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AWA Company News

4th August 2011
Trees, People and the Built Environment logo

Trees, People and the Built Environment

This years ICF conference ‘Trees, People and the Built Environment’, was a great experience. At around 400 delegates this was probably the largest number ever seen at a tree conference in the UK. Nearly all of the 29 speakers were academic doctors and the international flavour was great, with nine of them invited from overseas; so it was an honour for me to stand up alongside them to represent my research and then get my brains picked by an audience of arboricultural experts afterwards. […]
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6th August 2011

The Gigantic Kapok Tree

  These pictures are of a gigantic Cotton-Silk Kapok tree, located in Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore, India; taken on news years day 2010. It is arguably the largest specimen of a Kapok tree in the world. The tree is native to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America tropical and had been introduced in other tropical countries of the world. To the Mayan people, the tree is a sacred symbol.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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2nd September 2011

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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25th September 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Trees and Subsidence, ICF Chartered Forester Magazine, Adam Winson

Below is a short opinion piece  I wrote for Chartered Forester Magazine – the membership magazine of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the professional body for foresters and arboriculturists – my view is based on my work as an arboricultural consultant undertaking tree surveys in relation to property damage: Anyone who attended this years ICF conference can be under no doubt as to the major benefits urban trees provide. However, as some of the post-conference debate showed, urban trees implicated […]
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25th November 2011

Woodman, Spare that Tree

Felling trees near where people live is always an emotive issue. As chartered arboricultural consultants we have to factor this into our decision making when managing urban trees. This poem was first printed over 100 years ago, yet considering its age I was amazed at how contemporary the issues raised are (Sheffield Street Tree Felling?!). The language may have aged a little, but this could have been sent by a disgruntled local to the tree officer in the Oxford city […]
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29th November 2011

What is a forest?

When most people think of a forest, they think of a big area of trees. Yet definitions of a forest vary (for example, as arboricultural consultants we focus on the ‘urban forest‘) and a historical overview of the definition of ‘forest’ suggests it is not as clear cut as it seems. In ‘Forests, The Shadow of Civilization’ (1993), Robert Harrison notes how medieval chivalric romances tend to represent forests as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its […]
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2nd December 2011

Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds: Nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing.

Winson. Flourishing trees flourishing minds This is the urban forestry research paper – flourishing trees, flourishing minds; looking at how urban trees may improve mental wellbeing. The research paper forms part of the Forestry Commission Research Report Trees, people and the built environment – Proceedings of the Urban Trees Research Conference 13-14 April 2011  Flourishing trees, flourishing minds: nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing among housing association tenants.Abstract: Interventions to create even a small change in the average level of mental wellbeing across the […]
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7th December 2011

Howard Nemerov, Learning by Doing:

I’m sure anyone whose been involved in practical tree surgery will agree, this poem brilliantly captures the process and impacts of ‘section felling’ a mature tree. In the past I have taken my fare share of trees down by section felling (the photo is probably one of my last big ‘uns); its a task that can require considerable skill and nerve and one that as a young tree surgeon I would take pride in, focusing on the technical side of the job at hand without too much […]
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15th December 2011

Krishna on the inspiring life of trees

Trees form a key aspect to several Asian religions. The banyan tree is best known as sacred to Buddhists as after the Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under one. However trees are also important for Hindus and they feature prominently in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna uses tree to explain the meaning of life. “Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, heat and […]
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16th December 2011

Development tree surveys to identify assets and constraints.

When trees are on a development site they are often unduly considered a constraint to the sites development potential. However a suitable tree survey for planning should help identify not only trees that may pose a constraint to the development potential of a site, but also the trees that would add value and be an asset to any new development. This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It […]
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21st December 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Response Published in Chartered Forester Magazine

In the autumn edition of Chartered Forester magazine I had a short opinion piece published, ‘Cracking up’, which looked at the issues surrounding urban trees being removed due to subsidence claims and highlighted how the issue seems to make the tree industry so emotive. The piece provoked considerable interest and a few critical responses (generally from tree consultants who make a living from dealing with tree related subsidence claims). The latest issue of Chartered Forester featured a letter from Michael Lawson and my response which I have copied below.   […]
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8th January 2012

Nature’s endless employment of beauty to achieve its utilitarian ends

  New research is looking at the impact of birdsong on our sense of wellbeing. The study will examine the psychological impact of being exposed to birdsong, including whether it helps us relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. This research interests me as my own study has shown that urban trees may result in higher levels of mental wellbeing, yet how this happens is unclear, could it be that birdsong, closely associated with trees, […]
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26th January 2012
Nature an enchanted labyrinth

Nature as an Enchanted Labyrinth

Edwin Way Teale was a natural history writer who wrote and edited over 30 books, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. He is less well known than many other writers of the time, but was a mentor to today’s modern nature writers. Here he describes how an interest in nature interconnects with so many similar yet distinct areas of study. This struck a particular cord with me, as the practice of arboricultural […]
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1st February 2012

Are we hard-wired to love trees?

  The links between trees, forests and improved mental and physical health are becoming clearer, with an increasing amount of applied research providing a more solid evidence base. When researchers offer explanations as to why such links are evidenced, their theories tend to ultimately be grounded in psycho-evolutionary theory or what the Biologist E.O Wilson termed ‘Biophilia’. Psycho-evolutionary theory is based on the notion that millions of years of evolution have left modern humans with a partly genetic predisposition to […]
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22nd February 2012

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

  As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is specialist […]
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11th April 2012

Living next to trees makes us happier.

Findings of a study, published as part of the Forestry Commission Research Report: Trees, people and the built environment, show that residents are happier if they live near to trees. The study compared the happiness levels of 200 tenants renting properties from a Yorkshire housing charity; half of the tenants questioned had high levels of nearby tree cover and half had few or no nearby trees. The results showed that even with everything else broadly the same, tenants with high […]
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24th April 2012

Big Brother is watching your trees

    I was recently travelling overseas and found myself reading George Orwell’s classic 1984 (having read all I’d brought with me in the first week, it was the only English language book available!). What struck me throughout the novel (other than how many of the terms have become contemporary since publication) was how utterly grim and ruined the urban landscape was and how this added to the atmosphere of hopelessness. Yet I was struck by this particular passage, that relates […]
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26th April 2012

Do Tree Preservation Orders work, or is there a better way?

  New Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012) came into force in England on the 6th April 2012. England. There is a memo to go with the Regs that sets out clearly what all the changes are.    The TPO Regulations 2012 aim to put all Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) onto the same footing and consolidate much existing legislation into one new set of regulations. Essentially, the DCLG have attempted to simplify the TPO process in the new regulations, which in itself […]
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3rd May 2012
Cherry Tree Sheffield

Sheffield Hanami

  Shining spring day Falling cherry blossoms with my calm mind Kino Tomonari   My street, in the North West suburbs of Sheffield, is a nice enough, but unremarkable row of 1930’s built semi-detached houses. The Cherry ‘Kanzan’ trees that line my street too, are for most of the year, fairly unremarkable. Historically one of the most planted street trees in Sheffield’s suburbs; many have now died off or succumbed to the perils of new drives and highway improvements. If […]
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14th May 2012

Phoenix Park Combats the Canker

The Phoenix Park, Dublin, is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city.  The Park extends to over 700 hectares with a tree population in excess of 20,000 trees. Woodlands and tree-dominated areas cover 31% of the Park.  It is a highly important site for biodiversity, supporting 50% of all mammal species occurring in Ireland and 35% of bird species.  Among the 351 different plant species to be found in the Park, there […]
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31st May 2012

Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

    The practice of arboriculture is ancient. The image above shows it was a subject worthy of being painted about on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, clearly showing people transplanting and caring for trees. The word arboriculture is also old; derived from the Latin arbor (tree), and cultura (tending or caring). Today the terms “Arboriculturist” and “Arboriculturalist” are both used to describe a person who practices professional arboriculture – but which one is the right word?   Arboriculture was a term apparently […]
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15th June 2012

Lessons In Tree Care From Ancient Egypt.

    Hatshepsut is generally regarded by historians as one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt. She lived in the 15th century B.C. and had a long and successful reign, marked by building projects and trading expeditions unrivalled by any other culture for a thousand years. As well as being the first great woman in recorded history, inaugurating a long peaceful era and bringing great wealth to Egypt, she can also fairly lay claim to being the world’s first arboriculturist. Historians agree […]
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6th July 2012

The People’s Forest of Sheffield

Sheffield is England’s fourth largest city, with a population of over half a million. Like many northern former industrial cities it has a disproportionate share of the most deprived areas in the country. The 1980s were turbulent times for Sheffield, with massive job losses and large scale industrial action. During this time Sheffield became known satirically as the ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’ in reference to the left-wing administration of Sheffield City Council, and depending upon your political leanings at the time, the term was used derisively or […]
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18th July 2012

awatrees.com

These are a few images from some recent promotional photos I needed (I work as an arboricultural consultant to keep the wolf from the door). The photographer, a family friend, had her work cut out – They were taken on a drizzly afternoon in Grimsby, and I always find having my photo taken uncomfortable and embarrassing. So with these odds against her, she did a sterling job!
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18th July 2012

Dead Trees

  Aesthetically a large dead tree is a magnificent sight. Dead trees also provide vital habitat and the benefits of deadwood for biodiversity are massive.  If a tree dies it can’t be legally protected by a Tree Preservation Order. The Woodland Trust had recently been campaigning to have the exemption for dead trees to be removed from Tree Preservation Order Regulations. They were dismayed when the new Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012), which came into force in April 2012, still retained the exception for dead trees. For […]
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27th July 2012

Green Places Magazine Publish ‘Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds’

Green Space is the UK’s parks charity; they work to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals. Green Space’s magazine, Green Places, brings together the latest thinking, best practice and debate for the green space sector. The magazine is dedicated to providing up-to-date news and features for professionals charged with planning, designing and maintaining public green spaces. Green Places recently published a more accessible version of my urban forestry research paper, ‘Flourishing Trees, […]
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1st October 2012

TOWN TREES

The postings on the blog page have been few and far between of late, largely due to me being kept busy with a large tree survey of all the roadside trees in Sheffield. In light of this I thought I’d share some of this lovely document; produced circa 1947 by the Council for the preservation of rural England, Sheffield and Peak District Branch (now C.P.R.E South Yorkshire). What struck me most about the 65 year old pamphlet is how contemporary many […]
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6th January 2013

Psithurism: the sound of wind whispering through the trees

We can’t see wind, only the things it moves. Likewise, we can’t hear wind unless it’s flowing past something that makes it vibrate; this causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Trees provide some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. This sound has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The naturalist author and founding member of the RSPB, W.H. Hudson, suggests in Birds and Man (1901), that psithurism is salubrious. He describes […]
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5th February 2013

A room with a view

  “A view? Oh, a view! How delightful a view is!” – E.M. Forster   Aesthetic preferences suggest that an individual’s visual encounter with certain landscapes will elicit pleasurable neurophysiological activity. Or in other words, people like nice views. Research shows that people prefer natural scenes over urban ones; with park-like views generally scoring highest, leading to claims that such preferences are hard-wired. People are willing to pay for a nice view from their home. Most (but not all) studies suggest that […]
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20th May 2013

BS:5837 (2012) Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – William Morris: Recommendations.

  The BS 5837: 2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations; provides guidance in respect of trees on development sites. It aims to provide a balanced approach on deciding which trees are appropriate for retention, on the effect of trees on design considerations and on the means of protecting trees during development.   The latest revision of the document is now one year old. The new document provides Local Planning Authorities more opportunities to refuse planning […]
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19th August 2013

Non-natives are welcome!

Ordinarily, if you were to pick up a copy of the Guardian newspaper and read an article that decried how councils were allowing non-natives to flood into our towns and cities, you would rightly do a double take to make sure you hadn’t mistakenly picked up the wrong paper. However, such nationalistic sentiment was at the heart of the recent piece by George Monbiot. The difference being, of course, is that he was talking about TREES; but it’s interesting how […]
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23rd October 2013

Messing About on the River

  AWA Tree Consultants have been busy this summer, surveying trees alongside waterways across the Midlands. Having previously never really given the waterways much of a thought, I’m now an enthusiast! Originally built to serve the needs of trade and industry, the iconic aqueducts, lock gates and bridges are technically and architecturally impressive historical features. However, what struck me most was how the waterways have now become a haven for nature. They form a vast network of green (and blue) spaces running from remote […]
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25th November 2013

Trees are the most civil society

  There is nothing so much alive, and yet so quiet, as a woodland…   Trees are the most civil society. An old oak that has been growing where he stands since before the Reformation, taller than many spires, more stately than the greater part of mountains, and yet a living thing, liable to sicknesses and death, like you and me: is not that in itself a speaking lesson in history? But acres on acres full of such patriarchs contiguously […]
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4th January 2014

Ancient Woodlands. Replacing the Irreplaceable?

Ancient woodlands are our rainforests. Beyond their massive ecological value, they culturally define who we are. This value can be seen in our emotional responses when ancient woodlands come under threat. Often perceived as fragments of a primeval ‘wildwood’ – a living link to the woodland from the end of the Ice Age – in truth, these ancient woods are not fragments of primeval wildwood, but have been influenced by human activity over thousands of years. Indeed, it is often […]
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17th January 2014

The Tyranny of Tree Preservation

Tree preservation orders are legal orders which make it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, lop or damage a tree without first obtaining Council consent. Tree preservation orders are powerful legal tools that can have a massive impact on both trees, the land on which they grow and the people who own this land.   Tree preservation orders can be a tool for great good, ensuring high value amenity trees are protected from threats of destruction, for the benefit […]
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15th March 2014

Dyngus Day and the Willow Tree

  Salix caprea, aka Sallow, Goat or Pussy Willow are the commonest and most widespread willows in Britain. They are the tree most likely to be encountered on abandoned industrial sites and urban wastelands. Visually the most unremarkable of trees, they rarely cause one to stand and stare (in tree survey terms, a classic contender for a lower value BS:5837 retention category ‘C’ tree).    In early spring however, they are transformed; first with the silky silver catkin buds, gradually […]
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18th May 2014

Asleep with our Arboreal Ancestors

Now I’m the king of the swingers Oh, the jungle VIP I’ve reached the top and had to stop And that’s what botherin’ me Despite our predominantly urban existence we still feel great connectedness and strong emotional bonds towards trees. It has been suggested that this positive emotional response is, in part, hard-wired. Millions of years of evolution have left us with a partly genetic predisposition to respond positively to trees. Interestingly, this connection to our arboreal origins can still […]
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16th July 2014
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Emotional Life of the Arboricultural Consultant

Like most jobs, working as an arboricultural consultant has its ups and downs. This light-hearted list suggests a top ten of the emotions we face in our daily struggle through the urban forest.      10. Telling someone you’re an arboricultural consultant and they say “Oh, you mean a tree surgeon?”      9. After explaining how you’re different to a tree surgeon, they ask you to prune their tree.  8. You’re on site and you’ve forgot the Latin name of a tree.  7. Reading on-line forum […]
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19th August 2014

In Awe of the Ordinary: How tree-porn can make you go blind.

Anyone who has both an interest in trees and an account with Facebook, Twitter or similar social media, is likely to encounter a stream of links to collections of images promising something like, “THE BEST, MOST KICK-ASS TREES IN THE WORLD!”  Seemingly a week cannot pass without clicking on a link to a similar collection of skilfully photographed images of extraordinary trees from around the world. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that nearly all of the earth’s largest and most unusual trees have been […]
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9th October 2014

Disraeli & Gladstone & Arboriculture

Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were both politicians of extraordinary ability; today they are consistently ranked in lists of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers.  They were possibly the greatest parliamentary rivals in history: their personalities clashed and they heartily loathed each other.  The feuding politicians were celebrities of the day, with their battles in the House of Commons attracting as much public attention as the marriage of a film star today.    The ghosts of Disraeli and Gladstone loomed in the background […]
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12th October 2014

AMAZING FACTS* ABOUT TREES THAT YOU DEFINITELY DIDN’T KNOW!

There are just so many interesting facts; the internet is full of them! You probably know most of the more common facts about trees, but here are some amazing facts* about trees that you didn’t know. OK so they may be unfounded but – after all – this is the internet, so who really cares, as long they blow your mind!   7: You probably know that the root system is one of the most important parts of the tree. But did you realise a tree’s […]
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24th October 2014

Do Trees Have Feelings?

Some people relate to trees almost as inanimate objects – green things that stand in the way. However, modern research has undermined this view and is showing trees as having ever greater levels of sophistication than previously imagined.    In their own way, plants can see, hear, smell, feel and it is possible they even have a memory. Trees can communicate with each other too; using mycorrhizal fungi, their roots exchange information and even goods to other trees in need. Obviously trees don’t have brains, but some believe that trees may have something […]
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12th November 2014

Charlotte Mew on Men and Trees

  Today we are increasingly aware of the importance of urban forestry to human mental and spiritual well-being. The prose and poetry of Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)  was such thinking.   Charlotte lived, for the most part, in poverty and despair. Tormented by her brother’s and sister’s mental illness, which confined them to asylums and early death; she vowed never to marry as she feared she might carry a hereditary mental illness, and this fear and grief ultimately led to her suicide. Despite this, she produced […]
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1st December 2014

The World’s First Tree Preservation Order

  At the turn of the 20th century, in the face of overcrowded slums and uncontrolled urban growth, the UK Government implemented some of the first ever campaigns to tackle the problem of poor urban environments. This political commitment ultimately led to the creation of the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, which brought most development under the control of councils, through a system of development plans. This Act also protected certain trees, by means of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), with private tree owners […]
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30th January 2015

I like trees, but…

Urban trees have many objective benefits to people, the economy and the environment; with much research and policy supporting this.  However, it’s less clear if the public’s perception corresponds with such research and policy. Increasingly, arboriculturists involved in public liaison have questioned whether the public are aware of, or agree, that urban trees provide such benefits. Yet without public support, there is little hope of sustainable urban tree cover.    When assessing public perspectives towards urban trees, a wide spectrum […]
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10th February 2015

Nemophilist: One who is fond of the forest; a haunter of the woods.

Nemophilist (pronounced  ne-‘mo-fe-list),  is an obscure word that hasn’t really been used for over 100 years. It means someone with a love or fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery, or someone who often visits them – a ‘haunter’ of woods. The word derives from the Greek ‘nemos,’ grove, and ‘philos,’ affection. The use of the word appears to distinguish it from the more formal pursuit of ‘forestry’, ‘arboriculture’ or ‘botany’ – suggesting a more artistic appreciation of trees, or the simple […]
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2nd April 2015

The trees are coming into leaf

Conventional wisdom has it that life speeds up as we get older. It certainly seems that the months and years fly by faster, and I’m always astonished to discover, “It’s already April!”  This feeling of mild anxiety – that time is passing me by – is never more prominent during spring. At this time of year nature is inexorable; stubbornly marching to its own pace, it races on while I am left incredulous, late to the party, “Since when was the hawthorn […]
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15th June 2015

The Sheffield Chainsaw Massacre?

A recent campaign has been in progress regarding the proposed felling of 12 Lime trees along Sheffield’s Rustlings Road. I spoke with a local journalist about this subject and the story was covered in the Sheffield Star and Sheffield Telegraph as well as other regional papers and media. I tried to be reasonably balanced in what was said and think the newspaper article generally reflects this (at the very least, it was good to see the title ‘Chartered Arboriculturist‘  in […]
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9th July 2015

AWA Tree Consultants: Growing with the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF)

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is the Royal Chartered body for forestry and arboricultural professionals. They are the UK’s leading professional organisation relating to forests, woodlands and trees, and are the only body to award Chartered Arboriculturist status.  This year saw the ICF reaching its highest ever membership. It hoped to build on this by attracting more people into professional Forestry and Arboriculture, from school-leavers to experienced workers.  Ask an average member of the public to describe a Forester […]
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17th July 2015

The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest

  The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It was recently the clear winner in England’s tree of the year competition. Yet, if it was not for the work of a retired local man, it would have been a different story. The tree would have remained just another Oak in Birchland Wood.   Mr Hayman Rooke was born in 1723 in London. After a military career, “Major” Rooke retired, to Mansfield Woodhouse in […]
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20th November 2015
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Lime Trees of Rivelin

  Sheffield is famous for its trees. One of the jewels in Sheffield’s arboreal crown is the avenue of limes along Rivelin Valley Road. At three and a half miles long, it forms the second longest lime avenue in the country. This spectacular natural monument is rooted in Sheffield’s history, but there are now concerns that it is under threat.   Unlike most historic tree avenues, formed as a result of vanity projects of the aristocracy or wealthy landowners, what […]
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18th December 2015

AWA Tree Consultants in Pro Arb Magazine

Pro Arb Magazine is an industry magazine and website that offers business tips, latest news, and the latest equipment information relating to arboriculture. The magazine promotes best practice and highlights the positive aspects of the arboriculture industry, and works closely with the associations to advance the arboriculture market in the UK. Pro Arb contacted us recently as they were looking for suitable people to feature in a magazine feature that was promoting and focusing on young people in the industry. […]
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22nd December 2015

Tree Surveys in the Bleak Midwinter

Tree surveys in winter bring their own challenges. Trying to look up into the crown of a tree in the icy rain isn’t fun for long. The speed of a tree surveyor, moving from one tree to the next, seems to be perfect to avoid the creation of any type of body warmth. All before the inevitable raging against the dying of the light, as darkness falls at 3pm. One aspect of surveying trees in winter that many arborists initially struggle with […]
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16th January 2016

Ackee: The Toxic Tree That Tastes Delicious.

