One of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Most Prestigious Honours Recognizing Global Contributions to Horticulture

April 2, 2026 – Stamford, CT – Bartlett Tree Experts is proud to announce that Robert A. Bartlett Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has been awarded the Elizabeth Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

In remembrance of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the Elizabeth Medal of Honour recognises those who have significantly impacted the advancement of the science, art or practice of horticulture.

Representing the third generation of Bartlett family management of the company, Bartlett was recognized for his lifelong commitment to advancing the science and practice of arboriculture, as well as his continued support of horticultural research and education on an international scale.

Bartlett said, “I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the Elizabeth Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society. It is truly an overwhelming honour, made even more special with the opening of our new arboretum and research laboratory in the United Kingdom, which joins our Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories in the United States as a world-class research, diagnostic, and educational centre for Bartlett clients and arborists, and most of all, for the benefit of preserving trees in the United Kingdom.”

Robert A. Bartlett Jr. is the first American to receive the Elizabeth Medal of Honour, established in 2023 in perpetual remembrance of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The Medal enables the RHS Council to confer conspicuous honour on international horticulturalists and UK-non-horticulturalists that have significantly impacted the advancement of the science, art or practice of horticulture for the benefit of all generations and the environment. In recognition of Her Majesty’s 70-year reign, only 70 medals may be held at any one time, making it one of the most exclusive honors in the field.

The RHS states, “As CEO of Bartlett Tree Experts, Robert has overseen the expansion of operations across the United States and into Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with the development of a major research operation supporting the diagnosis of tree problems. He has created a vast arboretum that serves as research ground for the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory and is managed to support learning, discovery, research and training. The arboretum holds more than 26,000 accessioned plants from around the world and its staff are closely involved in conservation research in North American woodland ecosystems. Robert willingly shares the company’s knowledge, facilities, personnel and assets for the benefit of arboriculture and those who work within it.”

Previous winners of the Medal have included Sir Nicholas Bacon, former President of the RHS and a passionate horticulturist, conservationist, and leader; John Sonnier, Head Gardener at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C., custodian of a large collection of historical orchids that were almost lost during the Second World War; and Charles R. “Chipper” Wichman, president emeritus of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Joining the distinguished group of Elizabeth Medal of Honour winners, Robert Bartlett continues to champion Bartlett Tree Experts’ longstanding commitment to research, innovation, and the advancement of arboriculture, reflecting the company’s tradition of scientific leadership for more than a century. The scientific tree care company that employees 3,400 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, was founded by his grandfather, F.A. Bartlett, in 1907, in Stamford, Connecticut.

Bartlett’s significant contributions to scientific research for the benefit of trees have been evident in the United Kingdom. In December, the company opened its new arboretum and research facility in Spencer’s Wood, a village south of Reading in the Borough of Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Bartlett’s new arboretum and laboratory, The R.A. Bartlett Research Laboratories and Arboretum, was created to provide a world-class research, diagnostic, and educational centre for Bartlett clients and arborists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Bartlett’s Charlotte, North Carolina; Gaston, Oregon; and Spencers Wood, Reading locations unify as the largest shade tree laboratory system in the world.

In March, Robert Bartlett and Bartlett Tree Experts were recognized for their support of a new Defra-funded report by Action Oak, 'State of the UK's Oaks,' which outlines the pressures currently affecting the UK’s oak trees, and the emerging risks to the long-term future of this iconic and ecologically important tree species.