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TREES KEEP GROWING – that is a fact! When they get too big for their position, or fall into ill-health, someone has to reduce or remove them. Britain leads the world in the teaching of arboricultural skills, and this is partly because our high population density means that a lot of houses are built close to trees which are retained for their amenity value. Sooner or later however, the trees just get too big or unsafe, and that usually means that a trained tree surgeon has to climb the tree and skilfully reduce it, or dis-mantle it completely. There are plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes in the South East alone, and very often Planning Authorities will insist on the retention of as many trees on these sites as possible. These will require additional care and attention - it’s all good for business!
Following the very high winds of October 1987, and more recently, there is a much greater awareness of the need to manage trees, either by crown thinning or reduction, to keep them safe. People are also much more interested in caring for our tree heritage, and are prepared to invest in skilled ‘tree care’. The very dry summer of 2003 will also unfortunately create work, because trees stressed by drought will succumb to diseases which they would otherwise have survived, and mortality rates of mature trees will inevitably rise for the next 2 or 3 years.
In recent years, the government has given local authorities the powers to force people to reduce or remove rows of Leylandii which are depriving neighbours of light. There are over 100,000 known disputes in England alone! This is great news for tree surgeons everywhere.
If you want to work in this industry, the first decision you need to make is whether to be self-employed and run your own business, or seek employment with an established company. In many ways, a year or so working for a well-run company is an excellent grounding for becoming self employed, but be careful to choose a good one. If you choose to be employed, there are many ways of finding work – the following list is by no means exhaustive. - Circulate your CV to local tree surgeons (find them in Yellow Pages or from your Local Council).
- Contact the utility companies in your area and find out whether they employ staff directly, and if not, who they sub-contract work out to.
- Contact your Local Authority – they will either employ staff direct or sub-contract to independent companies.
- Look in the press, including National, Local and Trade papers and magazines such as Arb News.
The tree surgery and forestry industries are THRIVING, and show every sign of continuing to do so. They offer a wide range of interesting opportunities for work, particularly for enterprising, well-motivated people who want a healthy outdoor life. I have worked in this sector for over 20 years, and can honestly say that I still get up and look forward to my days work. I hope that you choose your career well, and will be able to say the same thing in 20 years time!
Richard Olley
Registered Instructor No KINA 04
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