The Ackee tree, Blighia sapida, is a tree of contradictions. In Jamaica, the Ackee tree is revered – more popular than Bob Marley. The Ackee fruit is the National Fruit of Jamaica, and forms the key ingredient in the National Dish of Jamaica, Ackee and Saltfish. However, the tree is also deadly. The fruits are highly poisonous, even having a specific illness named after them (symptoms include severe vomiting, coma and death). The Ackee tree is so toxic it is […]
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27th January 2016

Sheffield Tree Felling:

  The cherry blossoms that stirred me, shade me no more Issa In Spring 2012 I wrote Sheffield Hanami, about the cherry trees outside my house in Sheffield. In late Summer 2013 I came home one evening to find a “notice to fell” pinned on the tree outside my house. It stated the tree had “outgrown it’s location” and was causing a “footpath obstruction”. Despite my best attempts to argue/pull-strings/beg, with anyone who would listen, the photos show what happened […]
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19th February 2016

Neuro-Arboriculture: Your Brain On Trees.

Most tree problems are fairly straightforward to solve: the rooting environment can be improved, branches can be pruned or braced, and trees can be felled and replaced. It becomes much less straightforward when you add people. Deep-seated, even hard-wired emotions define people’s interactions with trees. However, the neurological basis of people’s connection to trees remains a mystery.    Research on the economic and environmental benefits of urban trees has amassed. It shows how urban trees reduce pollution, mitigate extreme weather events, reduce […]
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19th March 2016

Marilyn Monroe: Trees give me a little hope

Marilyn Monroe defines the 1950s. Even today, as an icon of American popular culture, she has few rivals. She epitomised the modern liberated woman – an endorsement of consumer culture and glamour – available to anyone using the right make-up, clothes and peroxide. The public perception of Marilyn Monroe seems about as far as one can get from the realm of trees. However, she displayed an ongoing and genuine affection for trees and woods, as evidenced from interviews with her […]
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17th April 2016

George Orwell: Spring is here, and they can’t stop you enjoying it.

  George Orwell is one of England’s greatest writers. He is not famous for nature writing, yet Orwell’s 1946 essay about the arrival of Spring, is a masterpiece. It’s a clearly written easy-read, avoiding any of the flowery language often used in nature writing, and it highlights Orwell’s brilliant insight, humanity and common sense truths that are still helpful today.   He begins his essay by referring to the toad – largely because he sees it as the underdog of […]
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12th July 2016

Thoreau and Arboriculture

    HENRY DAVID THOREAU was born 199 years ago, on 12th July 1817.  An extraordinary person and writer, he is often credited with anticipating modern ecology and environmentalism. His particular fascination with trees should also justifiably label him as one of the forefathers of modern arboriculture. The definition of arboriculture is the science and art of tree care, and few individuals embodied these qualities more than Thoreau. Trees were crucial to his writing, poetry, philosophy and spirituality; however, he also […]
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3rd November 2016

Enthusiastic Future Arboriculturist

  At the end of October we were helped out at AWA Trees by Elva Preston. Elva is currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham, and wanted some work experience as she is considering arboricultural consultancy as a career, following her degree.   After her time with us, Elva wrote us this lyrical account of her first impressions of professional arboriculture:   Arboriculture. A word few have heard of, but is so important to our lives. The combination of […]
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6th November 2016

Shinrin-yoku: Is Forest Bathing Science or Art?

A new phrase recently entered the lexicon of forestry and trees – Shinrin-yoku. It’s a Japanese term that roughly translates in English as “Forest Bathing”, or visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation. I first heard it around five years ago, at a forestry conference, and judging by the number of raised eyebrows, this was the first time many other tree professionals in the room had heard the term too. While Shinrin-yoku may sound ancient and conjure up romantic images […]
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17th November 2016

Welcoming the Introduction of Operation Arborcide!

We have all seen how trees can strike at any time and any place without warning. The threat from trees is real and serious. So it is good to see South Yorkshire Police being deadly serious about protecting the people of Sheffield from the arboreal menace. In the early hours of today, a dozen police officers demonstrated a range of tactics to protect the public, including arresting elderly residents who ‘peacefully’ protested the essential work to keep us safe from these […]
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30th November 2016

Are Sheffield war memorial trees being felled to save on maintenance costs?

      Picture the scenario…   Due to Council budget cuts, The Cenotaph (the national War Memorial in central London) has not had the maintenance it deserves and is in need of some TLC, so the Council outsource War Memorial management to a Spanish infrastructure services company, who are contracted to maintain it for the next 25 years. The company then have a marvelous idea: To save on annual maintenance costs, they knock it down and tarmac the area over – thereby […]
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17th December 2016

How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?

The Sheffield Telegraph runs a debate feature every week called Telegraph Voices. A journalist contacted me last week, to take part in a debate entitled: ‘How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?’ As ever, it’s tricky to cover such an emotive and complex issue – and to suggest pragmatic solutions – in just 300 words. “There is little room for sentimentality when managing urban trees. Eventually every street tree will decline and need to be replaced. Some protesters […]
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16th February 2017

Komorebi (木漏れ日): Sunshine filtering through the trees.

There is a Japanese term “Komorebi”, for which no simple English translation exists. Yet it is a distinct phenomenon, that anyone who spends time among trees will have enjoyed. Komorebi  roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees”. It is made up of three “Kanji” or Chinese characters: “tree” or “trees”, “leaking-through” or “escape”, and “light” or “sun”. Komorebi is especially noticeable when the sun is low, and mist or smoke can add to the […]
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30th August 2017

Trees, forests, woodlands…and nemus?

Forests are often romanticised as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its institutions of law. But the word ‘forest’ in fact originates as a juridical term. The word foresta referred not to woodlands in general but only to the royal game preserves. The Latin forestare meant ‘to keep out, to place off limits, to exclude.’  A ‘forest’ then, refers to land that had been placed off limits by a royal decree. Once a region had been declared a forest, it could […]
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30th August 2017

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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31st August 2017

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

    As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is […]
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4th October 2017

Projects: Tree Surveys at Cannon Hall Barnsley

Cannon Hall is located within the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough, South Yorkshire. The site has many historic and veteran specimen trees and historic woodland and we undertook extensive tree surveys and woodland surveys as part of wider restoration works. Originally built as a large country house in the 1690s, the hall, its extensive park and intricate walled gardens were rebuilt and extended using wealth from the local iron industry, and became a superb example of a Georgian estate. Publicly owned since […]
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4th October 2017

Tree Survey in Nottingham for Planning at QMC bridge.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook a tree survey for planning in Nottingham for the new tram bridge at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which was officially opened on Friday July 28, which was also the QMC’s 40th birthday. AWA were the project arboriculturists throughout the duration of the scheme. The new bridge links the tram platform with the second floor of the hospital. The tram bridge is 90 metres long and eight metres off the ground, and features two rest areas and […]
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4th October 2017

Tree survey for planning – Sheffield Park Hill flats development.

The later phase of Sheffield’s Park Hill flats regeneration, including 330 student housing units by student specialist developer Alumno Developments, is expected to cost £20 million. We were instructed to undertake a tree survey for planning to assist in the regeneration works. Built between 1957-61 by the Corporation of Sheffield (the fore-runner of the modern-day Sheffield City Council), Park Hill is a landmark on the Sheffield city skyline, the largest listed building in Europe and widely regarded as a nationally […]
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5th October 2017

AWA Trees are hiring an Arboriculturist

Do you want to get paid to look at trees? Then join our team! About AWA We are a small friendly tree consultancy. Our office is based in Sheffield, and most of our tree surveys in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. […]
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9th October 2017

How do trees change colour in autumn? 

  “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  ― Albert Camus  Trees display a vast array of impressive colours throughout autumn. These various hues of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and browns are what provide most of us the first real indication that the seasons are changing. They provide us with a final colourful spectacle before winter sets in – the year’s last, loveliest smile.  The changing leaves on the trees are the main association most of […]
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10th October 2017
Sheffield Wednesday Alder

Why are Sheffield Wednesday called ‘The Owls’?

Sheffield is home to the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, which was formed in 1857. Today the main teams are Sheffield United ‘The Blades’ and Sheffield Wednesday ‘The Owls’. While ‘The Blades’ name is easily attributed to Sheffield’s main historic industry, most people don’t know why Sheffield Wednesday are known as ‘The Owls’. People would be forgiven in thinking the team once had a pet owl as the mascot, or some other strigine link. In fact, the reason Sheffield […]
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18th October 2017

Sheffield’s Heritage Trees vs Private Finance Initiative

Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, publishes tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes in the form of bulletins and handbills, showing signs and symptoms of tree pests and diseases and advice on what to do if you suspect the pest or disease is present. This bulletin is a lighthearted parody of their pest and disease alerts, it’s intended to make us think how we would react if Private Finance Initiatives, or PFI,  were a destructive […]
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17th November 2017

Projects: Tree survey at Lincolnshire’s International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln, is a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. During WWII over a million men and women served or supported Bomber Command. They came from 62 nations across the world and were united in their efforts to protect the freedom we enjoy today. Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the […]
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29th December 2017
Tree Surveys across England

Have Arboriculturists – Will Travel!

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve had a look back at some of the places where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys and created an AWA Tree Survey Map of England! This year we’ve undertaken tree consultancy work in a variety of locations, and we’ve inspected some great trees! One of the good things about being based in Sheffield is that most places in England are easy to get to. The map shows our core area for work, which runs […]
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19th February 2018
Tree Survey Wakefield

Wakefield Tree Survey for Planning.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook arboricultural surveys in the Wakefield area that recently helped secure planning approval and meet planning conditions in relation to tree protection at the former Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital, West Yorkshire. The site is a triangular area of land which covers 4.4 hectares and was predominantly used as an administration base for various trust teams by the hospital. The site has many mature trees throughout that are covered by a tree preservation order. Our tree survey […]
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2nd March 2018
The Northern Forest: History

A common wealth of trees? Tree-planting past and present

The U.K government recently unveiled plans for ‘The Northern Forest’ – a 25-year tree planting scheme to create a ‘vast ribbon of woodland’ along the M62 corridor from Liverpool and Chester to Hull. The Northern Forest will link up fragmented woodland along the M62 belt and will deliver flood mitigation for up to 190,000 new homes, lock up over 7 million tonnes of carbon, boost wildlife habitat and contribute to northern England’s natural capital and ecosystem services. It is an […]
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6th March 2018
Arboriculturists around the Major Oak

Thinking Arbs Day with the Arboricultural Association

The Arboricultural Association is the leading voice on all tree matters in the UK, they provide a home and membership for all professionals within the arboricultural sector – from qualified and experienced arboricultural consultants to those starting out in the industry – they champion the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society. All the tree surveyors and arboriculturists at AWA Tree Consultants are members of the Arboricultural Association, either […]
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9th April 2018
Leeds Tree Survey

Tree Survey for Planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped gain planning approval for 50 new dwellings with associated access. Our tree survey for planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire, minimised the impact on important trees at the site and maximised the development potential. The site was the former West Park Centre on the eastern side of Spen Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Centre was demolished a few years ago, and much of the central part of the site remains covered with hard surfacing. There are […]
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30th April 2018
Trees and urban planning

Trees in the Planning Process

AWA Tree Consultants went to a recent half-day event: Trees in the Planning Process. It was hosted in Oxford by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF). The RTPI South East provides a range of services for members in the region. It offers affordable seminars and events for professional development, and acts as a champion for planning. The event was co-hosted by the ICF, which is the UK’s Royal Chartered professional body […]
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10th May 2018
Sheffield Trees

The State of Trees in Sheffield

Sheffield has a lot of trees. This fact makes Sheffield a great place to live and work. AWA Tree Consultants are based in the heart of Sheffield and all our arboriculturists live in or near the city. Sheffield’s various trees collectively form our urban forest. Components of the urban forest range from isolated individual trees, lines of trees alongside roads and wider groups of amenity trees’ in parks, to urban woodlands. The trees in Sheffield’s urban forest are owned and […]
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24th May 2018
Ashoka

Ashoka and Arboriculture in India.

It is commonly believed that street trees originated in the capital cities of Europe in the 1500s. First in France, then Holland and then to London and the rest of the continent. This European history of street trees is rightly uncontested. However, there is compelling evidence of a vast network of managed street trees, from over 2000 years ago. A massive programme of tree planting and arboricultural management along routes over many thousands of miles across India and South Asia. […]
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4th June 2018
AWA School Sites 2018

Tree surveys and risk assessments for schools

Trees in school grounds create inspiring learning spaces. In urban areas, trees in schools are often the main way young people connect with nature in their day-to-day lives. Trees do a lot more than make the school look pleasant, it’s even been shown in studies that students learn better with views of trees! The overall risk from trees to students, staff and visitors at schools is extremely low. Trees cause very few serious injuries; however, as the owner of trees, […]
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22nd June 2018
AWA Tree Consultants Yorkshire

Do you need an arboricultural consultant for a tree survey for planning?

Many companies in the environmental and planning sectors now offer ‘arboricultural services’. From large multi-national consultancies to smaller ecologists or landscape architect companies – there are an increasing number of slick websites offering ‘tree surveys for planning’. As these professions deal with the environment or ‘green stuff’, is there much difference? Is it worth seeking out a specialised arboricultural consultant or could some other environmental professional undertake a tree survey for planning and development purposes? Perhaps unsurprisingly, our view at […]
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4th July 2018
Trainee Tree Consultant

We’re Hiring a Trainee Tree Consultant

We are looking for an enthusiastic future arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. You will assist our lead tree consultants with our increasing work-load, helping us provide high quality tree surveys to a range of clients. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector […]
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25th July 2018
Mao Feng Shui Forest

How China’s Feng Shui forests survived Chairman Mao’s infamous ‘war against nature’.

The mission of Communist China’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ was to ‘conquer nature’. This mission was carried out with devastating efficiency in the name of a stronger China. Famously this foolhardy war against nature led to Mao instructing farmers to kill wild sparrows, as they were apparently eating too much grain and reducing productivity. This mass cull of the harmless birds had numerous associated negative environmental impacts. The Great Leap Forward also led to a massive loss of China’s forests, largely […]
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31st July 2018
Tree Poverty

Tree Poverty: The impact of austerity on our urban forests.

The North-South divide in the UK is inescapable, not only in economic terms but also in areas such as culture, health, life expectancy and transport. New evidence suggests a nation already divided along geo-political and economic lines, may also be divided arboriculturally. A recent Sunday Times article revealed that ‘More than 110,000 trees have been chopped down in three years by councils across the UK — equivalent to a sixth of the size of Sherwood Forest … According to Defra, […]
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11th September 2018
Mortgage tree survey reports for home-buyers

Mortgage tree survey and reports for home-buyers.

Trees provide significant benefits to property owners. Not only can they make a property more attractive, but studies have shown that nearby trees can increase property prices by up to 11%. However, if trees are highlighted as a potential problem when buying a new property, then there is a danger they can become a time-consuming, stressful and expensive hassle for the buyer. In a recent poll, two thirds of people voted moving-house top of their stress list, so the last […]
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6th November 2018
Western Road Trees Sheffield

Sheffield War Memorial Trees to be Saved

It has been reported that 32 of the 35 war memorial trees which were scheduled to be felled are set to be saved using engineering solutions. Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said: I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement…“Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case.” Green Party […]
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16th November 2018
National Tree Officers Conference

AWA Tree Consultants at the National Tree Officers Conference

The team at AWA Tree Consultants recently attended the 3rd annual National Tree Officers Conference. Organised by the London Tree Officers Organisation, Municipal Tree Officers Association and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the event took place at Telford’s Oakengates Theatre. AWA Arboriculturist Patrick Rowntree discusses a few of the talks and issues that he personally found most interesting from the day… It was a well-organised and smoothly-run event that was well worth attending; however, the diverse range of topics meant some […]
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8th January 2019
Sycamore Tree

The Great Maple or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sycamore

In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” there is a famous scene where John Cleese’s character ‘Brother Reg’ is trying to incite his gang to rebel against the occupying Roman army. After a few minutes of debate, he utters the immortal line: “Alright! – but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” Well, we could also add “The Sycamore” to this list. Although […]
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19th February 2019
South Yorkshire trees

Locum Arboricultural Officers for Yorkshire Planning Authority.

In spring 2017 AWA Tree Consultants undertook locum Tree Officer related work for Rotherham Metropolitan Council. Rotherham’s previous Tree Manager retired in early 2017 and as a result there was a backlog of planning related arboricultural survey work that needed to be completed. We provided temporary assistance for around 6 months, until the Council recruited for the post. Rotherham is a large town in South Yorkshire between Sheffield and Doncaster, together with its outlying settlements it forms the Metropolitan Borough […]
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7th May 2019
Ancient tree survey Yorkshire

Tree survey for historic garden in South Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants recently undertook a large-scale tree inspection and tree risk assessment of the trees at the stately home of Wortley Hall in South Yorkshire, which dates back to the late 16th century. The site is in the village and civil parish of Wortley, approximately 9.5 miles north of Sheffield city centre, and 8 miles south of Barnsley. It consists of a stately home, currently in use as a hotel, caravan park and business centre. It has large associated […]
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31st May 2019
Tree Survey for Planning

Are tree survey reports needed for all planning applications?

If you don’t consider the trees on your development site as significant, do you still need a tree survey for planning? Perhaps it’s only a small extension, or a rebuild with increased footprint, or the only trees are situated on the boundary or in adjacent land – you may be wondering: is a tree survey report needed for our planning application? AWA Tree Consultants often provide tree surveys and reports for large-scale housing developments. Our clients include planners and developers […]
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14th June 2019
Leeds Urban Forestry

Making Space for Trees in Leeds, with Green Streets

The team from AWA Tree Consultants recently attended Leeds Becket University for the Institute of Chartered Foresters 2019 North England Group event (in association with Green Blue Urban) – Green Streets: Making Space for Trees. It was a well-attended event with over 100 delegates present. Many of which were tree officers, arboricultural consultants, landscape and engineering professionals from the Yorkshire region and neighbouring Local Authorities, including Kirklees, Harrogate, Manchester, Amber Valley and Sheffield. The day was chaired by Alan Simson, […]
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5th July 2019
Tree Inspection AWA Trees

AWA Tree Consultants: Professional Tree Inspection in Staffordshire

Recently AWA Tree Consultant, Patrick, undertook the LANTRA Award in Professional Tree Inspection, provided by The Arboricultural Association in Staffordshire. He hoped to join his colleagues at AWA by gaining this invaluable qualification (who’d all passed with flying colours – so no pressure Patrick!). Here’s what he had to say about his experience on the course: The first of three days (two for training, and a third for assessment), begins with the obligatory introduction session, whereby everyone is paired-up and […]
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21st September 2019
Tree Experts

Arboricultural Experts Discuss Tree Risk

A few of the team from AWA Tree Consultants travelled down to the Arboricultural Association Midland Branch Seminar, held at the Hawkesyard Estate in Staffordshire. It was an excellent day of high-end arboriculture, with presentations from Jeremy Barrell and Dr. David Lonsdale – two leading expert witnesses in arboriculture. The day began with an open forum led by the audience, to discuss tree risk management. Questions fielded by Jeremy and David included: Ash dieback and tree risk. The requirement – […]
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1st October 2019
Dr Charles Mynors

Tree Consultants at Street Trees and Politics Conference, Sheffield

The team at AWA recently went to the Sheffield University Conference; “Street Trees and Politics”. The conference was in response to Sheffield’s infamous “street tree crises” or “chainsaw massacre“, which was a result of Sheffield Council letting a 25-year maintenance contract for tree care to Amey, whose actions led to public outcry and international reporting. The conference explored the issue of street trees and politics in greater depth, addressing not just the Sheffield situation, but the wide range of issues […]
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4th November 2019
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

AWA Tree Consultant visits the largest tree on Earth.

