Westonbirt, The National Arboretum among those using Bartlett’s developing facilities and participating in discussions surrounding research, collections, and arboricultural best practices.
Other collaborative efforts underway involve top nurseries and academic partners, including the University of Surrey, as Bartlett continues expanding opportunities for applied research and knowledge exchange across the green industry.
A living collection and a state-of-the-art research laboratory
The 50-acre arboretum surrounding the research laboratory will become a living collection to support research, biodiversity, arboricultural study, and educational outreach. Jim Ingram, President and Chief Operating Officer, said, “In addition to serving as a plant health care testing ground in the United Kingdom for ongoing research trials to develop practical solutions for species-specific plant health concerns, the arboretum will provide new opportunities to study a wide range of woody plant species in a practical landscape setting.”
Jon Banks, PhD., Researcher and Research Lab Manager, said, “Since opening, the facility has strengthened our ability to deliver applied, evidence-based tree care by combining state-of-the-art laboratory capabilities with a living arboretum for real-world trials. It is already supporting closer collaboration with industry, academia, and clients, while showcasing best practice in tree health and management.”
Richard Trippett, Vice President of Bartlett’s operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said, “In addition to strengthening Bartlett’s industry-leading research aimed at developing science-based solutions to manage tree insect pests and diseases, including those that are new and invasive, our labs are here to support the advancement of scientific tree care throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.”
