John Parker, Senior Technical Specialist – Arboriculture and Landscape at Transport for London, tells us about his views of the upcoming National Tree Officers Conference.
What is the benefit of having the National Tree Officers Conference?
The National Tree Officers Conference is an amazing opportunity for tree officers from all over the UK to get together and share their knowledge and experiences with each other. There are hundreds of tree officers out there doing some absolutely fantastic work which often seems to be overlooked. This conference is a chance to showcase and celebrate some of those achievements.
Do you feel the conference will enable a national approach to tree management at a local level?
By participating in conference, tree officers will have the opportunity to discuss best practice and pass on their experiences to their peers as well as learning something new themselves. This kind of knowledge-sharing can only be of benefit to the industry on both a local and national level, giving tree officers some of the tools they need to develop their skills and helping to raise standards across the board.
Why did the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA) want to create the National Tree Officers Conference?
I wasn’t involved in the development of the conference but it seems like the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA), the Municipal Tree Officers Association (MTOA)and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) correctly identified a desire amongst tree officers for an event of their own which addressed their needs and gave them an opportunity to present and discuss their own work. The more tree officers collaboration and communication, the better it is for everyone. We need to stick together.
How is LTOA involved with London Tree Week 2017?
The LTOA itself isn’t involved with London Tree Week – every week is London tree week for us! However, plenty of our members will be holding events and activities in their own boroughs. Anything which promotes the urban forest and the tree officers who manage it can only be a good thing.
Thank you John, looking forward to the conference.
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