Last month AWA Tree Consultant Adam was lucky enough to visit some of the world’s largest trees at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California. Here he details an experience that should be on any tree lovers bucket list! The National Park was initially created, and protected from loggers, due to the efforts of the influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir, who is quoted as saying: “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find […]
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29th November 2019
Arborist Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants in the Arb Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants have been published in the Winter 2019 edition of the ARB Magazine, the quarterly publication for Members of the Arboricultural Association, with a review article titled: “Tree experts get on the mic”. Since 1964 the Arboricultural Association has promoted trees and the professionals who enable their sustainable management. It aims to be at the cutting edge of tree knowledge, set the agenda for trees in the built environment and show leadership on how best to care for […]
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6th December 2019
Joseph Beuys digging

Joseph Beuys: The Art of Arboriculture

Many great artists have drawn or painted trees, yet increasingly artists have used trees not a subject but as the substance of the art itself. Some of the best art using trees includes chainsaw sculptors carving into dead or fallen trees, or tree-shaping – making living trees grow into artworks – or artists harnessing the natural colour and beauty of trees to sculpt amazing geometric shapes. Here AWA Tree Consultant Dr Felicity Stout details what is possibly the best example […]
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6th January 2020
AWA Tree Survey Sites

Tree Surveys in Yorkshire and Beyond!

At the start of 2020 we’ve had a quick review of the last year and looked at where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys, creating an AWA Tree Survey Map of 2019! Last year has been the busiest yet for AWA Tree Consultants, with over 500 job instructions across the country. It’s clear we are busy looking at trees in our own neck of the woods – with most tree surveys in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the surrounding counties of […]
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11th February 2020

AWA are Hiring a Tree Consultant

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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23rd March 2020

Coronavirus Covid-19 and AWA Tree Consultants

These are strange and fast-moving times! While it’s not quite “business as usual” we’re keeping busy at AWA, ensuring minimal disruption to client’s projects, while closely following all government guidelines. Our key priorities are keeping the AWA team safe and busy, with minimal disruption to clients in the coming months. We are lucky compared to many jobs in that tree surveying is generally lone working in the fresh air, so is very low risk. While we have the benefits and […]
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5th June 2020

Tree Survey for Planning in Sheffield

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped with a tree survey for planning in Sheffield with approval of two major developments: Expansion of Sheffield Business Park (SBP) and Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The sites form one of the largest business parks in Yorkshire, that forms part of the wider 740-acre scheme within the Sheffield City Region. Council planners had initially been concerned regarding possible large scale clearance of trees. However, after our tree survey we identified suitable management to open up […]
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26th June 2020
Trees-in-the-age-of-coronavirus

Trees in the Time of Coronavirus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been described as perhaps the biggest global crisis of our generation, and one that will probably shape the world for years to come. The impact on healthcare systems, the economy, politics and culture are already noticeable. While the associated lockdown created virtual ghost-towns of most urban areas, there was an upsurge of people visiting nearby green spaces. For many people, the pandemic has led to a direct realisation of the profound value of local accessible green […]
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4th August 2020
Sheffield Arboricultural Consultant

Trees to Tries: Arboricultural Consultant in Sheffield goes to Canada

This week Sheffield based Arboricultural Consultant Patrick Rowntree is leaving the ranks of AWA Tree Consultants to head to the land of the Acer spp. Before joining AWA Tree Consultants, Patrick had enjoyed playing competitive rugby around the globe including several years in the apogee of the rugby playing world; New Zealand. Upon returning to England, he had resided himself to a less physical means of income and looked set to enjoy a career as an Arboricultural Consultant for AWA […]
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29th September 2020

VALID: Tree Risk-Benefit Management in Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants regularly inspect and risk assess many thousands of trees, around the Yorkshire region and the UK, as part of Tree Safety and Risk Management surveys. There is often a need to undertake detailed risk assessments for trees to ensure we can provide our clients with appropriate, proportionate recommendations, that manage the risk while retaining the benefits our clients appreciate from their trees. All our tree risk surveys are undertaken by experienced and qualified arboriculturists. In addition to […]
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23rd October 2020
‌Lincolnshire-Trees

Why would you need tree surveys in Lincolnshire?

Lincolnshire was described in a BBC article this week as having the lowest tree cover in the county. But is this accurate? From our experience of regularly undertaking tree surveys in Lincolnshire, this doesn’t necessarily ring true. We review the claim and critically look at the reasons suggested for Lincolnshire’s low tree cover: The BBC article “Gardens help towns and cities beat countryside for tree cover” detailed research which estimated the percentage of tree cover in different parts of the […]
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7th January 2021

AWA Tree Consultants: continue to provide tree surveys for planning.

Despite the issues across the country, we have been keeping remarkably busy at AWA tree consultants. Last year, our small team of exceptional tree consultants have successfully undertaken over 500 job instructions. We have been involved in tree surveys for some fantastic infrastructure projects, including major new road building, new windfarms, flood alleviation schemes, business parks, schools, hospitals, and major housing developments. As well as hundreds of tree survey reports for planning projects for owner-occupiers or very small-scale housing developers.  […]
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26th July 2021
Arboriculturist Spelling

How do you spell: Arboriculturist?

A person who practices professional arboriculture is termed an Arboriculturalist / Arboriculturist. The different terms are often used interchangeably, but which one is the correct spelling? The Oxford English Dictionary has the noun of arboriculture as arboriculturist; likewise, the Collins dictionary refers to arboriculturist (they don’t list Arboriculturalist). Leading authorities within the industry are clear. The Terms and Definitions of the British Standard 5837:2012 refer to an arboriculturist (as a person who has, through relevant education, training and experience, gained […]
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17th September 2021
The Tree Experts

The Tree Experts: A History of Professional Arboriculture in Britain, by Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston has worked as a tree contractor, tree consultant, tree officer and college professor. He has been a prominent figure within professional arboriculture for several decades, developing city-wide urban forest initiatives, influential policy, and urban forestry practice guides. Like many others in our profession, I was one of the thousands of students he taught over the years, being lucky enough to be one of the first students to undertake the Master of Science program in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, […]
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14th January 2022

Join our Team of Tree Consultants

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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14th January 2022

Ash Dieback and Tree Surveys for Planning

Ash dieback disease is having a major impact to the UKs Ash trees, with losses of between 75% and 90% predicted. At AWA Tree Consultants we are having to adapt to this when undertaking tree surveys for planning in Yorkshire and the surrounding regions of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Ash dieback is impacting our tree surveys in two main ways. Firstly, in the extra focus on Ash when assessing the risk of harm to people or property, and secondly, in how […]
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2nd September 2022

Expert Arboriculturists Join Our Team

AWA Tree Consultants recently welcomed two new team members, Joe Thomas and Jim Boyle. Joe has a first-class degree in biology with an integrated Masters from the University of Sheffield. He then undertook a Level 4 Award in Arboriculture while working as an Urban Forester trainee with the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Sheffield City Council, where he gained a variety of experience in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, including tree surveys and inspections, working with Sheffield tree officers on […]
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2nd September 2022

There’s no such thing as a tree.

What is a tree? Such a seemingly simple question. But when examined closely, even the best minds struggle to find an to find a satisfactory answer. When forced to provide an answer, experts ranging from Phylogenetic biologists, the High Court of Justice in England, and even Mahayana Buddhist masters, ultimately all come to the same conclusion: there is, in fact, no such thing as a tree. Do trees exist, scientifically? All life on Earth is part of a single phylogenetic […]
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16th October 2022

Managing Trees in Sheffield. A New Hope!

The unedifying events of the infamous Sheffield Tree Saga are now thankfully fading into history. Like many social events involving unrest and conflict, dramatic low points are often the catalyst for long term change for the better. This hope was very much in the air at the recent conference ‘Urban Trees in Sheffield’, which highlighted how far things have come since 2018. Showcasing new approaches and commitment to community involvement, in managing Sheffield’s street trees. It was a good-news event, […]
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5th November 2022

AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy to the team.

This month AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy Garbutt to the team. Lucy is a highly qualified ecologist, having graduated with a masters degree in Animal Behaviour from the UK’s highest rated university, St Andrews of Scotland, following the completion of her BSc degree in Biology from Lancaster University. She has experience in botany, working as a Research Assistant at Knepp Estate, Sussex and in Indonesia, and is experienced in protected species’ surveys, including surveys of bats, reptiles, and dormice. […]
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5th November 2022
Tree-Consultants-North-Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants Ancient Tree Trip in North Yorkshire

The AWA tree survey team recently went along to the Ancient Tree Forum’s Autumn Field Trip, held on the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) is the only organisation in the country specialising in the conservation of ancient and veteran trees. This was the first in-person Ancient Tree Forum’s field trip since before the pandemic and as with most ATF events, tickets sold out faster than an Arctic Monkeys tour! The day was split into […]
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5th January 2023

UK trees catch double the carbon

Climate change mitigation is just one of the many environmental benefits provided by trees and woods, but it is a key reason why trees are so vital in the fight against climate change. Here AWA Tree Consultant Lucy Garbutt details new research using laser scanning of woodlands to reveal potential significant underestimations of biomass carbon in our temperate forests: Trees and forests can help limit rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees capture and sequester carbon, ‘locking in’ […]
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11th June 2023
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission

The concept of tree root protection areas (RPAs) has been a consideration in UK planning and development for over three decades. Yet there is still often confusion about root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission. This post aims to get to the ‘root’ of the RPA in relation to new developments and planning permission. What is a root protection area (RPA)? In UK planning and development, the British Standard 5837:2012 “Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. Recommendations” defines […]
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14th June 2023

Team Day Out at Sherwood Forest

This month AWA Tree Consultants had a team day out to Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, with a guided tour of the beautiful woodland and ancient trees. In the morning we were given a guided tour by a member of Sherwood Forests outdoors management team. The tour was an excellent opportunity to see the awesome ancient trees and learn about the issues surrounding the woodlands management. Including modern history and current management issues, focusing on ancient trees, ecology, and visitor management. Sherwood […]
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14th August 2023

Bats in Trees – Considerations for Arboriculturists

Bats and trees have an ancient relationship, with trees providing vital roosting and foraging habitats for these fascinating creatures. In the UK, bats are an important part of our biodiversity, and all bat species, their breeding sites and roosting habitats are fully protected under European law, to safeguard their populations. Bat surveys are generally undertaken by professional Ecologists, who hold the appropriate and up-to-date survey licence to carry out surveys for bats. Here, AWA Tree Consultants in-house bat fanatic – […]
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17th August 2023
The team at AWA tree consultants

Introducing Sophie Beckerman: New Team Member

We are thrilled to welcome Sophie Beckerman, our newest member of staff, to our dedicated team of tree experts. With over 10 years of experience as a climbing arborist and team leader, Sophie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team, as she embarks on this new phase of her career with AWA Tree Consultants. Sophie’s passion for arboriculture led her to pursue a Level 4 Diploma in arboriculture while working as an arborist.  Throughout her career, she […]
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24th August 2023
Carrot and sticks in the urban forest

Carrots not Sticks: Why we should reward people for having trees.

The phrase “carrot and stick” is a metaphor for the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour or outcome. In terms of arboriculture and urban forestry, the desired behaviour or outcome is to maximise the countless environmental and societal benefits urban trees provide. Street and park trees account for only small fraction of an urban forest. The public sector owns only 8% of England, with most land being owned by private individuals, companies and […]
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9th October 2023

ATF Trip to Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

Last month some of the tree survey team from AWA Tree Consultants attended the Ancient Tree Forum – Yorkshire and East Midlands local group field trip to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire. Here James Brown, senior arboriculturist at AWA, details what went down on the day: Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. The abbey is situated within the wider Studley Royal Park, and together they are designated a UNESCO World Heritage […]
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24th October 2023

Academic Achievement in Arboriculture

At AWA Tree Consultants, we want to shine a spotlight on James Godfrey, one of our arboricultural consultants, who recently completed his FdSc Arboriculture and Tree Management at Myerscough College. James not only accomplished this significant milestone but was also honoured with the prestigious Student of the Year award. We are thrilled to share his story and highlight the academic success James G has achieved while working with AWA Tree Consultants. James Godfrey’s Academic Journey: Throughout his academic journey at […]
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24th October 2023

Fungi: Vital for Trees and Arborists

Last month, the tree survey team at AWA Tree Consultants embarked on a journey of discovery into the fascinating Kingdom of fungi! Through attending the ‘Learning Fungi Identification Skills’ workshop at Whisby Nature Park in Lincoln and the ‘Practical Fungi Field Skills’ course at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire (both organised by the Field Studies Council), our team broadened their knowledge and appreciation of the often-misunderstood fungi kingdom. Arborists and tree consultants have tended to focus on the wood decay fungi that […]
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3rd November 2023
Identifying-Conifer-Trees-Masterclass-AWA-Trees

A Masterclass in Identifying Conifer Trees

A Review of the ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ Course by the Field Studies Council Arboriculturists Lucy, Sophie and Joe at AWA Tree Consultants recently had the opportunity to attend a weekend residential course called ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ at the Preston Montford Field Studies Council Centre. Under the expert guidance of Mark Duffell of Arvensis Ecology, this botanical tree course was thoroughly enjoyable and a brilliant learning experience. The course is aimed at people who would like to improve their […]
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15th November 2023

Tree Surveys Near Me

The Ultimate Guide to Sheffield Tree Survey Reports for Planning Applications When it comes to planning applications in Sheffield that involve trees on your property, having a comprehensive BS5837 tree survey report can make all the difference. Whether you are a homeowner or a developer in the Sheffield area, understanding the significance of these tree survey reports can make for a smoother planning application process and ensure compliance with local tree related planning regulations. Sheffield is known for being one […]
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7th December 2023
Kelham-Island

Branching Out into New Office Space

Green Shoots in Sheffield From humble beginnings in 2011 – working as a sole trader from a spare box room, ‘Adam Winson Arboriculture’ became AWA Tree Consultants Ltd and moved into a small office in 2012. This was in the then still ‘edgy’ area of Sheffield – Neepsend/Kelham Island. Since then, the AWA team and our customer base, has steadily grown. While the small office was great, over the last few years we were fast outgrowing it, and despite flexible […]
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28th December 2023

Our Journey Through the Seasons

This year has flown by. Perhaps it’s to do with getting older, but these days, months seem like weeks! As such, we though it’d be good to look back and take stock of what happened at AWA Tree Consultants over the last year. Here we detail a few of the events in what’s been a ‘tree-mendous’ year at the company: Tree Surveys – lots of em! As ever, it’s been a busy year for the tree survey team getting out […]
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12th April 2024
Dr. David Lonsdale presenting next to a tree

A Tribute to Dr. David Lonsdale

It is very sad to hear of the death of Dr. David Lonsdale, who passed away on 9th April 2024. Undoubtedly, he stood as the preeminent tree expert in the UK, serving as an inspiration to myself and countless others within the profession. His seminal work, “Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management,” published in 1999, established the gold standard in tree risk assessment and management for decades to come. It was the first professional arboriculture book I purchased 25 […]
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20th May 2024

Welcoming Ross: Our Newest Arboriculturist

AWA is thrilled to introduce Ross, our new Arboriculturist, who brings over 10 years of diverse arboricultural experience to the team. With a background encompassing horticultural, arboricultural, and ecological work, Ross has worked across the UK, conducting tree surveys and has worked on a wide range of projects, both small and large scale. Ross holds a technician level membership with the Arboricultural Association and a qualifying membership with CIEEM, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence. Academic qualifications include a first […]
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13th September 2024
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – What you need to know .

The long-awaited draft revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – Code of Practice has finally arrived. It represents the most significant update to the British Standard since the last revision in 2012. For tree consultants, urban planners, and developers, this revision could have a profound impact on how trees are integrated into design and construction projects. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes, what they mean for trees and planning, and how you can, and […]
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Trees, Science and Opinion

4th August 2011
Trees, People and the Built Environment logo

Trees, People and the Built Environment

This years ICF conference ‘Trees, People and the Built Environment’, was a great experience. At around 400 delegates this was probably the largest number ever seen at a tree conference in the UK. Nearly all of the 29 speakers were academic doctors and the international flavour was great, with nine of them invited from overseas; so it was an honour for me to stand up alongside them to represent my research and then get my brains picked by an audience of arboricultural experts afterwards. […]
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6th August 2011

The Gigantic Kapok Tree

  These pictures are of a gigantic Cotton-Silk Kapok tree, located in Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore, India; taken on news years day 2010. It is arguably the largest specimen of a Kapok tree in the world. The tree is native to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America tropical and had been introduced in other tropical countries of the world. To the Mayan people, the tree is a sacred symbol.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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2nd September 2011

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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25th September 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Trees and Subsidence, ICF Chartered Forester Magazine, Adam Winson

Below is a short opinion piece  I wrote for Chartered Forester Magazine – the membership magazine of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the professional body for foresters and arboriculturists – my view is based on my work as an arboricultural consultant undertaking tree surveys in relation to property damage: Anyone who attended this years ICF conference can be under no doubt as to the major benefits urban trees provide. However, as some of the post-conference debate showed, urban trees implicated […]
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25th November 2011

Woodman, Spare that Tree

Felling trees near where people live is always an emotive issue. As chartered arboricultural consultants we have to factor this into our decision making when managing urban trees. This poem was first printed over 100 years ago, yet considering its age I was amazed at how contemporary the issues raised are (Sheffield Street Tree Felling?!). The language may have aged a little, but this could have been sent by a disgruntled local to the tree officer in the Oxford city […]
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29th November 2011

What is a forest?

When most people think of a forest, they think of a big area of trees. Yet definitions of a forest vary (for example, as arboricultural consultants we focus on the ‘urban forest‘) and a historical overview of the definition of ‘forest’ suggests it is not as clear cut as it seems. In ‘Forests, The Shadow of Civilization’ (1993), Robert Harrison notes how medieval chivalric romances tend to represent forests as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its […]
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2nd December 2011

Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds: Nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing.

Winson. Flourishing trees flourishing minds This is the urban forestry research paper – flourishing trees, flourishing minds; looking at how urban trees may improve mental wellbeing. The research paper forms part of the Forestry Commission Research Report Trees, people and the built environment – Proceedings of the Urban Trees Research Conference 13-14 April 2011  Flourishing trees, flourishing minds: nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing among housing association tenants.Abstract: Interventions to create even a small change in the average level of mental wellbeing across the […]
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7th December 2011

Howard Nemerov, Learning by Doing:

I’m sure anyone whose been involved in practical tree surgery will agree, this poem brilliantly captures the process and impacts of ‘section felling’ a mature tree. In the past I have taken my fare share of trees down by section felling (the photo is probably one of my last big ‘uns); its a task that can require considerable skill and nerve and one that as a young tree surgeon I would take pride in, focusing on the technical side of the job at hand without too much […]
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15th December 2011

Krishna on the inspiring life of trees

Trees form a key aspect to several Asian religions. The banyan tree is best known as sacred to Buddhists as after the Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under one. However trees are also important for Hindus and they feature prominently in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna uses tree to explain the meaning of life. “Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, heat and […]
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16th December 2011

Development tree surveys to identify assets and constraints.

When trees are on a development site they are often unduly considered a constraint to the sites development potential. However a suitable tree survey for planning should help identify not only trees that may pose a constraint to the development potential of a site, but also the trees that would add value and be an asset to any new development. This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It […]
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21st December 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Response Published in Chartered Forester Magazine

In the autumn edition of Chartered Forester magazine I had a short opinion piece published, ‘Cracking up’, which looked at the issues surrounding urban trees being removed due to subsidence claims and highlighted how the issue seems to make the tree industry so emotive. The piece provoked considerable interest and a few critical responses (generally from tree consultants who make a living from dealing with tree related subsidence claims). The latest issue of Chartered Forester featured a letter from Michael Lawson and my response which I have copied below.   […]
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8th January 2012

Nature’s endless employment of beauty to achieve its utilitarian ends

  New research is looking at the impact of birdsong on our sense of wellbeing. The study will examine the psychological impact of being exposed to birdsong, including whether it helps us relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. This research interests me as my own study has shown that urban trees may result in higher levels of mental wellbeing, yet how this happens is unclear, could it be that birdsong, closely associated with trees, […]
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26th January 2012
Nature an enchanted labyrinth

Nature as an Enchanted Labyrinth

Edwin Way Teale was a natural history writer who wrote and edited over 30 books, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. He is less well known than many other writers of the time, but was a mentor to today’s modern nature writers. Here he describes how an interest in nature interconnects with so many similar yet distinct areas of study. This struck a particular cord with me, as the practice of arboricultural […]
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1st February 2012

Are we hard-wired to love trees?

