Sylvan
Business Coaches
Sylvan
West Court, Banbury
# Sylvan Business Description
Sylvan is a specialist ecological and arboricultural consultancy based in Banbury that bridges the gap between environmental conservation and property development. The business represents a strategic collaboration between Julian Forbes-Laird of FLAC (arboricultural expertise) and Alistair Baxter of Aspect Ecology, combining decades of combined experience to tackle complex site development challenges.
The company serves developers, property owners, and planning professionals who need to navigate ecological constraints on challenging sites. Sylvan specialises in identifying and protecting ancient woodlands, veteran trees, and historic landscape features such as traditional orchards within the planning process. Their primary focus is ensuring that irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage is properly evaluated and considered during development proposals.
What sets Sylvan apart is their integrated approach—rather than treating ecology and arboriculture as separate disciplines, they deliver unified strategic vision and tactical guidance. This collaborative model allows clients to explore development potential whilst maintaining genuine environmental stewardship. The business demonstrates genuine commitment to sustainable development principles, not merely regulatory compliance.
Sylvan has also developed WISDOM (Woodland Indicator Strength, Distribution & Occurrence Matrix), a bespoke ancient woodland vascular plant recording and analysis tool freely available to the sector. This innovation showcases their thought leadership and willingness to contribute to improved industry practice beyond fee-earning work.
Sylvan is a specialist ecological and arboricultural consultancy based in Banbury that bridges the gap between environmental conservation and property development. The business represents a strategic collaboration between Julian Forbes-Laird of FLAC (arboricultural expertise) and Alistair Baxter of Aspect Ecology, combining decades of combined experience to tackle complex site development challenges.
The company serves developers, property owners, and planning professionals who need to navigate ecological constraints on challenging sites. Sylvan specialises in identifying and protecting ancient woodlands, veteran trees, and historic landscape features such as traditional orchards within the planning process. Their primary focus is ensuring that irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage is properly evaluated and considered during development proposals.
What sets Sylvan apart is their integrated approach—rather than treating ecology and arboriculture as separate disciplines, they deliver unified strategic vision and tactical guidance. This collaborative model allows clients to explore development potential whilst maintaining genuine environmental stewardship. The business demonstrates genuine commitment to sustainable development principles, not merely regulatory compliance.
Sylvan has also developed WISDOM (Woodland Indicator Strength, Distribution & Occurrence Matrix), a bespoke ancient woodland vascular plant recording and analysis tool freely available to the sector. This innovation showcases their thought leadership and willingness to contribute to improved industry practice beyond fee-earning work.
Services offered
Ancient woodland identification and assessmentVeteran tree surveys and evaluationHistoric landscape feature analysisEcological impact assessmentArboricultural advice and planning supportDevelopment site constraint analysisSustainable development strategyBotanical recording and analysis