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while preparing to see a wide range of achievements in both the arboricultural and landscaping world? Without doubt, you will be able to learn from each other. Be in the running for next year So, how should you go about winning one of these awards? As they say about the lottery, you’ve got to be in it to win it. So, make some preparations now about what you want to include in your entry. There are a number of categories that you might enter; all you need to do is select the category that best fits you and your business then respond to the simple questionnaire. If you have experience of completing tenders it may help, but for the sake of this competition remember that while some information about finances and legal compliance is important, the judges will probably want
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to read a few human tales that demonstrate your values and why you are so good at what you do, rather than a treatise about daily adherence to regulations. I can let you into a secret, but keep it to yourself – all the judges will admire your efforts and will be wanting to help you, so give them the chance to lift your pitch above the others, by making it a good read, with plenty of real life examples, rather than a factual dossier! Raising the standard So, why do I think you should enter? Firstly, it would be fantastic to see arboriculture as a recognised skill within the wider industry and this event is one of the few where this opportunity is given. Secondly, far too many within arboriculture are in silos and much more needs to be done to interact with other professionals
and be fully engaged with the changing marketplace. The consequences from this are a lack of understanding of tree behaviour to the detriment of the treescape, with wider implications for amenity and environmental impact and for climate change.
category winners this year, CGM, built its success on the back of a family-run grounds maintenance and landscape construction business in rural north Norfolk, not in friendships created in the classrooms of colleges. There is something to take on board here;
Far too many within arboriculture are in silos and much more needs to be done to interact with other professionals How many in arboriculture know about basic planning law and processes, or the logistics of working a development site? My belief is that a great many of you have that basic grasp; spin that around and ask yourself how many planners and developers you know who have an understanding of trees or know the lingo and shorthand we use? I would think this would be a very low proportion. Who is to blame for this knowledge gap? The answer has to be the arboricultural community, of course. It seems to me that for far too long the spokespersons for the industry have been too introverted and complacent and so remain stuck in the silo. It should be noted that one of the very worthy arboricultural
this should be a wake-up call to arborists to make sure they are in the running for the 2021 awards. By the same token, there should be a lot more interest from the arborist in FutureScape in November, especially as it is moving to a new home at the ExCeL. I’ve tried to encourage the wider arboricultural community to engage with this event over a number of years as it’s an ideal vehicle for the tree profession to reach out and show their expertise to a large and relevant audience. This could be an opportunity for people to sit up, take notice, and hear what you can do for them and the wider environment. Jonathan Hazell is an arboricultural consultant. jhazell.com
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26/03/2020 15:05