Topic: What is the main way in which tree officers can be properly supported to care for public trees?

Panellists:

🎙Sarah Kiss (Tree Officer – External Works at Hampshire
County Council)
🎙Howell Davies (Senior Urban Forest Advisor at Auckland
Council)
🎙Ruthe Davies (Trees and Woodlands Officer at City of
Edinburgh Council)

Tree officers and managers play a key role in UK arboriculture. They are the custodians of the urban forest, whether managing trees in the public realm or overseeing privately-owned trees through tree preservation orders and the planning system. They are often the first, and sometimes only, point of contact between the general public and our industry, and they have an incredibly diverse range of roles and responsibilities. But all too often these public sector, local government workers are not given the full support they need; underfunded, understaffed and unappreciated. It is fair to say that if we care about trees then we should also care about tree officers, but this isn’t always the case. In this episode of Arborists’ Question Time, we ask: what is the main way in which tree officers can be properly supported to care for public trees?