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Interactive Tree Trail: a YESI InTREEgue Network project
Interactive Tree Trail: a YESI InTREEgue Network project
The Interactive Tree Trail is a collection of Pathways by which to explore and appreciate our University of York campus treescape and the relationships it supports between the humans and non-humans that use it. It is created by the YESI InTREEgue Network in collaboration with the Vice Chancellor's office, IT Services, members of Green Impact Teams around the University and with thanks to the University Estates Team.
Content of the Interactive Tree Trail: Learning, Creating and Exploring
Content of the Interactive Tree Trail: Learning, Creating and Exploring
The University Estates team have maintained multiple tree trails on campus over the past 60 years.
For the 2026 Festival of Ideas, we have aimed to revitalise the three trails through interactive content on five species from the Campus Native Tree Trail: Willow, Oak, Hazel, Holly, and Yew, with some further material available on Scots Pine, Beech, and Wild Cherry. If you participated in the walk, we started at the Willow near Derwent, move on to the Oak, Hazel, Holly, and ended at the Yews near the Quiet Place.
Our revitalisation project has invited university staff, researchers from different departments, and members of the wider community who are passionate about our campus trees to contribute learnings and activities - we hope you enjoy them!
On these pages, you will find three types of content responding to different interests:
Explore: In this category, we offer accessible, playful task suggestions for how to use the trees to inspire new creative works, explore for other trees or wildlife nearby, or extend your connection to the tree to your home life, for example by planting or caring for trees and plants near your home.
Learn: Information about the tree or its species. This might include academic insights or technical information such as: botanical or ecological knowledge; significance in literature and language; common, medicinal and historic use; research findings; history of specific trees or the campus landscape; associated culture and traditions and more.
Connect: Celebrating local engagement with the tree or the local area, this category connects with local communities to, for example, gather their words and reflections of local trees, share the work of local poets or artists, or give examples of how other communities have engaged with specific trees.
Look out for signs on the trees with QR codes linking you directly to that tree's page.
Pathways around our trees
Pathways around our trees
To explore this diverse content, we offer a selection of pathways responding to different interests. These Pathways identify the selection of trees that have content of that type or theme. As the content we collect grows, we will be able to add new pathways (e.g. history, ecology, local stories). Current Pathways include:
The Literature Pathway - poetry and other literary appreciation content of the trees
The Linguistics Pathway - insights to the naming and etymology of the tree around the world
The Activities Pathway - accessible, playful, creative activities to do with the tree
The Festival of Ideas 2026 Pathway - the 5 trees presented on the guided walk
Find trees and the pathways in which they are represented on our interactive Google map:
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