Arboriculture the future ?

[Andy Collins]

I think the boom time for arb has gone. People in general havent got the money to spend on trees, they're to worried about paying bills. We got used to the glut of the late 90's/early 2000s. Now its time to reign in the overheads, tighten the belts, cut staff, and most importantly diversify.

yes there is la work, highways and railway veg management, but as said, more will be competing for this, and there will be tight pricing just to keep ticking over. I think this is the scenario for the next 5 or 6 years, but we'll see.

[Stephen Blair]

arb and tree work will always be the same maybe saws will get lighter and knots will get fancier BUT where will WE be in the industry thats the question, its a young mans game who loves playing with saws and getting drunk at the weekend, as we get older or energy gets less and our responsibilities and bills get bigger, we dont want to work as hard or maybe cant, we feel we are worth more that what folk are willing to pay so we think of new ways of extracting money from folk for tree work, ie air spades, thermal imaging, bat checks, aerial inspections tree surveys and to do this you have to find a very niche clientel and charge them plenty and try and not spend any of your own money through the week, if you want to be busy just go and knock doors and work for pennies all day every day, one man band no chipper squads have never been so busy, every street i go down there is pruned tree or a cut back hedge, but those guys have money in their pockets and are down the pub at the weekend with no worries, not caring about the economics of the world, its tree cutting pure and simple, lets not make it out to be any kind of world changing emergency service, its just tree cutting:001_smile:

[Lee Winger]

if you want to be busy just go and knock doors and work for pennies all day every day, one man band no chipper squads have never been so busy, every street i go down there is pruned tree or a cut back hedge, but those guys have money in their pockets and are down the pub at the weekend with no worries, not caring about the economics of the world, its tree cutting pure and simple, lets not make it out to be any kind of world changing emergency service, its just tree cutting:001_smile:

 

 

Sad but very very true! I was hoping we might have moved forward but I fear we haven't, imo we have stepped back 10 years......................

 

A colleague used to say, bread and butter work always has and always will be trimming and felling

Edited January 13, 2010 by Lee Winger

[Stephen Blair]

firewood Lee thats the future mate, most of us probably came from it and have went up the trees, now its time to go back to it, get a regular clientel and live the easy life, i did £120 yesterday and i have £180 to do on friday, i get the wood for free so its just my time, and i just chuck it in the back of a 3 grand van and off i go, i really need to get myself a big sea rod and just sit at the side of the road with a logs for sale sign:thumbup1:

[Doug Blease]

I am watching this thread with interest as I am struggling with a decision. Whether to remain in the industry after my degree has finished, or to look into new sectors and become employed.

 

Personally, I feel I am qualified to diversify greatly if I remain in business. I am enthusiastic about the industry and would like to create employment in my area.

[Lee Winger]

i really need to get myself a big sea rod and just sit at the side of the road with a logs for sale sign:thumbup1:

 

Haha I should do that, I can't catch sod all else on my rods

[Rich Rule]

 

The prices are so low already that smaller companies can't compete. We may have smaller overheads but I don't have staff on a pittance who will work in all weathers for fear of losing their jobs. We work nicely and do nicely and thats how I want it to stay. I leave the others to their price wars!

 

 

spot on Rupe. when you hear what some of the LA contractors are doing each tree for there is really no more room to reduce costs.

 

some of the trees I see around may be a couple of hundred quid job in an ideal world. the guys working for the companies with these contracts are having to knock out far too many of these jobs at around 80 quid per tree to make their daily gang target.

 

where does that leave the smaller company? no room at the bottom end to reduce to win contracts. the companies who have these contract are pushing the guys to get money in/jobs done leading to inexp. people doing jobs above there level or cutting corners to gain a bit of time...

[Lee Winger]

We might even see a return to local authority's doing there own work, with there own gangs

[David Humphries]

Return?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Johny Walker]

iv gone from 4,f/t staff to 1, p/t staff & a subby when needed & wont be going back to loads of staff ever again ,as for the big contracts they can have them with all the paper chasing involved. can make more profit me & the lad than with 4,f/t, as for change thers not alot to improve on ,but will see !!!!