Monthly Tree Surgery

Join us on Thursday 2 May from 16:30-17:30 for #TreeSurgery hosted by the Institute’s Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Steering Group.

These informal monthly drop-in sessions are a great opportunity for all members working in forestry, environment, arboriculture and urban forestry to get together to talk all things trees. #TreeSurgery does not have a formal agenda and has been designed for informal networking and knowledge exchange in a relaxed forum.

This session, chaired by Amelia Williams MICFor CEnv, will focus on good and poor tree management practice and lessons learnt, also touching on biodiversity net gain. If you have any ideas for future sessions, please get in touch with the steering group.

Meet the Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Steering Group

Amelia Williams MICFor CEnv – Arboricultural Consultant & Director, The Arboricultural Company (Chair)

Amelia is a Chartered Arboriculturist and Chartered Environmentalist with a passion for trees and has over 23 years of experience within the arboricultural industry. She has been in various roles throughout her career as a Tree surveyor and Tree Officer in Local Government in both the Planning and Leisure roles. Amelia was also a lecturer in arboriculture teaching theory and practical qualifications in arboriculture. She has been a tree manager of a tree stock of over 40,000 assets including grounds maintenance responsibilities. Currently, Amelia is an Arboricultural consultant and Managing Director of The Arboricultural Company which she started in 2020 after running her own arboricultural consultancy previously in 2007.

Dean Bell – Postgraduate Researcher in Urban Forestry and Associate Lecturer in Urban Greening, University of the West of England (UWE)

Currently finishing his PhD in urban forestry, Dean began his career as a climbing arborist before joining the department of forestry at Plumpton College as a lecturer and programme manager for the Institute-accredited higher education curriculum. He is an associate lecturer in urban greening at UWE focussing on the planning, design and delivery of treescapes in the built environment. He is a professional member of the Arboricultural Association and a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Terry Crick MICFor – Director, Apex Arb Training Ltd

Terry started his tree journey back in 1993 after leaving HM forces, working as a forestry contractor in Gwydir and Clocaenog forests in north Wales. During this time in the forest, Terry conducted thinning and clear fell operations, later branching out into Arboriculture. As an arborist, he spent most of his time climbing and conducting crown work for a range of clients, including private households, utility companies and the Ministry of Defense. His company grew to around twenty staff and were awarded the AAAC status from the Arboricultural Association. He then became an assessor for NPTC and a registered instructor for LANTRA awards delivering practical skill training for a range of activities, and was involved with writing new course material and developing new training courses. Terry is a member of the Institute’s Professional Educational Standards Committee (PESC) and aims to promote arboriculture to a wider audience and help individuals on their career paths in the industry.

Sam Hobson MICFor – Director, SEED

Sam founded the arboriculture consultancy company SEED in 2019. He has extensive private sector experience in a wide range of projects, having delivered complex development schemes for a range of clients including numerous small and medium housing developments, nationally significant strategic developments and infrastructure schemes. Sam has also planned and delivered large-scale Tree Risk Assessment projects for Local Authorities, Amusement Parks, country estates and other landowners. He is a Chartered Arboriculturist and Professional Member of the Arboricultural Association.

Russell Horsey MICFor – Director, Goetre Villa

Russell is a Chartered Arboriculturist who specialises in new technology through the TreePlotter suite of software and working with community groups, councils and cities on urban forestry management planning and public engagement and tree planting. An internationally known speaker for his work in Local Government having presented to audiences around the UK, Canada, USA, New Zealand and Europe. Russell currently sits on the Institute’s Council and is also a Fellow with Create Streets.

Graham Owen MICFor – Senior Engineer, Network Rail

From the Countryside Force Youth Training Scheme with Staffordshire County Council, to the dynamic and demanding national role of Senior Engineer for Network Rail, Graham’s career pathway of 35 years has been full of twists, turns, shutdowns and a few line blockages, but also great enjoyment and achievement. Like a number of tree professionals, he has worn many hats over the years and a variety of hi viz jackets, including various shades of yellow, orange and green and sky blue with Fountains Forestry where he got his teeth into utility Arboriculture. Graham’s current role in Network Rail may seem on the surface a large step away from arboriculture, but involves seeking innovative solutions and ways of working that embraces a balanced approach to tree management, exploiting the benefits and limiting risk.