  The links between trees, forests and improved mental and physical health are becoming clearer, with an increasing amount of applied research providing a more solid evidence base. When researchers offer explanations as to why such links are evidenced, their theories tend to ultimately be grounded in psycho-evolutionary theory or what the Biologist E.O Wilson termed ‘Biophilia’. Psycho-evolutionary theory is based on the notion that millions of years of evolution have left modern humans with a partly genetic predisposition to […]
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22nd February 2012

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

  As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is specialist […]
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11th April 2012

Living next to trees makes us happier.

Findings of a study, published as part of the Forestry Commission Research Report: Trees, people and the built environment, show that residents are happier if they live near to trees. The study compared the happiness levels of 200 tenants renting properties from a Yorkshire housing charity; half of the tenants questioned had high levels of nearby tree cover and half had few or no nearby trees. The results showed that even with everything else broadly the same, tenants with high […]
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24th April 2012

Big Brother is watching your trees

    I was recently travelling overseas and found myself reading George Orwell’s classic 1984 (having read all I’d brought with me in the first week, it was the only English language book available!). What struck me throughout the novel (other than how many of the terms have become contemporary since publication) was how utterly grim and ruined the urban landscape was and how this added to the atmosphere of hopelessness. Yet I was struck by this particular passage, that relates […]
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26th April 2012

Do Tree Preservation Orders work, or is there a better way?

  New Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012) came into force in England on the 6th April 2012. England. There is a memo to go with the Regs that sets out clearly what all the changes are.    The TPO Regulations 2012 aim to put all Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) onto the same footing and consolidate much existing legislation into one new set of regulations. Essentially, the DCLG have attempted to simplify the TPO process in the new regulations, which in itself […]
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3rd May 2012
Cherry Tree Sheffield

Sheffield Hanami

  Shining spring day Falling cherry blossoms with my calm mind Kino Tomonari   My street, in the North West suburbs of Sheffield, is a nice enough, but unremarkable row of 1930’s built semi-detached houses. The Cherry ‘Kanzan’ trees that line my street too, are for most of the year, fairly unremarkable. Historically one of the most planted street trees in Sheffield’s suburbs; many have now died off or succumbed to the perils of new drives and highway improvements. If […]
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14th May 2012

Phoenix Park Combats the Canker

The Phoenix Park, Dublin, is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city.  The Park extends to over 700 hectares with a tree population in excess of 20,000 trees. Woodlands and tree-dominated areas cover 31% of the Park.  It is a highly important site for biodiversity, supporting 50% of all mammal species occurring in Ireland and 35% of bird species.  Among the 351 different plant species to be found in the Park, there […]
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31st May 2012

Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

    The practice of arboriculture is ancient. The image above shows it was a subject worthy of being painted about on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, clearly showing people transplanting and caring for trees. The word arboriculture is also old; derived from the Latin arbor (tree), and cultura (tending or caring). Today the terms “Arboriculturist” and “Arboriculturalist” are both used to describe a person who practices professional arboriculture – but which one is the right word?   Arboriculture was a term apparently […]
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15th June 2012

Lessons In Tree Care From Ancient Egypt.

    Hatshepsut is generally regarded by historians as one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt. She lived in the 15th century B.C. and had a long and successful reign, marked by building projects and trading expeditions unrivalled by any other culture for a thousand years. As well as being the first great woman in recorded history, inaugurating a long peaceful era and bringing great wealth to Egypt, she can also fairly lay claim to being the world’s first arboriculturist. Historians agree […]
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6th July 2012

The People’s Forest of Sheffield

Sheffield is England’s fourth largest city, with a population of over half a million. Like many northern former industrial cities it has a disproportionate share of the most deprived areas in the country. The 1980s were turbulent times for Sheffield, with massive job losses and large scale industrial action. During this time Sheffield became known satirically as the ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’ in reference to the left-wing administration of Sheffield City Council, and depending upon your political leanings at the time, the term was used derisively or […]
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18th July 2012

awatrees.com

These are a few images from some recent promotional photos I needed (I work as an arboricultural consultant to keep the wolf from the door). The photographer, a family friend, had her work cut out – They were taken on a drizzly afternoon in Grimsby, and I always find having my photo taken uncomfortable and embarrassing. So with these odds against her, she did a sterling job!
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18th July 2012

Dead Trees

  Aesthetically a large dead tree is a magnificent sight. Dead trees also provide vital habitat and the benefits of deadwood for biodiversity are massive.  If a tree dies it can’t be legally protected by a Tree Preservation Order. The Woodland Trust had recently been campaigning to have the exemption for dead trees to be removed from Tree Preservation Order Regulations. They were dismayed when the new Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012), which came into force in April 2012, still retained the exception for dead trees. For […]
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27th July 2012

Green Places Magazine Publish ‘Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds’

Green Space is the UK’s parks charity; they work to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals. Green Space’s magazine, Green Places, brings together the latest thinking, best practice and debate for the green space sector. The magazine is dedicated to providing up-to-date news and features for professionals charged with planning, designing and maintaining public green spaces. Green Places recently published a more accessible version of my urban forestry research paper, ‘Flourishing Trees, […]
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1st October 2012

TOWN TREES

The postings on the blog page have been few and far between of late, largely due to me being kept busy with a large tree survey of all the roadside trees in Sheffield. In light of this I thought I’d share some of this lovely document; produced circa 1947 by the Council for the preservation of rural England, Sheffield and Peak District Branch (now C.P.R.E South Yorkshire). What struck me most about the 65 year old pamphlet is how contemporary many […]
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6th January 2013

Psithurism: the sound of wind whispering through the trees

We can’t see wind, only the things it moves. Likewise, we can’t hear wind unless it’s flowing past something that makes it vibrate; this causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Trees provide some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. This sound has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The naturalist author and founding member of the RSPB, W.H. Hudson, suggests in Birds and Man (1901), that psithurism is salubrious. He describes […]
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5th February 2013

A room with a view

  “A view? Oh, a view! How delightful a view is!” – E.M. Forster   Aesthetic preferences suggest that an individual’s visual encounter with certain landscapes will elicit pleasurable neurophysiological activity. Or in other words, people like nice views. Research shows that people prefer natural scenes over urban ones; with park-like views generally scoring highest, leading to claims that such preferences are hard-wired. People are willing to pay for a nice view from their home. Most (but not all) studies suggest that […]
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20th May 2013

BS:5837 (2012) Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – William Morris: Recommendations.

  The BS 5837: 2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations; provides guidance in respect of trees on development sites. It aims to provide a balanced approach on deciding which trees are appropriate for retention, on the effect of trees on design considerations and on the means of protecting trees during development.   The latest revision of the document is now one year old. The new document provides Local Planning Authorities more opportunities to refuse planning […]
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19th August 2013

Non-natives are welcome!

Ordinarily, if you were to pick up a copy of the Guardian newspaper and read an article that decried how councils were allowing non-natives to flood into our towns and cities, you would rightly do a double take to make sure you hadn’t mistakenly picked up the wrong paper. However, such nationalistic sentiment was at the heart of the recent piece by George Monbiot. The difference being, of course, is that he was talking about TREES; but it’s interesting how […]
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23rd October 2013

Messing About on the River

  AWA Tree Consultants have been busy this summer, surveying trees alongside waterways across the Midlands. Having previously never really given the waterways much of a thought, I’m now an enthusiast! Originally built to serve the needs of trade and industry, the iconic aqueducts, lock gates and bridges are technically and architecturally impressive historical features. However, what struck me most was how the waterways have now become a haven for nature. They form a vast network of green (and blue) spaces running from remote […]
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25th November 2013

Trees are the most civil society

  There is nothing so much alive, and yet so quiet, as a woodland…   Trees are the most civil society. An old oak that has been growing where he stands since before the Reformation, taller than many spires, more stately than the greater part of mountains, and yet a living thing, liable to sicknesses and death, like you and me: is not that in itself a speaking lesson in history? But acres on acres full of such patriarchs contiguously […]
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4th January 2014

Ancient Woodlands. Replacing the Irreplaceable?

Ancient woodlands are our rainforests. Beyond their massive ecological value, they culturally define who we are. This value can be seen in our emotional responses when ancient woodlands come under threat. Often perceived as fragments of a primeval ‘wildwood’ – a living link to the woodland from the end of the Ice Age – in truth, these ancient woods are not fragments of primeval wildwood, but have been influenced by human activity over thousands of years. Indeed, it is often […]
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17th January 2014

The Tyranny of Tree Preservation

Tree preservation orders are legal orders which make it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, lop or damage a tree without first obtaining Council consent. Tree preservation orders are powerful legal tools that can have a massive impact on both trees, the land on which they grow and the people who own this land.   Tree preservation orders can be a tool for great good, ensuring high value amenity trees are protected from threats of destruction, for the benefit […]
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15th March 2014

Dyngus Day and the Willow Tree

  Salix caprea, aka Sallow, Goat or Pussy Willow are the commonest and most widespread willows in Britain. They are the tree most likely to be encountered on abandoned industrial sites and urban wastelands. Visually the most unremarkable of trees, they rarely cause one to stand and stare (in tree survey terms, a classic contender for a lower value BS:5837 retention category ‘C’ tree).    In early spring however, they are transformed; first with the silky silver catkin buds, gradually […]
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18th May 2014

Asleep with our Arboreal Ancestors

Now I’m the king of the swingers Oh, the jungle VIP I’ve reached the top and had to stop And that’s what botherin’ me Despite our predominantly urban existence we still feel great connectedness and strong emotional bonds towards trees. It has been suggested that this positive emotional response is, in part, hard-wired. Millions of years of evolution have left us with a partly genetic predisposition to respond positively to trees. Interestingly, this connection to our arboreal origins can still […]
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16th July 2014
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Emotional Life of the Arboricultural Consultant

Like most jobs, working as an arboricultural consultant has its ups and downs. This light-hearted list suggests a top ten of the emotions we face in our daily struggle through the urban forest.      10. Telling someone you’re an arboricultural consultant and they say “Oh, you mean a tree surgeon?”      9. After explaining how you’re different to a tree surgeon, they ask you to prune their tree.  8. You’re on site and you’ve forgot the Latin name of a tree.  7. Reading on-line forum […]
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19th August 2014

In Awe of the Ordinary: How tree-porn can make you go blind.

Anyone who has both an interest in trees and an account with Facebook, Twitter or similar social media, is likely to encounter a stream of links to collections of images promising something like, “THE BEST, MOST KICK-ASS TREES IN THE WORLD!”  Seemingly a week cannot pass without clicking on a link to a similar collection of skilfully photographed images of extraordinary trees from around the world. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that nearly all of the earth’s largest and most unusual trees have been […]
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9th October 2014

Disraeli & Gladstone & Arboriculture

Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were both politicians of extraordinary ability; today they are consistently ranked in lists of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers.  They were possibly the greatest parliamentary rivals in history: their personalities clashed and they heartily loathed each other.  The feuding politicians were celebrities of the day, with their battles in the House of Commons attracting as much public attention as the marriage of a film star today.    The ghosts of Disraeli and Gladstone loomed in the background […]
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12th October 2014

AMAZING FACTS* ABOUT TREES THAT YOU DEFINITELY DIDN’T KNOW!

There are just so many interesting facts; the internet is full of them! You probably know most of the more common facts about trees, but here are some amazing facts* about trees that you didn’t know. OK so they may be unfounded but – after all – this is the internet, so who really cares, as long they blow your mind!   7: You probably know that the root system is one of the most important parts of the tree. But did you realise a tree’s […]
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24th October 2014

Do Trees Have Feelings?

Some people relate to trees almost as inanimate objects – green things that stand in the way. However, modern research has undermined this view and is showing trees as having ever greater levels of sophistication than previously imagined.    In their own way, plants can see, hear, smell, feel and it is possible they even have a memory. Trees can communicate with each other too; using mycorrhizal fungi, their roots exchange information and even goods to other trees in need. Obviously trees don’t have brains, but some believe that trees may have something […]
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12th November 2014

Charlotte Mew on Men and Trees

  Today we are increasingly aware of the importance of urban forestry to human mental and spiritual well-being. The prose and poetry of Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)  was such thinking.   Charlotte lived, for the most part, in poverty and despair. Tormented by her brother’s and sister’s mental illness, which confined them to asylums and early death; she vowed never to marry as she feared she might carry a hereditary mental illness, and this fear and grief ultimately led to her suicide. Despite this, she produced […]
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1st December 2014

The World’s First Tree Preservation Order

  At the turn of the 20th century, in the face of overcrowded slums and uncontrolled urban growth, the UK Government implemented some of the first ever campaigns to tackle the problem of poor urban environments. This political commitment ultimately led to the creation of the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, which brought most development under the control of councils, through a system of development plans. This Act also protected certain trees, by means of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), with private tree owners […]
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30th January 2015

I like trees, but…

Urban trees have many objective benefits to people, the economy and the environment; with much research and policy supporting this.  However, it’s less clear if the public’s perception corresponds with such research and policy. Increasingly, arboriculturists involved in public liaison have questioned whether the public are aware of, or agree, that urban trees provide such benefits. Yet without public support, there is little hope of sustainable urban tree cover.    When assessing public perspectives towards urban trees, a wide spectrum […]
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10th February 2015

Nemophilist: One who is fond of the forest; a haunter of the woods.

Nemophilist (pronounced  ne-‘mo-fe-list),  is an obscure word that hasn’t really been used for over 100 years. It means someone with a love or fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery, or someone who often visits them – a ‘haunter’ of woods. The word derives from the Greek ‘nemos,’ grove, and ‘philos,’ affection. The use of the word appears to distinguish it from the more formal pursuit of ‘forestry’, ‘arboriculture’ or ‘botany’ – suggesting a more artistic appreciation of trees, or the simple […]
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2nd April 2015

The trees are coming into leaf

Conventional wisdom has it that life speeds up as we get older. It certainly seems that the months and years fly by faster, and I’m always astonished to discover, “It’s already April!”  This feeling of mild anxiety – that time is passing me by – is never more prominent during spring. At this time of year nature is inexorable; stubbornly marching to its own pace, it races on while I am left incredulous, late to the party, “Since when was the hawthorn […]
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15th June 2015

The Sheffield Chainsaw Massacre?

A recent campaign has been in progress regarding the proposed felling of 12 Lime trees along Sheffield’s Rustlings Road. I spoke with a local journalist about this subject and the story was covered in the Sheffield Star and Sheffield Telegraph as well as other regional papers and media. I tried to be reasonably balanced in what was said and think the newspaper article generally reflects this (at the very least, it was good to see the title ‘Chartered Arboriculturist‘  in […]
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9th July 2015

AWA Tree Consultants: Growing with the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF)

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is the Royal Chartered body for forestry and arboricultural professionals. They are the UK’s leading professional organisation relating to forests, woodlands and trees, and are the only body to award Chartered Arboriculturist status.  This year saw the ICF reaching its highest ever membership. It hoped to build on this by attracting more people into professional Forestry and Arboriculture, from school-leavers to experienced workers.  Ask an average member of the public to describe a Forester […]
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17th July 2015

The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest

  The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It was recently the clear winner in England’s tree of the year competition. Yet, if it was not for the work of a retired local man, it would have been a different story. The tree would have remained just another Oak in Birchland Wood.   Mr Hayman Rooke was born in 1723 in London. After a military career, “Major” Rooke retired, to Mansfield Woodhouse in […]
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20th November 2015
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Lime Trees of Rivelin

  Sheffield is famous for its trees. One of the jewels in Sheffield’s arboreal crown is the avenue of limes along Rivelin Valley Road. At three and a half miles long, it forms the second longest lime avenue in the country. This spectacular natural monument is rooted in Sheffield’s history, but there are now concerns that it is under threat.   Unlike most historic tree avenues, formed as a result of vanity projects of the aristocracy or wealthy landowners, what […]
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18th December 2015

AWA Tree Consultants in Pro Arb Magazine

Pro Arb Magazine is an industry magazine and website that offers business tips, latest news, and the latest equipment information relating to arboriculture. The magazine promotes best practice and highlights the positive aspects of the arboriculture industry, and works closely with the associations to advance the arboriculture market in the UK. Pro Arb contacted us recently as they were looking for suitable people to feature in a magazine feature that was promoting and focusing on young people in the industry. […]
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22nd December 2015

Tree Surveys in the Bleak Midwinter

Tree surveys in winter bring their own challenges. Trying to look up into the crown of a tree in the icy rain isn’t fun for long. The speed of a tree surveyor, moving from one tree to the next, seems to be perfect to avoid the creation of any type of body warmth. All before the inevitable raging against the dying of the light, as darkness falls at 3pm. One aspect of surveying trees in winter that many arborists initially struggle with […]
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16th January 2016

Ackee: The Toxic Tree That Tastes Delicious.

The Ackee tree, Blighia sapida, is a tree of contradictions. In Jamaica, the Ackee tree is revered – more popular than Bob Marley. The Ackee fruit is the National Fruit of Jamaica, and forms the key ingredient in the National Dish of Jamaica, Ackee and Saltfish. However, the tree is also deadly. The fruits are highly poisonous, even having a specific illness named after them (symptoms include severe vomiting, coma and death). The Ackee tree is so toxic it is […]
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27th January 2016

Sheffield Tree Felling:

  The cherry blossoms that stirred me, shade me no more Issa In Spring 2012 I wrote Sheffield Hanami, about the cherry trees outside my house in Sheffield. In late Summer 2013 I came home one evening to find a “notice to fell” pinned on the tree outside my house. It stated the tree had “outgrown it’s location” and was causing a “footpath obstruction”. Despite my best attempts to argue/pull-strings/beg, with anyone who would listen, the photos show what happened […]
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19th February 2016

Neuro-Arboriculture: Your Brain On Trees.

Most tree problems are fairly straightforward to solve: the rooting environment can be improved, branches can be pruned or braced, and trees can be felled and replaced. It becomes much less straightforward when you add people. Deep-seated, even hard-wired emotions define people’s interactions with trees. However, the neurological basis of people’s connection to trees remains a mystery.    Research on the economic and environmental benefits of urban trees has amassed. It shows how urban trees reduce pollution, mitigate extreme weather events, reduce […]
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19th March 2016

Marilyn Monroe: Trees give me a little hope

Marilyn Monroe defines the 1950s. Even today, as an icon of American popular culture, she has few rivals. She epitomised the modern liberated woman – an endorsement of consumer culture and glamour – available to anyone using the right make-up, clothes and peroxide. The public perception of Marilyn Monroe seems about as far as one can get from the realm of trees. However, she displayed an ongoing and genuine affection for trees and woods, as evidenced from interviews with her […]
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17th April 2016

George Orwell: Spring is here, and they can’t stop you enjoying it.

  George Orwell is one of England’s greatest writers. He is not famous for nature writing, yet Orwell’s 1946 essay about the arrival of Spring, is a masterpiece. It’s a clearly written easy-read, avoiding any of the flowery language often used in nature writing, and it highlights Orwell’s brilliant insight, humanity and common sense truths that are still helpful today.   He begins his essay by referring to the toad – largely because he sees it as the underdog of […]
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12th July 2016

Thoreau and Arboriculture

    HENRY DAVID THOREAU was born 199 years ago, on 12th July 1817.  An extraordinary person and writer, he is often credited with anticipating modern ecology and environmentalism. His particular fascination with trees should also justifiably label him as one of the forefathers of modern arboriculture. The definition of arboriculture is the science and art of tree care, and few individuals embodied these qualities more than Thoreau. Trees were crucial to his writing, poetry, philosophy and spirituality; however, he also […]
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3rd November 2016

Enthusiastic Future Arboriculturist

  At the end of October we were helped out at AWA Trees by Elva Preston. Elva is currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham, and wanted some work experience as she is considering arboricultural consultancy as a career, following her degree.   After her time with us, Elva wrote us this lyrical account of her first impressions of professional arboriculture:   Arboriculture. A word few have heard of, but is so important to our lives. The combination of […]
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6th November 2016

Shinrin-yoku: Is Forest Bathing Science or Art?

