How/why did you get into treework?

[Andy Clark]

Was in Scouts during the 87 gales, and went and helped out at our local campsite clearing up all the tree damage. Thought "wow, this is soooooo cool! I could do this for a job!".

 

18 years down the line and still going strong.

 

Even writing tree safety guidance notes for the UK Scout association now.

[RobArb]

climbed a big ole cherry with no harness and rope and weilding a big ole bow saw whilst i was a landscaper doing a favour for a client (friend lol)... thought, WOW, this is ace but there must be a safer way of doing it.. did the research, did my tickets and hear i am 3 years later

[Ben]

I'm from a farming back ground and always loved playing with machinery, that and having every single holiday as a kid in the New Forest got me intrested in Trees. Soon as I left school I went to work for the local council and havent looked back since, now in my twentieth year working on or with trees.

[janey]

Like every modern young laydee, i wanted to know how to use a chainsaw .

 

I used to rely on a wood stove for heating and cooking and got thoroughly peed off with using a bow saw. The only free course i could find at the time was the C&G Arb, and that was that - i was hooked

[Simon Rotheram]

Curiosity initially...I used to have a Saturday job for a landscaper who was scared of heights and he used to send me up the odd Conifer to "top" it out, I wanted to know how to do it properly so when I left School I did ND Arb and went from there - I never thought of it as a career as I enjoyed it, been in the job 16 years, 10 self employed and still love (nearly) everyday!

[gibbon]

I went at 19 to work for some biologists in Costa Rica for a year. The first day I was back at my parents they had a firm taking a tree down. I asked for a job and started the next day. Never looked back.

[coolie]

I moved to the country for a change of lifestyle and got into Forestry, for Contractors.I advanced to self employed manageing Farm woodlots and such.Moved back to city for a change of lifestyle and my Forestry certs got me a Chargehands job for the local HV Lines outfit of arborists,who had a lot of Forest Plantations to clearfell and log.I became a qualified arborist in the process.

[Mark Bolam]

The bundles of cash and the massive respect we command from the well informed, always willing to listen, no utterly wrong pre-conceived ideas about trees general public.

 

"My trees need a good hard prune / topping". Love it.

[American John]

Starting at Merist Wood on a 10 week course on November 15 cant wait. Been working in same boring office job for 3 years wondering what to do with my life. I used to think that i starting late at 26 but after reading this sounds like a lot of people feel the same way i do.

Really cant wait just hope i find a Job quickly after college.

 

Any Tips are more then welcome [live in Ascot/Sunningdale]

[paullen]

I left my 8 year career in electrical engineering to chop trees

 

Well not quite, my bro was thinking about starting up on his own and I HATED working in an office/couldn't take the stress. I quit my career, took a hefty pay cut and started a business with my brother. 4 years on and I'm still a way off earning a decent wage, but I'm much happier!!!! I do enjoy what I do for a living, not many people can say that.