Myerscough tutor wins prestigious international arboriculture accolade

Andy Hirons, Ph.D., senior lecturer in arboriculture and urban forestry is the recipient of the 2026 International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) R.W. Harris Author's Citation award.

This Award of Distinction is granted to authors for sustained excellence in the publication of timely information pertaining to the field of arboriculture.

The ISA Awards of Distinction are the highest honours given by ISA based on nominations submitted by members and industry professionals. The ISA Awards of Distinction recipients were announced at the ISA Annual International Conference, which was held recently in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

ISA CEO and executive director Caitlyn Pollihan, said: ‘’The R.W. Harris Author’s Citation Award honours individuals who have made significant contributions to the field through their publications.

‘’We are thrilled to present this award to Andrew in acknowledgment of his dedicated research and writings in arboriculture over the years.”

Over a 20-year teaching career at Myerscough, Andy has shared his passion and expertise with many hundreds of students. Having started his own career as a climbing arborist and plant health care technician, he is committed to bridging the gap between science and practice.

To support evidence-based management globally, he co-authored “Applied Tree Biology” with Peter Thomas, Ph.D., a benchmark textbook that has sold over 6,500 copies. The text champions his core professional belief: that all sound arboricultural practice begins with a robust understanding of tree biology.

His research has also contributed to the publishing of “Tree Species Selection for Green Infrastructure,” a freely available digital guide co-authored with Henrik Sjöman, Ph.D., and published by the Trees and Design Action Group. This acclaimed guidance has been downloaded over 25,000 times and translated into Dutch and French. 

More recently, Andy has pioneered the use of Internet of Things sensors to monitor tree performance in environments ranging from commercial nurseries to ancient woodlands, offering exciting new data on tree-environment relationships.

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is a nonprofit professional organisation dedicated to promoting the importance of arboriculture and educating the public about the significance of trees and the value of their proper care.