A new phrase recently entered the lexicon of forestry and trees – Shinrin-yoku. It’s a Japanese term that roughly translates in English as “Forest Bathing”, or visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation. I first heard it around five years ago, at a forestry conference, and judging by the number of raised eyebrows, this was the first time many other tree professionals in the room had heard the term too. While Shinrin-yoku may sound ancient and conjure up romantic images […]
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17th November 2016

Welcoming the Introduction of Operation Arborcide!

We have all seen how trees can strike at any time and any place without warning. The threat from trees is real and serious. So it is good to see South Yorkshire Police being deadly serious about protecting the people of Sheffield from the arboreal menace. In the early hours of today, a dozen police officers demonstrated a range of tactics to protect the public, including arresting elderly residents who ‘peacefully’ protested the essential work to keep us safe from these […]
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30th November 2016

Are Sheffield war memorial trees being felled to save on maintenance costs?

      Picture the scenario…   Due to Council budget cuts, The Cenotaph (the national War Memorial in central London) has not had the maintenance it deserves and is in need of some TLC, so the Council outsource War Memorial management to a Spanish infrastructure services company, who are contracted to maintain it for the next 25 years. The company then have a marvelous idea: To save on annual maintenance costs, they knock it down and tarmac the area over – thereby […]
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17th December 2016

How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?

The Sheffield Telegraph runs a debate feature every week called Telegraph Voices. A journalist contacted me last week, to take part in a debate entitled: ‘How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?’ As ever, it’s tricky to cover such an emotive and complex issue – and to suggest pragmatic solutions – in just 300 words. “There is little room for sentimentality when managing urban trees. Eventually every street tree will decline and need to be replaced. Some protesters […]
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16th February 2017

Komorebi (木漏れ日): Sunshine filtering through the trees.

There is a Japanese term “Komorebi”, for which no simple English translation exists. Yet it is a distinct phenomenon, that anyone who spends time among trees will have enjoyed. Komorebi  roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees”. It is made up of three “Kanji” or Chinese characters: “tree” or “trees”, “leaking-through” or “escape”, and “light” or “sun”. Komorebi is especially noticeable when the sun is low, and mist or smoke can add to the […]
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30th August 2017

Trees, forests, woodlands…and nemus?

Forests are often romanticised as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its institutions of law. But the word ‘forest’ in fact originates as a juridical term. The word foresta referred not to woodlands in general but only to the royal game preserves. The Latin forestare meant ‘to keep out, to place off limits, to exclude.’  A ‘forest’ then, refers to land that had been placed off limits by a royal decree. Once a region had been declared a forest, it could […]
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30th August 2017

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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31st August 2017

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

    As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is […]
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4th October 2017

Projects: Tree Surveys at Cannon Hall Barnsley

Cannon Hall is located within the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough, South Yorkshire. The site has many historic and veteran specimen trees and historic woodland and we undertook extensive tree surveys and woodland surveys as part of wider restoration works. Originally built as a large country house in the 1690s, the hall, its extensive park and intricate walled gardens were rebuilt and extended using wealth from the local iron industry, and became a superb example of a Georgian estate. Publicly owned since […]
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4th October 2017

Tree Survey in Nottingham for Planning at QMC bridge.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook a tree survey for planning in Nottingham for the new tram bridge at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which was officially opened on Friday July 28, which was also the QMC’s 40th birthday. AWA were the project arboriculturists throughout the duration of the scheme. The new bridge links the tram platform with the second floor of the hospital. The tram bridge is 90 metres long and eight metres off the ground, and features two rest areas and […]
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4th October 2017

Tree survey for planning – Sheffield Park Hill flats development.

The later phase of Sheffield’s Park Hill flats regeneration, including 330 student housing units by student specialist developer Alumno Developments, is expected to cost £20 million. We were instructed to undertake a tree survey for planning to assist in the regeneration works. Built between 1957-61 by the Corporation of Sheffield (the fore-runner of the modern-day Sheffield City Council), Park Hill is a landmark on the Sheffield city skyline, the largest listed building in Europe and widely regarded as a nationally […]
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5th October 2017

AWA Trees are hiring an Arboriculturist

Do you want to get paid to look at trees? Then join our team! About AWA We are a small friendly tree consultancy. Our office is based in Sheffield, and most of our tree surveys in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. […]
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9th October 2017

How do trees change colour in autumn? 

  “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  ― Albert Camus  Trees display a vast array of impressive colours throughout autumn. These various hues of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and browns are what provide most of us the first real indication that the seasons are changing. They provide us with a final colourful spectacle before winter sets in – the year’s last, loveliest smile.  The changing leaves on the trees are the main association most of […]
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10th October 2017
Sheffield Wednesday Alder

Why are Sheffield Wednesday called ‘The Owls’?

Sheffield is home to the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, which was formed in 1857. Today the main teams are Sheffield United ‘The Blades’ and Sheffield Wednesday ‘The Owls’. While ‘The Blades’ name is easily attributed to Sheffield’s main historic industry, most people don’t know why Sheffield Wednesday are known as ‘The Owls’. People would be forgiven in thinking the team once had a pet owl as the mascot, or some other strigine link. In fact, the reason Sheffield […]
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18th October 2017

Sheffield’s Heritage Trees vs Private Finance Initiative

Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, publishes tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes in the form of bulletins and handbills, showing signs and symptoms of tree pests and diseases and advice on what to do if you suspect the pest or disease is present. This bulletin is a lighthearted parody of their pest and disease alerts, it’s intended to make us think how we would react if Private Finance Initiatives, or PFI,  were a destructive […]
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17th November 2017

Projects: Tree survey at Lincolnshire’s International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln, is a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. During WWII over a million men and women served or supported Bomber Command. They came from 62 nations across the world and were united in their efforts to protect the freedom we enjoy today. Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the […]
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29th December 2017
Tree Surveys across England

Have Arboriculturists – Will Travel!

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve had a look back at some of the places where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys and created an AWA Tree Survey Map of England! This year we’ve undertaken tree consultancy work in a variety of locations, and we’ve inspected some great trees! One of the good things about being based in Sheffield is that most places in England are easy to get to. The map shows our core area for work, which runs […]
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19th February 2018
Tree Survey Wakefield

Wakefield Tree Survey for Planning.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook arboricultural surveys in the Wakefield area that recently helped secure planning approval and meet planning conditions in relation to tree protection at the former Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital, West Yorkshire. The site is a triangular area of land which covers 4.4 hectares and was predominantly used as an administration base for various trust teams by the hospital. The site has many mature trees throughout that are covered by a tree preservation order. Our tree survey […]
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2nd March 2018
The Northern Forest: History

A common wealth of trees? Tree-planting past and present

The U.K government recently unveiled plans for ‘The Northern Forest’ – a 25-year tree planting scheme to create a ‘vast ribbon of woodland’ along the M62 corridor from Liverpool and Chester to Hull. The Northern Forest will link up fragmented woodland along the M62 belt and will deliver flood mitigation for up to 190,000 new homes, lock up over 7 million tonnes of carbon, boost wildlife habitat and contribute to northern England’s natural capital and ecosystem services. It is an […]
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6th March 2018
Arboriculturists around the Major Oak

Thinking Arbs Day with the Arboricultural Association

The Arboricultural Association is the leading voice on all tree matters in the UK, they provide a home and membership for all professionals within the arboricultural sector – from qualified and experienced arboricultural consultants to those starting out in the industry – they champion the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society. All the tree surveyors and arboriculturists at AWA Tree Consultants are members of the Arboricultural Association, either […]
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9th April 2018
Leeds Tree Survey

Tree Survey for Planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped gain planning approval for 50 new dwellings with associated access. Our tree survey for planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire, minimised the impact on important trees at the site and maximised the development potential. The site was the former West Park Centre on the eastern side of Spen Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Centre was demolished a few years ago, and much of the central part of the site remains covered with hard surfacing. There are […]
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30th April 2018
Trees and urban planning

Trees in the Planning Process

AWA Tree Consultants went to a recent half-day event: Trees in the Planning Process. It was hosted in Oxford by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF). The RTPI South East provides a range of services for members in the region. It offers affordable seminars and events for professional development, and acts as a champion for planning. The event was co-hosted by the ICF, which is the UK’s Royal Chartered professional body […]
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10th May 2018
Sheffield Trees

The State of Trees in Sheffield

Sheffield has a lot of trees. This fact makes Sheffield a great place to live and work. AWA Tree Consultants are based in the heart of Sheffield and all our arboriculturists live in or near the city. Sheffield’s various trees collectively form our urban forest. Components of the urban forest range from isolated individual trees, lines of trees alongside roads and wider groups of amenity trees’ in parks, to urban woodlands. The trees in Sheffield’s urban forest are owned and […]
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24th May 2018
Ashoka

Ashoka and Arboriculture in India.

It is commonly believed that street trees originated in the capital cities of Europe in the 1500s. First in France, then Holland and then to London and the rest of the continent. This European history of street trees is rightly uncontested. However, there is compelling evidence of a vast network of managed street trees, from over 2000 years ago. A massive programme of tree planting and arboricultural management along routes over many thousands of miles across India and South Asia. […]
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4th June 2018
AWA School Sites 2018

Tree surveys and risk assessments for schools

Trees in school grounds create inspiring learning spaces. In urban areas, trees in schools are often the main way young people connect with nature in their day-to-day lives. Trees do a lot more than make the school look pleasant, it’s even been shown in studies that students learn better with views of trees! The overall risk from trees to students, staff and visitors at schools is extremely low. Trees cause very few serious injuries; however, as the owner of trees, […]
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22nd June 2018
AWA Tree Consultants Yorkshire

Do you need an arboricultural consultant for a tree survey for planning?

Many companies in the environmental and planning sectors now offer ‘arboricultural services’. From large multi-national consultancies to smaller ecologists or landscape architect companies – there are an increasing number of slick websites offering ‘tree surveys for planning’. As these professions deal with the environment or ‘green stuff’, is there much difference? Is it worth seeking out a specialised arboricultural consultant or could some other environmental professional undertake a tree survey for planning and development purposes? Perhaps unsurprisingly, our view at […]
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4th July 2018
Trainee Tree Consultant

We’re Hiring a Trainee Tree Consultant

We are looking for an enthusiastic future arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. You will assist our lead tree consultants with our increasing work-load, helping us provide high quality tree surveys to a range of clients. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector […]
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25th July 2018
Mao Feng Shui Forest

How China’s Feng Shui forests survived Chairman Mao’s infamous ‘war against nature’.

The mission of Communist China’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ was to ‘conquer nature’. This mission was carried out with devastating efficiency in the name of a stronger China. Famously this foolhardy war against nature led to Mao instructing farmers to kill wild sparrows, as they were apparently eating too much grain and reducing productivity. This mass cull of the harmless birds had numerous associated negative environmental impacts. The Great Leap Forward also led to a massive loss of China’s forests, largely […]
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31st July 2018
Tree Poverty

Tree Poverty: The impact of austerity on our urban forests.

The North-South divide in the UK is inescapable, not only in economic terms but also in areas such as culture, health, life expectancy and transport. New evidence suggests a nation already divided along geo-political and economic lines, may also be divided arboriculturally. A recent Sunday Times article revealed that ‘More than 110,000 trees have been chopped down in three years by councils across the UK — equivalent to a sixth of the size of Sherwood Forest … According to Defra, […]
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11th September 2018
Mortgage tree survey reports for home-buyers

Mortgage tree survey and reports for home-buyers.

Trees provide significant benefits to property owners. Not only can they make a property more attractive, but studies have shown that nearby trees can increase property prices by up to 11%. However, if trees are highlighted as a potential problem when buying a new property, then there is a danger they can become a time-consuming, stressful and expensive hassle for the buyer. In a recent poll, two thirds of people voted moving-house top of their stress list, so the last […]
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6th November 2018
Western Road Trees Sheffield

Sheffield War Memorial Trees to be Saved

It has been reported that 32 of the 35 war memorial trees which were scheduled to be felled are set to be saved using engineering solutions. Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said: I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement…“Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case.” Green Party […]
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16th November 2018
National Tree Officers Conference

AWA Tree Consultants at the National Tree Officers Conference

The team at AWA Tree Consultants recently attended the 3rd annual National Tree Officers Conference. Organised by the London Tree Officers Organisation, Municipal Tree Officers Association and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the event took place at Telford’s Oakengates Theatre. AWA Arboriculturist Patrick Rowntree discusses a few of the talks and issues that he personally found most interesting from the day… It was a well-organised and smoothly-run event that was well worth attending; however, the diverse range of topics meant some […]
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8th January 2019
Sycamore Tree

The Great Maple or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sycamore

In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” there is a famous scene where John Cleese’s character ‘Brother Reg’ is trying to incite his gang to rebel against the occupying Roman army. After a few minutes of debate, he utters the immortal line: “Alright! – but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” Well, we could also add “The Sycamore” to this list. Although […]
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19th February 2019
South Yorkshire trees

Locum Arboricultural Officers for Yorkshire Planning Authority.

In spring 2017 AWA Tree Consultants undertook locum Tree Officer related work for Rotherham Metropolitan Council. Rotherham’s previous Tree Manager retired in early 2017 and as a result there was a backlog of planning related arboricultural survey work that needed to be completed. We provided temporary assistance for around 6 months, until the Council recruited for the post. Rotherham is a large town in South Yorkshire between Sheffield and Doncaster, together with its outlying settlements it forms the Metropolitan Borough […]
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7th May 2019
Ancient tree survey Yorkshire

Tree survey for historic garden in South Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants recently undertook a large-scale tree inspection and tree risk assessment of the trees at the stately home of Wortley Hall in South Yorkshire, which dates back to the late 16th century. The site is in the village and civil parish of Wortley, approximately 9.5 miles north of Sheffield city centre, and 8 miles south of Barnsley. It consists of a stately home, currently in use as a hotel, caravan park and business centre. It has large associated […]
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31st May 2019
Tree Survey for Planning

Are tree survey reports needed for all planning applications?

If you don’t consider the trees on your development site as significant, do you still need a tree survey for planning? Perhaps it’s only a small extension, or a rebuild with increased footprint, or the only trees are situated on the boundary or in adjacent land – you may be wondering: is a tree survey report needed for our planning application? AWA Tree Consultants often provide tree surveys and reports for large-scale housing developments. Our clients include planners and developers […]
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14th June 2019
Leeds Urban Forestry

Making Space for Trees in Leeds, with Green Streets

The team from AWA Tree Consultants recently attended Leeds Becket University for the Institute of Chartered Foresters 2019 North England Group event (in association with Green Blue Urban) – Green Streets: Making Space for Trees. It was a well-attended event with over 100 delegates present. Many of which were tree officers, arboricultural consultants, landscape and engineering professionals from the Yorkshire region and neighbouring Local Authorities, including Kirklees, Harrogate, Manchester, Amber Valley and Sheffield. The day was chaired by Alan Simson, […]
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5th July 2019
Tree Inspection AWA Trees

AWA Tree Consultants: Professional Tree Inspection in Staffordshire

Recently AWA Tree Consultant, Patrick, undertook the LANTRA Award in Professional Tree Inspection, provided by The Arboricultural Association in Staffordshire. He hoped to join his colleagues at AWA by gaining this invaluable qualification (who’d all passed with flying colours – so no pressure Patrick!). Here’s what he had to say about his experience on the course: The first of three days (two for training, and a third for assessment), begins with the obligatory introduction session, whereby everyone is paired-up and […]
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21st September 2019
Tree Experts

Arboricultural Experts Discuss Tree Risk

A few of the team from AWA Tree Consultants travelled down to the Arboricultural Association Midland Branch Seminar, held at the Hawkesyard Estate in Staffordshire. It was an excellent day of high-end arboriculture, with presentations from Jeremy Barrell and Dr. David Lonsdale – two leading expert witnesses in arboriculture. The day began with an open forum led by the audience, to discuss tree risk management. Questions fielded by Jeremy and David included: Ash dieback and tree risk. The requirement – […]
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1st October 2019
Dr Charles Mynors

Tree Consultants at Street Trees and Politics Conference, Sheffield

The team at AWA recently went to the Sheffield University Conference; “Street Trees and Politics”. The conference was in response to Sheffield’s infamous “street tree crises” or “chainsaw massacre“, which was a result of Sheffield Council letting a 25-year maintenance contract for tree care to Amey, whose actions led to public outcry and international reporting. The conference explored the issue of street trees and politics in greater depth, addressing not just the Sheffield situation, but the wide range of issues […]
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4th November 2019
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

AWA Tree Consultant visits the largest tree on Earth.

Last month AWA Tree Consultant Adam was lucky enough to visit some of the world’s largest trees at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California. Here he details an experience that should be on any tree lovers bucket list! The National Park was initially created, and protected from loggers, due to the efforts of the influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir, who is quoted as saying: “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find […]
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29th November 2019
Arborist Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants in the Arb Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants have been published in the Winter 2019 edition of the ARB Magazine, the quarterly publication for Members of the Arboricultural Association, with a review article titled: “Tree experts get on the mic”. Since 1964 the Arboricultural Association has promoted trees and the professionals who enable their sustainable management. It aims to be at the cutting edge of tree knowledge, set the agenda for trees in the built environment and show leadership on how best to care for […]
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6th December 2019
Joseph Beuys digging

Joseph Beuys: The Art of Arboriculture

Many great artists have drawn or painted trees, yet increasingly artists have used trees not a subject but as the substance of the art itself. Some of the best art using trees includes chainsaw sculptors carving into dead or fallen trees, or tree-shaping – making living trees grow into artworks – or artists harnessing the natural colour and beauty of trees to sculpt amazing geometric shapes. Here AWA Tree Consultant Dr Felicity Stout details what is possibly the best example […]
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6th January 2020
AWA Tree Survey Sites

Tree Surveys in Yorkshire and Beyond!

At the start of 2020 we’ve had a quick review of the last year and looked at where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys, creating an AWA Tree Survey Map of 2019! Last year has been the busiest yet for AWA Tree Consultants, with over 500 job instructions across the country. It’s clear we are busy looking at trees in our own neck of the woods – with most tree surveys in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the surrounding counties of […]
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11th February 2020

AWA are Hiring a Tree Consultant

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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23rd March 2020

Coronavirus Covid-19 and AWA Tree Consultants

These are strange and fast-moving times! While it’s not quite “business as usual” we’re keeping busy at AWA, ensuring minimal disruption to client’s projects, while closely following all government guidelines. Our key priorities are keeping the AWA team safe and busy, with minimal disruption to clients in the coming months. We are lucky compared to many jobs in that tree surveying is generally lone working in the fresh air, so is very low risk. While we have the benefits and […]
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5th June 2020

Tree Survey for Planning in Sheffield

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped with a tree survey for planning in Sheffield with approval of two major developments: Expansion of Sheffield Business Park (SBP) and Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The sites form one of the largest business parks in Yorkshire, that forms part of the wider 740-acre scheme within the Sheffield City Region. Council planners had initially been concerned regarding possible large scale clearance of trees. However, after our tree survey we identified suitable management to open up […]
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26th June 2020
Trees-in-the-age-of-coronavirus

Trees in the Time of Coronavirus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been described as perhaps the biggest global crisis of our generation, and one that will probably shape the world for years to come. The impact on healthcare systems, the economy, politics and culture are already noticeable. While the associated lockdown created virtual ghost-towns of most urban areas, there was an upsurge of people visiting nearby green spaces. For many people, the pandemic has led to a direct realisation of the profound value of local accessible green […]
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4th August 2020
Sheffield Arboricultural Consultant

Trees to Tries: Arboricultural Consultant in Sheffield goes to Canada

This week Sheffield based Arboricultural Consultant Patrick Rowntree is leaving the ranks of AWA Tree Consultants to head to the land of the Acer spp. Before joining AWA Tree Consultants, Patrick had enjoyed playing competitive rugby around the globe including several years in the apogee of the rugby playing world; New Zealand. Upon returning to England, he had resided himself to a less physical means of income and looked set to enjoy a career as an Arboricultural Consultant for AWA […]
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29th September 2020

VALID: Tree Risk-Benefit Management in Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants regularly inspect and risk assess many thousands of trees, around the Yorkshire region and the UK, as part of Tree Safety and Risk Management surveys. There is often a need to undertake detailed risk assessments for trees to ensure we can provide our clients with appropriate, proportionate recommendations, that manage the risk while retaining the benefits our clients appreciate from their trees. All our tree risk surveys are undertaken by experienced and qualified arboriculturists. In addition to […]
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23rd October 2020
‌Lincolnshire-Trees

Why would you need tree surveys in Lincolnshire?

