Arbori-what? Raising awareness of the tree care profession

“Very few people know or give credit to the science of tree care, or arboriculture, to give it its proper title.” These words could have been written today, but in fact this is a quote from an article by Bill Matthews which was published in the Arboricultural Association Magazine of December 1971. In this presentation, John Parker – Chief Executive Officer of the Arboricultural Association – will describe some of the key challenges facing the arboricultural sector in the UK and will explore some of the ways in which the profession is responding to those challenges. In particular, John will focus on the key challenge of a lack of recognition of arboriculture. Everyone seems to be talking about the importance of trees, but tree care professionals are rarely considered by the general public or politicians. Tree planting remains extremely popular, but tree establishment is often forgotten about. What can we do to bridge these gaps in order to ensure a healthy and sustainable arboricultural profession? John will attempt to address this question through discussing the current situation in the UK and describing what the Arboricultural Association and its members are doing to try to improve the situation.