Lincolnshire was described in a BBC article this week as having the lowest tree cover in the county. But is this accurate? From our experience of regularly undertaking tree surveys in Lincolnshire, this doesn’t necessarily ring true. We review the claim and critically look at the reasons suggested for Lincolnshire’s low tree cover: The BBC article “Gardens help towns and cities beat countryside for tree cover” detailed research which estimated the percentage of tree cover in different parts of the […]
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7th January 2021

AWA Tree Consultants: continue to provide tree surveys for planning.

Despite the issues across the country, we have been keeping remarkably busy at AWA tree consultants. Last year, our small team of exceptional tree consultants have successfully undertaken over 500 job instructions. We have been involved in tree surveys for some fantastic infrastructure projects, including major new road building, new windfarms, flood alleviation schemes, business parks, schools, hospitals, and major housing developments. As well as hundreds of tree survey reports for planning projects for owner-occupiers or very small-scale housing developers.  […]
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26th July 2021
Arboriculturist Spelling

How do you spell: Arboriculturist?

A person who practices professional arboriculture is termed an Arboriculturalist / Arboriculturist. The different terms are often used interchangeably, but which one is the correct spelling? The Oxford English Dictionary has the noun of arboriculture as arboriculturist; likewise, the Collins dictionary refers to arboriculturist (they don’t list Arboriculturalist). Leading authorities within the industry are clear. The Terms and Definitions of the British Standard 5837:2012 refer to an arboriculturist (as a person who has, through relevant education, training and experience, gained […]
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17th September 2021
The Tree Experts

The Tree Experts: A History of Professional Arboriculture in Britain, by Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston has worked as a tree contractor, tree consultant, tree officer and college professor. He has been a prominent figure within professional arboriculture for several decades, developing city-wide urban forest initiatives, influential policy, and urban forestry practice guides. Like many others in our profession, I was one of the thousands of students he taught over the years, being lucky enough to be one of the first students to undertake the Master of Science program in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, […]
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14th January 2022

Join our Team of Tree Consultants

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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14th January 2022

Ash Dieback and Tree Surveys for Planning

Ash dieback disease is having a major impact to the UKs Ash trees, with losses of between 75% and 90% predicted. At AWA Tree Consultants we are having to adapt to this when undertaking tree surveys for planning in Yorkshire and the surrounding regions of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Ash dieback is impacting our tree surveys in two main ways. Firstly, in the extra focus on Ash when assessing the risk of harm to people or property, and secondly, in how […]
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2nd September 2022

Expert Arboriculturists Join Our Team

AWA Tree Consultants recently welcomed two new team members, Joe Thomas and Jim Boyle. Joe has a first-class degree in biology with an integrated Masters from the University of Sheffield. He then undertook a Level 4 Award in Arboriculture while working as an Urban Forester trainee with the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Sheffield City Council, where he gained a variety of experience in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, including tree surveys and inspections, working with Sheffield tree officers on […]
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2nd September 2022

There’s no such thing as a tree.

What is a tree? Such a seemingly simple question. But when examined closely, even the best minds struggle to find an to find a satisfactory answer. When forced to provide an answer, experts ranging from Phylogenetic biologists, the High Court of Justice in England, and even Mahayana Buddhist masters, ultimately all come to the same conclusion: there is, in fact, no such thing as a tree. Do trees exist, scientifically? All life on Earth is part of a single phylogenetic […]
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16th October 2022

Managing Trees in Sheffield. A New Hope!

The unedifying events of the infamous Sheffield Tree Saga are now thankfully fading into history. Like many social events involving unrest and conflict, dramatic low points are often the catalyst for long term change for the better. This hope was very much in the air at the recent conference ‘Urban Trees in Sheffield’, which highlighted how far things have come since 2018. Showcasing new approaches and commitment to community involvement, in managing Sheffield’s street trees. It was a good-news event, […]
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5th November 2022

AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy to the team.

This month AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy Garbutt to the team. Lucy is a highly qualified ecologist, having graduated with a masters degree in Animal Behaviour from the UK’s highest rated university, St Andrews of Scotland, following the completion of her BSc degree in Biology from Lancaster University. She has experience in botany, working as a Research Assistant at Knepp Estate, Sussex and in Indonesia, and is experienced in protected species’ surveys, including surveys of bats, reptiles, and dormice. […]
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5th November 2022
Tree-Consultants-North-Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants Ancient Tree Trip in North Yorkshire

The AWA tree survey team recently went along to the Ancient Tree Forum’s Autumn Field Trip, held on the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) is the only organisation in the country specialising in the conservation of ancient and veteran trees. This was the first in-person Ancient Tree Forum’s field trip since before the pandemic and as with most ATF events, tickets sold out faster than an Arctic Monkeys tour! The day was split into […]
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5th January 2023

UK trees catch double the carbon

Climate change mitigation is just one of the many environmental benefits provided by trees and woods, but it is a key reason why trees are so vital in the fight against climate change. Here AWA Tree Consultant Lucy Garbutt details new research using laser scanning of woodlands to reveal potential significant underestimations of biomass carbon in our temperate forests: Trees and forests can help limit rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees capture and sequester carbon, ‘locking in’ […]
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11th June 2023
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission

The concept of tree root protection areas (RPAs) has been a consideration in UK planning and development for over three decades. Yet there is still often confusion about root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission. This post aims to get to the ‘root’ of the RPA in relation to new developments and planning permission. What is a root protection area (RPA)? In UK planning and development, the British Standard 5837:2012 “Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. Recommendations” defines […]
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14th June 2023

Team Day Out at Sherwood Forest

This month AWA Tree Consultants had a team day out to Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, with a guided tour of the beautiful woodland and ancient trees. In the morning we were given a guided tour by a member of Sherwood Forests outdoors management team. The tour was an excellent opportunity to see the awesome ancient trees and learn about the issues surrounding the woodlands management. Including modern history and current management issues, focusing on ancient trees, ecology, and visitor management. Sherwood […]
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14th August 2023

Bats in Trees – Considerations for Arboriculturists

Bats and trees have an ancient relationship, with trees providing vital roosting and foraging habitats for these fascinating creatures. In the UK, bats are an important part of our biodiversity, and all bat species, their breeding sites and roosting habitats are fully protected under European law, to safeguard their populations. Bat surveys are generally undertaken by professional Ecologists, who hold the appropriate and up-to-date survey licence to carry out surveys for bats. Here, AWA Tree Consultants in-house bat fanatic – […]
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17th August 2023
The team at AWA tree consultants

Introducing Sophie Beckerman: New Team Member

We are thrilled to welcome Sophie Beckerman, our newest member of staff, to our dedicated team of tree experts. With over 10 years of experience as a climbing arborist and team leader, Sophie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team, as she embarks on this new phase of her career with AWA Tree Consultants. Sophie’s passion for arboriculture led her to pursue a Level 4 Diploma in arboriculture while working as an arborist.  Throughout her career, she […]
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24th August 2023
Carrot and sticks in the urban forest

Carrots not Sticks: Why we should reward people for having trees.

The phrase “carrot and stick” is a metaphor for the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour or outcome. In terms of arboriculture and urban forestry, the desired behaviour or outcome is to maximise the countless environmental and societal benefits urban trees provide. Street and park trees account for only small fraction of an urban forest. The public sector owns only 8% of England, with most land being owned by private individuals, companies and […]
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9th October 2023

ATF Trip to Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

Last month some of the tree survey team from AWA Tree Consultants attended the Ancient Tree Forum – Yorkshire and East Midlands local group field trip to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire. Here James Brown, senior arboriculturist at AWA, details what went down on the day: Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. The abbey is situated within the wider Studley Royal Park, and together they are designated a UNESCO World Heritage […]
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24th October 2023

Academic Achievement in Arboriculture

At AWA Tree Consultants, we want to shine a spotlight on James Godfrey, one of our arboricultural consultants, who recently completed his FdSc Arboriculture and Tree Management at Myerscough College. James not only accomplished this significant milestone but was also honoured with the prestigious Student of the Year award. We are thrilled to share his story and highlight the academic success James G has achieved while working with AWA Tree Consultants. James Godfrey’s Academic Journey: Throughout his academic journey at […]
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24th October 2023

Fungi: Vital for Trees and Arborists

Last month, the tree survey team at AWA Tree Consultants embarked on a journey of discovery into the fascinating Kingdom of fungi! Through attending the ‘Learning Fungi Identification Skills’ workshop at Whisby Nature Park in Lincoln and the ‘Practical Fungi Field Skills’ course at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire (both organised by the Field Studies Council), our team broadened their knowledge and appreciation of the often-misunderstood fungi kingdom. Arborists and tree consultants have tended to focus on the wood decay fungi that […]
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3rd November 2023
Identifying-Conifer-Trees-Masterclass-AWA-Trees

A Masterclass in Identifying Conifer Trees

A Review of the ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ Course by the Field Studies Council Arboriculturists Lucy, Sophie and Joe at AWA Tree Consultants recently had the opportunity to attend a weekend residential course called ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ at the Preston Montford Field Studies Council Centre. Under the expert guidance of Mark Duffell of Arvensis Ecology, this botanical tree course was thoroughly enjoyable and a brilliant learning experience. The course is aimed at people who would like to improve their […]
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15th November 2023

Tree Surveys Near Me

The Ultimate Guide to Sheffield Tree Survey Reports for Planning Applications When it comes to planning applications in Sheffield that involve trees on your property, having a comprehensive BS5837 tree survey report can make all the difference. Whether you are a homeowner or a developer in the Sheffield area, understanding the significance of these tree survey reports can make for a smoother planning application process and ensure compliance with local tree related planning regulations. Sheffield is known for being one […]
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7th December 2023
Kelham-Island

Branching Out into New Office Space

Green Shoots in Sheffield From humble beginnings in 2011 – working as a sole trader from a spare box room, ‘Adam Winson Arboriculture’ became AWA Tree Consultants Ltd and moved into a small office in 2012. This was in the then still ‘edgy’ area of Sheffield – Neepsend/Kelham Island. Since then, the AWA team and our customer base, has steadily grown. While the small office was great, over the last few years we were fast outgrowing it, and despite flexible […]
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28th December 2023

Our Journey Through the Seasons

This year has flown by. Perhaps it’s to do with getting older, but these days, months seem like weeks! As such, we though it’d be good to look back and take stock of what happened at AWA Tree Consultants over the last year. Here we detail a few of the events in what’s been a ‘tree-mendous’ year at the company: Tree Surveys – lots of em! As ever, it’s been a busy year for the tree survey team getting out […]
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12th April 2024
Dr. David Lonsdale presenting next to a tree

A Tribute to Dr. David Lonsdale

It is very sad to hear of the death of Dr. David Lonsdale, who passed away on 9th April 2024. Undoubtedly, he stood as the preeminent tree expert in the UK, serving as an inspiration to myself and countless others within the profession. His seminal work, “Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management,” published in 1999, established the gold standard in tree risk assessment and management for decades to come. It was the first professional arboriculture book I purchased 25 […]
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20th May 2024

Welcoming Ross: Our Newest Arboriculturist

AWA is thrilled to introduce Ross, our new Arboriculturist, who brings over 10 years of diverse arboricultural experience to the team. With a background encompassing horticultural, arboricultural, and ecological work, Ross has worked across the UK, conducting tree surveys and has worked on a wide range of projects, both small and large scale. Ross holds a technician level membership with the Arboricultural Association and a qualifying membership with CIEEM, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence. Academic qualifications include a first […]
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13th September 2024
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – What you need to know .

The long-awaited draft revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – Code of Practice has finally arrived. It represents the most significant update to the British Standard since the last revision in 2012. For tree consultants, urban planners, and developers, this revision could have a profound impact on how trees are integrated into design and construction projects. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes, what they mean for trees and planning, and how you can, and […]
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Trees, People and Art

4th August 2011
Trees, People and the Built Environment logo

Trees, People and the Built Environment

This years ICF conference ‘Trees, People and the Built Environment’, was a great experience. At around 400 delegates this was probably the largest number ever seen at a tree conference in the UK. Nearly all of the 29 speakers were academic doctors and the international flavour was great, with nine of them invited from overseas; so it was an honour for me to stand up alongside them to represent my research and then get my brains picked by an audience of arboricultural experts afterwards. […]
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6th August 2011

The Gigantic Kapok Tree

  These pictures are of a gigantic Cotton-Silk Kapok tree, located in Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore, India; taken on news years day 2010. It is arguably the largest specimen of a Kapok tree in the world. The tree is native to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America tropical and had been introduced in other tropical countries of the world. To the Mayan people, the tree is a sacred symbol.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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2nd September 2011

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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25th September 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Trees and Subsidence, ICF Chartered Forester Magazine, Adam Winson

Below is a short opinion piece  I wrote for Chartered Forester Magazine – the membership magazine of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the professional body for foresters and arboriculturists – my view is based on my work as an arboricultural consultant undertaking tree surveys in relation to property damage: Anyone who attended this years ICF conference can be under no doubt as to the major benefits urban trees provide. However, as some of the post-conference debate showed, urban trees implicated […]
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25th November 2011

Woodman, Spare that Tree

Felling trees near where people live is always an emotive issue. As chartered arboricultural consultants we have to factor this into our decision making when managing urban trees. This poem was first printed over 100 years ago, yet considering its age I was amazed at how contemporary the issues raised are (Sheffield Street Tree Felling?!). The language may have aged a little, but this could have been sent by a disgruntled local to the tree officer in the Oxford city […]
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29th November 2011

What is a forest?

When most people think of a forest, they think of a big area of trees. Yet definitions of a forest vary (for example, as arboricultural consultants we focus on the ‘urban forest‘) and a historical overview of the definition of ‘forest’ suggests it is not as clear cut as it seems. In ‘Forests, The Shadow of Civilization’ (1993), Robert Harrison notes how medieval chivalric romances tend to represent forests as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its […]
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2nd December 2011

Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds: Nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing.

Winson. Flourishing trees flourishing minds This is the urban forestry research paper – flourishing trees, flourishing minds; looking at how urban trees may improve mental wellbeing. The research paper forms part of the Forestry Commission Research Report Trees, people and the built environment – Proceedings of the Urban Trees Research Conference 13-14 April 2011  Flourishing trees, flourishing minds: nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing among housing association tenants.Abstract: Interventions to create even a small change in the average level of mental wellbeing across the […]
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7th December 2011

Howard Nemerov, Learning by Doing:

I’m sure anyone whose been involved in practical tree surgery will agree, this poem brilliantly captures the process and impacts of ‘section felling’ a mature tree. In the past I have taken my fare share of trees down by section felling (the photo is probably one of my last big ‘uns); its a task that can require considerable skill and nerve and one that as a young tree surgeon I would take pride in, focusing on the technical side of the job at hand without too much […]
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15th December 2011

Krishna on the inspiring life of trees

Trees form a key aspect to several Asian religions. The banyan tree is best known as sacred to Buddhists as after the Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under one. However trees are also important for Hindus and they feature prominently in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna uses tree to explain the meaning of life. “Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, heat and […]
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16th December 2011

Development tree surveys to identify assets and constraints.

When trees are on a development site they are often unduly considered a constraint to the sites development potential. However a suitable tree survey for planning should help identify not only trees that may pose a constraint to the development potential of a site, but also the trees that would add value and be an asset to any new development. This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It […]
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21st December 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Response Published in Chartered Forester Magazine

In the autumn edition of Chartered Forester magazine I had a short opinion piece published, ‘Cracking up’, which looked at the issues surrounding urban trees being removed due to subsidence claims and highlighted how the issue seems to make the tree industry so emotive. The piece provoked considerable interest and a few critical responses (generally from tree consultants who make a living from dealing with tree related subsidence claims). The latest issue of Chartered Forester featured a letter from Michael Lawson and my response which I have copied below.   […]
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8th January 2012

Nature’s endless employment of beauty to achieve its utilitarian ends

  New research is looking at the impact of birdsong on our sense of wellbeing. The study will examine the psychological impact of being exposed to birdsong, including whether it helps us relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. This research interests me as my own study has shown that urban trees may result in higher levels of mental wellbeing, yet how this happens is unclear, could it be that birdsong, closely associated with trees, […]
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26th January 2012
Nature an enchanted labyrinth

Nature as an Enchanted Labyrinth

Edwin Way Teale was a natural history writer who wrote and edited over 30 books, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. He is less well known than many other writers of the time, but was a mentor to today’s modern nature writers. Here he describes how an interest in nature interconnects with so many similar yet distinct areas of study. This struck a particular cord with me, as the practice of arboricultural […]
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1st February 2012

Are we hard-wired to love trees?

  The links between trees, forests and improved mental and physical health are becoming clearer, with an increasing amount of applied research providing a more solid evidence base. When researchers offer explanations as to why such links are evidenced, their theories tend to ultimately be grounded in psycho-evolutionary theory or what the Biologist E.O Wilson termed ‘Biophilia’. Psycho-evolutionary theory is based on the notion that millions of years of evolution have left modern humans with a partly genetic predisposition to […]
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22nd February 2012

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

  As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is specialist […]
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11th April 2012

Living next to trees makes us happier.

Findings of a study, published as part of the Forestry Commission Research Report: Trees, people and the built environment, show that residents are happier if they live near to trees. The study compared the happiness levels of 200 tenants renting properties from a Yorkshire housing charity; half of the tenants questioned had high levels of nearby tree cover and half had few or no nearby trees. The results showed that even with everything else broadly the same, tenants with high […]
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24th April 2012

Big Brother is watching your trees

    I was recently travelling overseas and found myself reading George Orwell’s classic 1984 (having read all I’d brought with me in the first week, it was the only English language book available!). What struck me throughout the novel (other than how many of the terms have become contemporary since publication) was how utterly grim and ruined the urban landscape was and how this added to the atmosphere of hopelessness. Yet I was struck by this particular passage, that relates […]
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26th April 2012

Do Tree Preservation Orders work, or is there a better way?

  New Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012) came into force in England on the 6th April 2012. England. There is a memo to go with the Regs that sets out clearly what all the changes are.    The TPO Regulations 2012 aim to put all Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) onto the same footing and consolidate much existing legislation into one new set of regulations. Essentially, the DCLG have attempted to simplify the TPO process in the new regulations, which in itself […]
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3rd May 2012
Cherry Tree Sheffield

Sheffield Hanami

  Shining spring day Falling cherry blossoms with my calm mind Kino Tomonari   My street, in the North West suburbs of Sheffield, is a nice enough, but unremarkable row of 1930’s built semi-detached houses. The Cherry ‘Kanzan’ trees that line my street too, are for most of the year, fairly unremarkable. Historically one of the most planted street trees in Sheffield’s suburbs; many have now died off or succumbed to the perils of new drives and highway improvements. If […]
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14th May 2012

Phoenix Park Combats the Canker

The Phoenix Park, Dublin, is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city.  The Park extends to over 700 hectares with a tree population in excess of 20,000 trees. Woodlands and tree-dominated areas cover 31% of the Park.  It is a highly important site for biodiversity, supporting 50% of all mammal species occurring in Ireland and 35% of bird species.  Among the 351 different plant species to be found in the Park, there […]
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31st May 2012

Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

    The practice of arboriculture is ancient. The image above shows it was a subject worthy of being painted about on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, clearly showing people transplanting and caring for trees. The word arboriculture is also old; derived from the Latin arbor (tree), and cultura (tending or caring). Today the terms “Arboriculturist” and “Arboriculturalist” are both used to describe a person who practices professional arboriculture – but which one is the right word?   Arboriculture was a term apparently […]
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15th June 2012

Lessons In Tree Care From Ancient Egypt.

    Hatshepsut is generally regarded by historians as one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt. She lived in the 15th century B.C. and had a long and successful reign, marked by building projects and trading expeditions unrivalled by any other culture for a thousand years. As well as being the first great woman in recorded history, inaugurating a long peaceful era and bringing great wealth to Egypt, she can also fairly lay claim to being the world’s first arboriculturist. Historians agree […]
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6th July 2012

The People’s Forest of Sheffield

Sheffield is England’s fourth largest city, with a population of over half a million. Like many northern former industrial cities it has a disproportionate share of the most deprived areas in the country. The 1980s were turbulent times for Sheffield, with massive job losses and large scale industrial action. During this time Sheffield became known satirically as the ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’ in reference to the left-wing administration of Sheffield City Council, and depending upon your political leanings at the time, the term was used derisively or […]
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18th July 2012

awatrees.com

These are a few images from some recent promotional photos I needed (I work as an arboricultural consultant to keep the wolf from the door). The photographer, a family friend, had her work cut out – They were taken on a drizzly afternoon in Grimsby, and I always find having my photo taken uncomfortable and embarrassing. So with these odds against her, she did a sterling job!
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18th July 2012

Dead Trees

  Aesthetically a large dead tree is a magnificent sight. Dead trees also provide vital habitat and the benefits of deadwood for biodiversity are massive.  If a tree dies it can’t be legally protected by a Tree Preservation Order. The Woodland Trust had recently been campaigning to have the exemption for dead trees to be removed from Tree Preservation Order Regulations. They were dismayed when the new Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012), which came into force in April 2012, still retained the exception for dead trees. For […]
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27th July 2012

Green Places Magazine Publish ‘Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds’

Green Space is the UK’s parks charity; they work to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals. Green Space’s magazine, Green Places, brings together the latest thinking, best practice and debate for the green space sector. The magazine is dedicated to providing up-to-date news and features for professionals charged with planning, designing and maintaining public green spaces. Green Places recently published a more accessible version of my urban forestry research paper, ‘Flourishing Trees, […]
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1st October 2012

TOWN TREES

The postings on the blog page have been few and far between of late, largely due to me being kept busy with a large tree survey of all the roadside trees in Sheffield. In light of this I thought I’d share some of this lovely document; produced circa 1947 by the Council for the preservation of rural England, Sheffield and Peak District Branch (now C.P.R.E South Yorkshire). What struck me most about the 65 year old pamphlet is how contemporary many […]
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6th January 2013

Psithurism: the sound of wind whispering through the trees

We can’t see wind, only the things it moves. Likewise, we can’t hear wind unless it’s flowing past something that makes it vibrate; this causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Trees provide some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. This sound has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The naturalist author and founding member of the RSPB, W.H. Hudson, suggests in Birds and Man (1901), that psithurism is salubrious. He describes […]
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5th February 2013

A room with a view

  “A view? Oh, a view! How delightful a view is!” – E.M. Forster   Aesthetic preferences suggest that an individual’s visual encounter with certain landscapes will elicit pleasurable neurophysiological activity. Or in other words, people like nice views. Research shows that people prefer natural scenes over urban ones; with park-like views generally scoring highest, leading to claims that such preferences are hard-wired. People are willing to pay for a nice view from their home. Most (but not all) studies suggest that […]
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20th May 2013

BS:5837 (2012) Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – William Morris: Recommendations.

  The BS 5837: 2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations; provides guidance in respect of trees on development sites. It aims to provide a balanced approach on deciding which trees are appropriate for retention, on the effect of trees on design considerations and on the means of protecting trees during development.   The latest revision of the document is now one year old. The new document provides Local Planning Authorities more opportunities to refuse planning […]
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19th August 2013

Non-natives are welcome!

Ordinarily, if you were to pick up a copy of the Guardian newspaper and read an article that decried how councils were allowing non-natives to flood into our towns and cities, you would rightly do a double take to make sure you hadn’t mistakenly picked up the wrong paper. However, such nationalistic sentiment was at the heart of the recent piece by George Monbiot. The difference being, of course, is that he was talking about TREES; but it’s interesting how […]
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23rd October 2013

Messing About on the River

  AWA Tree Consultants have been busy this summer, surveying trees alongside waterways across the Midlands. Having previously never really given the waterways much of a thought, I’m now an enthusiast! Originally built to serve the needs of trade and industry, the iconic aqueducts, lock gates and bridges are technically and architecturally impressive historical features. However, what struck me most was how the waterways have now become a haven for nature. They form a vast network of green (and blue) spaces running from remote […]
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25th November 2013

Trees are the most civil society

  There is nothing so much alive, and yet so quiet, as a woodland…   Trees are the most civil society. An old oak that has been growing where he stands since before the Reformation, taller than many spires, more stately than the greater part of mountains, and yet a living thing, liable to sicknesses and death, like you and me: is not that in itself a speaking lesson in history? But acres on acres full of such patriarchs contiguously […]
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4th January 2014

Ancient Woodlands. Replacing the Irreplaceable?

Ancient woodlands are our rainforests. Beyond their massive ecological value, they culturally define who we are. This value can be seen in our emotional responses when ancient woodlands come under threat. Often perceived as fragments of a primeval ‘wildwood’ – a living link to the woodland from the end of the Ice Age – in truth, these ancient woods are not fragments of primeval wildwood, but have been influenced by human activity over thousands of years. Indeed, it is often […]
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17th January 2014

The Tyranny of Tree Preservation

Tree preservation orders are legal orders which make it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, lop or damage a tree without first obtaining Council consent. Tree preservation orders are powerful legal tools that can have a massive impact on both trees, the land on which they grow and the people who own this land.   Tree preservation orders can be a tool for great good, ensuring high value amenity trees are protected from threats of destruction, for the benefit […]
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15th March 2014

Dyngus Day and the Willow Tree

  Salix caprea, aka Sallow, Goat or Pussy Willow are the commonest and most widespread willows in Britain. They are the tree most likely to be encountered on abandoned industrial sites and urban wastelands. Visually the most unremarkable of trees, they rarely cause one to stand and stare (in tree survey terms, a classic contender for a lower value BS:5837 retention category ‘C’ tree).    In early spring however, they are transformed; first with the silky silver catkin buds, gradually […]
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18th May 2014

Asleep with our Arboreal Ancestors

Now I’m the king of the swingers Oh, the jungle VIP I’ve reached the top and had to stop And that’s what botherin’ me Despite our predominantly urban existence we still feel great connectedness and strong emotional bonds towards trees. It has been suggested that this positive emotional response is, in part, hard-wired. Millions of years of evolution have left us with a partly genetic predisposition to respond positively to trees. Interestingly, this connection to our arboreal origins can still […]
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16th July 2014
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Emotional Life of the Arboricultural Consultant

Like most jobs, working as an arboricultural consultant has its ups and downs. This light-hearted list suggests a top ten of the emotions we face in our daily struggle through the urban forest.      10. Telling someone you’re an arboricultural consultant and they say “Oh, you mean a tree surgeon?”      9. After explaining how you’re different to a tree surgeon, they ask you to prune their tree.  8. You’re on site and you’ve forgot the Latin name of a tree.  7. Reading on-line forum […]
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19th August 2014

In Awe of the Ordinary: How tree-porn can make you go blind.

Anyone who has both an interest in trees and an account with Facebook, Twitter or similar social media, is likely to encounter a stream of links to collections of images promising something like, “THE BEST, MOST KICK-ASS TREES IN THE WORLD!”  Seemingly a week cannot pass without clicking on a link to a similar collection of skilfully photographed images of extraordinary trees from around the world. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that nearly all of the earth’s largest and most unusual trees have been […]
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9th October 2014

Disraeli & Gladstone & Arboriculture

Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were both politicians of extraordinary ability; today they are consistently ranked in lists of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers.  They were possibly the greatest parliamentary rivals in history: their personalities clashed and they heartily loathed each other.  The feuding politicians were celebrities of the day, with their battles in the House of Commons attracting as much public attention as the marriage of a film star today.    The ghosts of Disraeli and Gladstone loomed in the background […]
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12th October 2014

AMAZING FACTS* ABOUT TREES THAT YOU DEFINITELY DIDN’T KNOW!

There are just so many interesting facts; the internet is full of them! You probably know most of the more common facts about trees, but here are some amazing facts* about trees that you didn’t know. OK so they may be unfounded but – after all – this is the internet, so who really cares, as long they blow your mind!   7: You probably know that the root system is one of the most important parts of the tree. But did you realise a tree’s […]
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24th October 2014

Do Trees Have Feelings?

Some people relate to trees almost as inanimate objects – green things that stand in the way. However, modern research has undermined this view and is showing trees as having ever greater levels of sophistication than previously imagined.    In their own way, plants can see, hear, smell, feel and it is possible they even have a memory. Trees can communicate with each other too; using mycorrhizal fungi, their roots exchange information and even goods to other trees in need. Obviously trees don’t have brains, but some believe that trees may have something […]
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12th November 2014

Charlotte Mew on Men and Trees

  Today we are increasingly aware of the importance of urban forestry to human mental and spiritual well-being. The prose and poetry of Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)  was such thinking.   Charlotte lived, for the most part, in poverty and despair. Tormented by her brother’s and sister’s mental illness, which confined them to asylums and early death; she vowed never to marry as she feared she might carry a hereditary mental illness, and this fear and grief ultimately led to her suicide. Despite this, she produced […]
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1st December 2014

The World’s First Tree Preservation Order

  At the turn of the 20th century, in the face of overcrowded slums and uncontrolled urban growth, the UK Government implemented some of the first ever campaigns to tackle the problem of poor urban environments. This political commitment ultimately led to the creation of the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, which brought most development under the control of councils, through a system of development plans. This Act also protected certain trees, by means of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), with private tree owners […]
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30th January 2015

I like trees, but…

Urban trees have many objective benefits to people, the economy and the environment; with much research and policy supporting this.  However, it’s less clear if the public’s perception corresponds with such research and policy. Increasingly, arboriculturists involved in public liaison have questioned whether the public are aware of, or agree, that urban trees provide such benefits. Yet without public support, there is little hope of sustainable urban tree cover.    When assessing public perspectives towards urban trees, a wide spectrum […]
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10th February 2015

Nemophilist: One who is fond of the forest; a haunter of the woods.

Nemophilist (pronounced  ne-‘mo-fe-list),  is an obscure word that hasn’t really been used for over 100 years. It means someone with a love or fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery, or someone who often visits them – a ‘haunter’ of woods. The word derives from the Greek ‘nemos,’ grove, and ‘philos,’ affection. The use of the word appears to distinguish it from the more formal pursuit of ‘forestry’, ‘arboriculture’ or ‘botany’ – suggesting a more artistic appreciation of trees, or the simple […]
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2nd April 2015

The trees are coming into leaf

Conventional wisdom has it that life speeds up as we get older. It certainly seems that the months and years fly by faster, and I’m always astonished to discover, “It’s already April!”  This feeling of mild anxiety – that time is passing me by – is never more prominent during spring. At this time of year nature is inexorable; stubbornly marching to its own pace, it races on while I am left incredulous, late to the party, “Since when was the hawthorn […]
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15th June 2015

The Sheffield Chainsaw Massacre?

A recent campaign has been in progress regarding the proposed felling of 12 Lime trees along Sheffield’s Rustlings Road. I spoke with a local journalist about this subject and the story was covered in the Sheffield Star and Sheffield Telegraph as well as other regional papers and media. I tried to be reasonably balanced in what was said and think the newspaper article generally reflects this (at the very least, it was good to see the title ‘Chartered Arboriculturist‘  in […]
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9th July 2015

AWA Tree Consultants: Growing with the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF)

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is the Royal Chartered body for forestry and arboricultural professionals. They are the UK’s leading professional organisation relating to forests, woodlands and trees, and are the only body to award Chartered Arboriculturist status.  This year saw the ICF reaching its highest ever membership. It hoped to build on this by attracting more people into professional Forestry and Arboriculture, from school-leavers to experienced workers.  Ask an average member of the public to describe a Forester […]
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17th July 2015

The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest

  The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It was recently the clear winner in England’s tree of the year competition. Yet, if it was not for the work of a retired local man, it would have been a different story. The tree would have remained just another Oak in Birchland Wood.   Mr Hayman Rooke was born in 1723 in London. After a military career, “Major” Rooke retired, to Mansfield Woodhouse in […]
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20th November 2015
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Lime Trees of Rivelin

  Sheffield is famous for its trees. One of the jewels in Sheffield’s arboreal crown is the avenue of limes along Rivelin Valley Road. At three and a half miles long, it forms the second longest lime avenue in the country. This spectacular natural monument is rooted in Sheffield’s history, but there are now concerns that it is under threat.   Unlike most historic tree avenues, formed as a result of vanity projects of the aristocracy or wealthy landowners, what […]
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18th December 2015

AWA Tree Consultants in Pro Arb Magazine

Pro Arb Magazine is an industry magazine and website that offers business tips, latest news, and the latest equipment information relating to arboriculture. The magazine promotes best practice and highlights the positive aspects of the arboriculture industry, and works closely with the associations to advance the arboriculture market in the UK. Pro Arb contacted us recently as they were looking for suitable people to feature in a magazine feature that was promoting and focusing on young people in the industry. […]
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22nd December 2015

Tree Surveys in the Bleak Midwinter

Tree surveys in winter bring their own challenges. Trying to look up into the crown of a tree in the icy rain isn’t fun for long. The speed of a tree surveyor, moving from one tree to the next, seems to be perfect to avoid the creation of any type of body warmth. All before the inevitable raging against the dying of the light, as darkness falls at 3pm. One aspect of surveying trees in winter that many arborists initially struggle with […]
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16th January 2016

Ackee: The Toxic Tree That Tastes Delicious.

The Ackee tree, Blighia sapida, is a tree of contradictions. In Jamaica, the Ackee tree is revered – more popular than Bob Marley. The Ackee fruit is the National Fruit of Jamaica, and forms the key ingredient in the National Dish of Jamaica, Ackee and Saltfish. However, the tree is also deadly. The fruits are highly poisonous, even having a specific illness named after them (symptoms include severe vomiting, coma and death). The Ackee tree is so toxic it is […]
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27th January 2016

Sheffield Tree Felling:

  The cherry blossoms that stirred me, shade me no more Issa In Spring 2012 I wrote Sheffield Hanami, about the cherry trees outside my house in Sheffield. In late Summer 2013 I came home one evening to find a “notice to fell” pinned on the tree outside my house. It stated the tree had “outgrown it’s location” and was causing a “footpath obstruction”. Despite my best attempts to argue/pull-strings/beg, with anyone who would listen, the photos show what happened […]
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19th February 2016

Neuro-Arboriculture: Your Brain On Trees.

Most tree problems are fairly straightforward to solve: the rooting environment can be improved, branches can be pruned or braced, and trees can be felled and replaced. It becomes much less straightforward when you add people. Deep-seated, even hard-wired emotions define people’s interactions with trees. However, the neurological basis of people’s connection to trees remains a mystery.    Research on the economic and environmental benefits of urban trees has amassed. It shows how urban trees reduce pollution, mitigate extreme weather events, reduce […]
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19th March 2016

Marilyn Monroe: Trees give me a little hope

Marilyn Monroe defines the 1950s. Even today, as an icon of American popular culture, she has few rivals. She epitomised the modern liberated woman – an endorsement of consumer culture and glamour – available to anyone using the right make-up, clothes and peroxide. The public perception of Marilyn Monroe seems about as far as one can get from the realm of trees. However, she displayed an ongoing and genuine affection for trees and woods, as evidenced from interviews with her […]
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17th April 2016

George Orwell: Spring is here, and they can’t stop you enjoying it.

  George Orwell is one of England’s greatest writers. He is not famous for nature writing, yet Orwell’s 1946 essay about the arrival of Spring, is a masterpiece. It’s a clearly written easy-read, avoiding any of the flowery language often used in nature writing, and it highlights Orwell’s brilliant insight, humanity and common sense truths that are still helpful today.   He begins his essay by referring to the toad – largely because he sees it as the underdog of […]
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12th July 2016

Thoreau and Arboriculture

    HENRY DAVID THOREAU was born 199 years ago, on 12th July 1817.  An extraordinary person and writer, he is often credited with anticipating modern ecology and environmentalism. His particular fascination with trees should also justifiably label him as one of the forefathers of modern arboriculture. The definition of arboriculture is the science and art of tree care, and few individuals embodied these qualities more than Thoreau. Trees were crucial to his writing, poetry, philosophy and spirituality; however, he also […]
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3rd November 2016

Enthusiastic Future Arboriculturist

  At the end of October we were helped out at AWA Trees by Elva Preston. Elva is currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham, and wanted some work experience as she is considering arboricultural consultancy as a career, following her degree.   After her time with us, Elva wrote us this lyrical account of her first impressions of professional arboriculture:   Arboriculture. A word few have heard of, but is so important to our lives. The combination of […]
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6th November 2016

Shinrin-yoku: Is Forest Bathing Science or Art?

A new phrase recently entered the lexicon of forestry and trees – Shinrin-yoku. It’s a Japanese term that roughly translates in English as “Forest Bathing”, or visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation. I first heard it around five years ago, at a forestry conference, and judging by the number of raised eyebrows, this was the first time many other tree professionals in the room had heard the term too. While Shinrin-yoku may sound ancient and conjure up romantic images […]
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17th November 2016

Welcoming the Introduction of Operation Arborcide!

We have all seen how trees can strike at any time and any place without warning. The threat from trees is real and serious. So it is good to see South Yorkshire Police being deadly serious about protecting the people of Sheffield from the arboreal menace. In the early hours of today, a dozen police officers demonstrated a range of tactics to protect the public, including arresting elderly residents who ‘peacefully’ protested the essential work to keep us safe from these […]
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30th November 2016

Are Sheffield war memorial trees being felled to save on maintenance costs?

      Picture the scenario…   Due to Council budget cuts, The Cenotaph (the national War Memorial in central London) has not had the maintenance it deserves and is in need of some TLC, so the Council outsource War Memorial management to a Spanish infrastructure services company, who are contracted to maintain it for the next 25 years. The company then have a marvelous idea: To save on annual maintenance costs, they knock it down and tarmac the area over – thereby […]
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17th December 2016

How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?

The Sheffield Telegraph runs a debate feature every week called Telegraph Voices. A journalist contacted me last week, to take part in a debate entitled: ‘How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?’ As ever, it’s tricky to cover such an emotive and complex issue – and to suggest pragmatic solutions – in just 300 words. “There is little room for sentimentality when managing urban trees. Eventually every street tree will decline and need to be replaced. Some protesters […]
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16th February 2017

Komorebi (木漏れ日): Sunshine filtering through the trees.

There is a Japanese term “Komorebi”, for which no simple English translation exists. Yet it is a distinct phenomenon, that anyone who spends time among trees will have enjoyed. Komorebi  roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees”. It is made up of three “Kanji” or Chinese characters: “tree” or “trees”, “leaking-through” or “escape”, and “light” or “sun”. Komorebi is especially noticeable when the sun is low, and mist or smoke can add to the […]
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30th August 2017

Trees, forests, woodlands…and nemus?

Forests are often romanticised as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its institutions of law. But the word ‘forest’ in fact originates as a juridical term. The word foresta referred not to woodlands in general but only to the royal game preserves. The Latin forestare meant ‘to keep out, to place off limits, to exclude.’  A ‘forest’ then, refers to land that had been placed off limits by a royal decree. Once a region had been declared a forest, it could […]
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30th August 2017

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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31st August 2017

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

    As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is […]
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4th October 2017

Projects: Tree Surveys at Cannon Hall Barnsley

Cannon Hall is located within the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough, South Yorkshire. The site has many historic and veteran specimen trees and historic woodland and we undertook extensive tree surveys and woodland surveys as part of wider restoration works. Originally built as a large country house in the 1690s, the hall, its extensive park and intricate walled gardens were rebuilt and extended using wealth from the local iron industry, and became a superb example of a Georgian estate. Publicly owned since […]
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4th October 2017

Tree Survey in Nottingham for Planning at QMC bridge.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook a tree survey for planning in Nottingham for the new tram bridge at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which was officially opened on Friday July 28, which was also the QMC’s 40th birthday. AWA were the project arboriculturists throughout the duration of the scheme. The new bridge links the tram platform with the second floor of the hospital. The tram bridge is 90 metres long and eight metres off the ground, and features two rest areas and […]
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4th October 2017

Tree survey for planning – Sheffield Park Hill flats development.

The later phase of Sheffield’s Park Hill flats regeneration, including 330 student housing units by student specialist developer Alumno Developments, is expected to cost £20 million. We were instructed to undertake a tree survey for planning to assist in the regeneration works. Built between 1957-61 by the Corporation of Sheffield (the fore-runner of the modern-day Sheffield City Council), Park Hill is a landmark on the Sheffield city skyline, the largest listed building in Europe and widely regarded as a nationally […]
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5th October 2017

AWA Trees are hiring an Arboriculturist

Do you want to get paid to look at trees? Then join our team! About AWA We are a small friendly tree consultancy. Our office is based in Sheffield, and most of our tree surveys in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. […]
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9th October 2017

How do trees change colour in autumn? 

  “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  ― Albert Camus  Trees display a vast array of impressive colours throughout autumn. These various hues of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and browns are what provide most of us the first real indication that the seasons are changing. They provide us with a final colourful spectacle before winter sets in – the year’s last, loveliest smile.  The changing leaves on the trees are the main association most of […]
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10th October 2017
Sheffield Wednesday Alder

Why are Sheffield Wednesday called ‘The Owls’?

Sheffield is home to the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, which was formed in 1857. Today the main teams are Sheffield United ‘The Blades’ and Sheffield Wednesday ‘The Owls’. While ‘The Blades’ name is easily attributed to Sheffield’s main historic industry, most people don’t know why Sheffield Wednesday are known as ‘The Owls’. People would be forgiven in thinking the team once had a pet owl as the mascot, or some other strigine link. In fact, the reason Sheffield […]
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18th October 2017

Sheffield’s Heritage Trees vs Private Finance Initiative

Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, publishes tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes in the form of bulletins and handbills, showing signs and symptoms of tree pests and diseases and advice on what to do if you suspect the pest or disease is present. This bulletin is a lighthearted parody of their pest and disease alerts, it’s intended to make us think how we would react if Private Finance Initiatives, or PFI,  were a destructive […]
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17th November 2017

Projects: Tree survey at Lincolnshire’s International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln, is a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. During WWII over a million men and women served or supported Bomber Command. They came from 62 nations across the world and were united in their efforts to protect the freedom we enjoy today. Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the […]
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29th December 2017
Tree Surveys across England

Have Arboriculturists – Will Travel!

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve had a look back at some of the places where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys and created an AWA Tree Survey Map of England! This year we’ve undertaken tree consultancy work in a variety of locations, and we’ve inspected some great trees! One of the good things about being based in Sheffield is that most places in England are easy to get to. The map shows our core area for work, which runs […]
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19th February 2018
Tree Survey Wakefield

Wakefield Tree Survey for Planning.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook arboricultural surveys in the Wakefield area that recently helped secure planning approval and meet planning conditions in relation to tree protection at the former Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital, West Yorkshire. The site is a triangular area of land which covers 4.4 hectares and was predominantly used as an administration base for various trust teams by the hospital. The site has many mature trees throughout that are covered by a tree preservation order. Our tree survey […]
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2nd March 2018
The Northern Forest: History

A common wealth of trees? Tree-planting past and present

The U.K government recently unveiled plans for ‘The Northern Forest’ – a 25-year tree planting scheme to create a ‘vast ribbon of woodland’ along the M62 corridor from Liverpool and Chester to Hull. The Northern Forest will link up fragmented woodland along the M62 belt and will deliver flood mitigation for up to 190,000 new homes, lock up over 7 million tonnes of carbon, boost wildlife habitat and contribute to northern England’s natural capital and ecosystem services. It is an […]
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6th March 2018
Arboriculturists around the Major Oak

Thinking Arbs Day with the Arboricultural Association

The Arboricultural Association is the leading voice on all tree matters in the UK, they provide a home and membership for all professionals within the arboricultural sector – from qualified and experienced arboricultural consultants to those starting out in the industry – they champion the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society. All the tree surveyors and arboriculturists at AWA Tree Consultants are members of the Arboricultural Association, either […]
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9th April 2018
Leeds Tree Survey

Tree Survey for Planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped gain planning approval for 50 new dwellings with associated access. Our tree survey for planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire, minimised the impact on important trees at the site and maximised the development potential. The site was the former West Park Centre on the eastern side of Spen Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Centre was demolished a few years ago, and much of the central part of the site remains covered with hard surfacing. There are […]
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30th April 2018
Trees and urban planning

Trees in the Planning Process

AWA Tree Consultants went to a recent half-day event: Trees in the Planning Process. It was hosted in Oxford by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF). The RTPI South East provides a range of services for members in the region. It offers affordable seminars and events for professional development, and acts as a champion for planning. The event was co-hosted by the ICF, which is the UK’s Royal Chartered professional body […]
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10th May 2018
Sheffield Trees

The State of Trees in Sheffield

Sheffield has a lot of trees. This fact makes Sheffield a great place to live and work. AWA Tree Consultants are based in the heart of Sheffield and all our arboriculturists live in or near the city. Sheffield’s various trees collectively form our urban forest. Components of the urban forest range from isolated individual trees, lines of trees alongside roads and wider groups of amenity trees’ in parks, to urban woodlands. The trees in Sheffield’s urban forest are owned and […]
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24th May 2018
Ashoka

Ashoka and Arboriculture in India.

It is commonly believed that street trees originated in the capital cities of Europe in the 1500s. First in France, then Holland and then to London and the rest of the continent. This European history of street trees is rightly uncontested. However, there is compelling evidence of a vast network of managed street trees, from over 2000 years ago. A massive programme of tree planting and arboricultural management along routes over many thousands of miles across India and South Asia. […]
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4th June 2018
AWA School Sites 2018

Tree surveys and risk assessments for schools

Trees in school grounds create inspiring learning spaces. In urban areas, trees in schools are often the main way young people connect with nature in their day-to-day lives. Trees do a lot more than make the school look pleasant, it’s even been shown in studies that students learn better with views of trees! The overall risk from trees to students, staff and visitors at schools is extremely low. Trees cause very few serious injuries; however, as the owner of trees, […]
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22nd June 2018
AWA Tree Consultants Yorkshire

Do you need an arboricultural consultant for a tree survey for planning?

Many companies in the environmental and planning sectors now offer ‘arboricultural services’. From large multi-national consultancies to smaller ecologists or landscape architect companies – there are an increasing number of slick websites offering ‘tree surveys for planning’. As these professions deal with the environment or ‘green stuff’, is there much difference? Is it worth seeking out a specialised arboricultural consultant or could some other environmental professional undertake a tree survey for planning and development purposes? Perhaps unsurprisingly, our view at […]
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4th July 2018
Trainee Tree Consultant

We’re Hiring a Trainee Tree Consultant

We are looking for an enthusiastic future arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. You will assist our lead tree consultants with our increasing work-load, helping us provide high quality tree surveys to a range of clients. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector […]
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25th July 2018
Mao Feng Shui Forest

How China’s Feng Shui forests survived Chairman Mao’s infamous ‘war against nature’.

The mission of Communist China’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ was to ‘conquer nature’. This mission was carried out with devastating efficiency in the name of a stronger China. Famously this foolhardy war against nature led to Mao instructing farmers to kill wild sparrows, as they were apparently eating too much grain and reducing productivity. This mass cull of the harmless birds had numerous associated negative environmental impacts. The Great Leap Forward also led to a massive loss of China’s forests, largely […]
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31st July 2018
Tree Poverty

Tree Poverty: The impact of austerity on our urban forests.

The North-South divide in the UK is inescapable, not only in economic terms but also in areas such as culture, health, life expectancy and transport. New evidence suggests a nation already divided along geo-political and economic lines, may also be divided arboriculturally. A recent Sunday Times article revealed that ‘More than 110,000 trees have been chopped down in three years by councils across the UK — equivalent to a sixth of the size of Sherwood Forest … According to Defra, […]
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11th September 2018
Mortgage tree survey reports for home-buyers

Mortgage tree survey and reports for home-buyers.

Trees provide significant benefits to property owners. Not only can they make a property more attractive, but studies have shown that nearby trees can increase property prices by up to 11%. However, if trees are highlighted as a potential problem when buying a new property, then there is a danger they can become a time-consuming, stressful and expensive hassle for the buyer. In a recent poll, two thirds of people voted moving-house top of their stress list, so the last […]
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6th November 2018
Western Road Trees Sheffield

Sheffield War Memorial Trees to be Saved

It has been reported that 32 of the 35 war memorial trees which were scheduled to be felled are set to be saved using engineering solutions. Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said: I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement…“Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case.” Green Party […]
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16th November 2018
National Tree Officers Conference

AWA Tree Consultants at the National Tree Officers Conference

The team at AWA Tree Consultants recently attended the 3rd annual National Tree Officers Conference. Organised by the London Tree Officers Organisation, Municipal Tree Officers Association and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the event took place at Telford’s Oakengates Theatre. AWA Arboriculturist Patrick Rowntree discusses a few of the talks and issues that he personally found most interesting from the day… It was a well-organised and smoothly-run event that was well worth attending; however, the diverse range of topics meant some […]
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8th January 2019
Sycamore Tree

The Great Maple or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sycamore

In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” there is a famous scene where John Cleese’s character ‘Brother Reg’ is trying to incite his gang to rebel against the occupying Roman army. After a few minutes of debate, he utters the immortal line: “Alright! – but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” Well, we could also add “The Sycamore” to this list. Although […]
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19th February 2019
South Yorkshire trees

Locum Arboricultural Officers for Yorkshire Planning Authority.

In spring 2017 AWA Tree Consultants undertook locum Tree Officer related work for Rotherham Metropolitan Council. Rotherham’s previous Tree Manager retired in early 2017 and as a result there was a backlog of planning related arboricultural survey work that needed to be completed. We provided temporary assistance for around 6 months, until the Council recruited for the post. Rotherham is a large town in South Yorkshire between Sheffield and Doncaster, together with its outlying settlements it forms the Metropolitan Borough […]
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7th May 2019
Ancient tree survey Yorkshire

Tree survey for historic garden in South Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants recently undertook a large-scale tree inspection and tree risk assessment of the trees at the stately home of Wortley Hall in South Yorkshire, which dates back to the late 16th century. The site is in the village and civil parish of Wortley, approximately 9.5 miles north of Sheffield city centre, and 8 miles south of Barnsley. It consists of a stately home, currently in use as a hotel, caravan park and business centre. It has large associated […]
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31st May 2019
Tree Survey for Planning

Are tree survey reports needed for all planning applications?

If you don’t consider the trees on your development site as significant, do you still need a tree survey for planning? Perhaps it’s only a small extension, or a rebuild with increased footprint, or the only trees are situated on the boundary or in adjacent land – you may be wondering: is a tree survey report needed for our planning application? AWA Tree Consultants often provide tree surveys and reports for large-scale housing developments. Our clients include planners and developers […]
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14th June 2019
Leeds Urban Forestry

Making Space for Trees in Leeds, with Green Streets

The team from AWA Tree Consultants recently attended Leeds Becket University for the Institute of Chartered Foresters 2019 North England Group event (in association with Green Blue Urban) – Green Streets: Making Space for Trees. It was a well-attended event with over 100 delegates present. Many of which were tree officers, arboricultural consultants, landscape and engineering professionals from the Yorkshire region and neighbouring Local Authorities, including Kirklees, Harrogate, Manchester, Amber Valley and Sheffield. The day was chaired by Alan Simson, […]
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5th July 2019
Tree Inspection AWA Trees

AWA Tree Consultants: Professional Tree Inspection in Staffordshire

Recently AWA Tree Consultant, Patrick, undertook the LANTRA Award in Professional Tree Inspection, provided by The Arboricultural Association in Staffordshire. He hoped to join his colleagues at AWA by gaining this invaluable qualification (who’d all passed with flying colours – so no pressure Patrick!). Here’s what he had to say about his experience on the course: The first of three days (two for training, and a third for assessment), begins with the obligatory introduction session, whereby everyone is paired-up and […]
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21st September 2019
Tree Experts

Arboricultural Experts Discuss Tree Risk

A few of the team from AWA Tree Consultants travelled down to the Arboricultural Association Midland Branch Seminar, held at the Hawkesyard Estate in Staffordshire. It was an excellent day of high-end arboriculture, with presentations from Jeremy Barrell and Dr. David Lonsdale – two leading expert witnesses in arboriculture. The day began with an open forum led by the audience, to discuss tree risk management. Questions fielded by Jeremy and David included: Ash dieback and tree risk. The requirement – […]
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1st October 2019
Dr Charles Mynors

Tree Consultants at Street Trees and Politics Conference, Sheffield

The team at AWA recently went to the Sheffield University Conference; “Street Trees and Politics”. The conference was in response to Sheffield’s infamous “street tree crises” or “chainsaw massacre“, which was a result of Sheffield Council letting a 25-year maintenance contract for tree care to Amey, whose actions led to public outcry and international reporting. The conference explored the issue of street trees and politics in greater depth, addressing not just the Sheffield situation, but the wide range of issues […]
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4th November 2019
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

AWA Tree Consultant visits the largest tree on Earth.

Last month AWA Tree Consultant Adam was lucky enough to visit some of the world’s largest trees at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California. Here he details an experience that should be on any tree lovers bucket list! The National Park was initially created, and protected from loggers, due to the efforts of the influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir, who is quoted as saying: “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find […]
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29th November 2019
Arborist Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants in the Arb Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants have been published in the Winter 2019 edition of the ARB Magazine, the quarterly publication for Members of the Arboricultural Association, with a review article titled: “Tree experts get on the mic”. Since 1964 the Arboricultural Association has promoted trees and the professionals who enable their sustainable management. It aims to be at the cutting edge of tree knowledge, set the agenda for trees in the built environment and show leadership on how best to care for […]
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6th December 2019
Joseph Beuys digging

Joseph Beuys: The Art of Arboriculture

Many great artists have drawn or painted trees, yet increasingly artists have used trees not a subject but as the substance of the art itself. Some of the best art using trees includes chainsaw sculptors carving into dead or fallen trees, or tree-shaping – making living trees grow into artworks – or artists harnessing the natural colour and beauty of trees to sculpt amazing geometric shapes. Here AWA Tree Consultant Dr Felicity Stout details what is possibly the best example […]
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6th January 2020
AWA Tree Survey Sites

Tree Surveys in Yorkshire and Beyond!

At the start of 2020 we’ve had a quick review of the last year and looked at where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys, creating an AWA Tree Survey Map of 2019! Last year has been the busiest yet for AWA Tree Consultants, with over 500 job instructions across the country. It’s clear we are busy looking at trees in our own neck of the woods – with most tree surveys in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the surrounding counties of […]
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11th February 2020

AWA are Hiring a Tree Consultant

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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23rd March 2020

Coronavirus Covid-19 and AWA Tree Consultants

These are strange and fast-moving times! While it’s not quite “business as usual” we’re keeping busy at AWA, ensuring minimal disruption to client’s projects, while closely following all government guidelines. Our key priorities are keeping the AWA team safe and busy, with minimal disruption to clients in the coming months. We are lucky compared to many jobs in that tree surveying is generally lone working in the fresh air, so is very low risk. While we have the benefits and […]
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5th June 2020

Tree Survey for Planning in Sheffield

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped with a tree survey for planning in Sheffield with approval of two major developments: Expansion of Sheffield Business Park (SBP) and Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The sites form one of the largest business parks in Yorkshire, that forms part of the wider 740-acre scheme within the Sheffield City Region. Council planners had initially been concerned regarding possible large scale clearance of trees. However, after our tree survey we identified suitable management to open up […]
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26th June 2020
Trees-in-the-age-of-coronavirus

Trees in the Time of Coronavirus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been described as perhaps the biggest global crisis of our generation, and one that will probably shape the world for years to come. The impact on healthcare systems, the economy, politics and culture are already noticeable. While the associated lockdown created virtual ghost-towns of most urban areas, there was an upsurge of people visiting nearby green spaces. For many people, the pandemic has led to a direct realisation of the profound value of local accessible green […]
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4th August 2020
Sheffield Arboricultural Consultant

Trees to Tries: Arboricultural Consultant in Sheffield goes to Canada

This week Sheffield based Arboricultural Consultant Patrick Rowntree is leaving the ranks of AWA Tree Consultants to head to the land of the Acer spp. Before joining AWA Tree Consultants, Patrick had enjoyed playing competitive rugby around the globe including several years in the apogee of the rugby playing world; New Zealand. Upon returning to England, he had resided himself to a less physical means of income and looked set to enjoy a career as an Arboricultural Consultant for AWA […]
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29th September 2020

VALID: Tree Risk-Benefit Management in Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants regularly inspect and risk assess many thousands of trees, around the Yorkshire region and the UK, as part of Tree Safety and Risk Management surveys. There is often a need to undertake detailed risk assessments for trees to ensure we can provide our clients with appropriate, proportionate recommendations, that manage the risk while retaining the benefits our clients appreciate from their trees. All our tree risk surveys are undertaken by experienced and qualified arboriculturists. In addition to […]
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23rd October 2020
‌Lincolnshire-Trees

Why would you need tree surveys in Lincolnshire?

Lincolnshire was described in a BBC article this week as having the lowest tree cover in the county. But is this accurate? From our experience of regularly undertaking tree surveys in Lincolnshire, this doesn’t necessarily ring true. We review the claim and critically look at the reasons suggested for Lincolnshire’s low tree cover: The BBC article “Gardens help towns and cities beat countryside for tree cover” detailed research which estimated the percentage of tree cover in different parts of the […]
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7th January 2021

AWA Tree Consultants: continue to provide tree surveys for planning.

Despite the issues across the country, we have been keeping remarkably busy at AWA tree consultants. Last year, our small team of exceptional tree consultants have successfully undertaken over 500 job instructions. We have been involved in tree surveys for some fantastic infrastructure projects, including major new road building, new windfarms, flood alleviation schemes, business parks, schools, hospitals, and major housing developments. As well as hundreds of tree survey reports for planning projects for owner-occupiers or very small-scale housing developers.  […]
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26th July 2021
Arboriculturist Spelling

How do you spell: Arboriculturist?

A person who practices professional arboriculture is termed an Arboriculturalist / Arboriculturist. The different terms are often used interchangeably, but which one is the correct spelling? The Oxford English Dictionary has the noun of arboriculture as arboriculturist; likewise, the Collins dictionary refers to arboriculturist (they don’t list Arboriculturalist). Leading authorities within the industry are clear. The Terms and Definitions of the British Standard 5837:2012 refer to an arboriculturist (as a person who has, through relevant education, training and experience, gained […]
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17th September 2021
The Tree Experts

The Tree Experts: A History of Professional Arboriculture in Britain, by Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston has worked as a tree contractor, tree consultant, tree officer and college professor. He has been a prominent figure within professional arboriculture for several decades, developing city-wide urban forest initiatives, influential policy, and urban forestry practice guides. Like many others in our profession, I was one of the thousands of students he taught over the years, being lucky enough to be one of the first students to undertake the Master of Science program in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, […]
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14th January 2022

Join our Team of Tree Consultants

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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14th January 2022

Ash Dieback and Tree Surveys for Planning

Ash dieback disease is having a major impact to the UKs Ash trees, with losses of between 75% and 90% predicted. At AWA Tree Consultants we are having to adapt to this when undertaking tree surveys for planning in Yorkshire and the surrounding regions of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Ash dieback is impacting our tree surveys in two main ways. Firstly, in the extra focus on Ash when assessing the risk of harm to people or property, and secondly, in how […]
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2nd September 2022

Expert Arboriculturists Join Our Team

AWA Tree Consultants recently welcomed two new team members, Joe Thomas and Jim Boyle. Joe has a first-class degree in biology with an integrated Masters from the University of Sheffield. He then undertook a Level 4 Award in Arboriculture while working as an Urban Forester trainee with the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Sheffield City Council, where he gained a variety of experience in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, including tree surveys and inspections, working with Sheffield tree officers on […]
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2nd September 2022

There’s no such thing as a tree.

What is a tree? Such a seemingly simple question. But when examined closely, even the best minds struggle to find an to find a satisfactory answer. When forced to provide an answer, experts ranging from Phylogenetic biologists, the High Court of Justice in England, and even Mahayana Buddhist masters, ultimately all come to the same conclusion: there is, in fact, no such thing as a tree. Do trees exist, scientifically? All life on Earth is part of a single phylogenetic […]
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16th October 2022

Managing Trees in Sheffield. A New Hope!

The unedifying events of the infamous Sheffield Tree Saga are now thankfully fading into history. Like many social events involving unrest and conflict, dramatic low points are often the catalyst for long term change for the better. This hope was very much in the air at the recent conference ‘Urban Trees in Sheffield’, which highlighted how far things have come since 2018. Showcasing new approaches and commitment to community involvement, in managing Sheffield’s street trees. It was a good-news event, […]
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5th November 2022

AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy to the team.

This month AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy Garbutt to the team. Lucy is a highly qualified ecologist, having graduated with a masters degree in Animal Behaviour from the UK’s highest rated university, St Andrews of Scotland, following the completion of her BSc degree in Biology from Lancaster University. She has experience in botany, working as a Research Assistant at Knepp Estate, Sussex and in Indonesia, and is experienced in protected species’ surveys, including surveys of bats, reptiles, and dormice. […]
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5th November 2022
Tree-Consultants-North-Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants Ancient Tree Trip in North Yorkshire

The AWA tree survey team recently went along to the Ancient Tree Forum’s Autumn Field Trip, held on the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) is the only organisation in the country specialising in the conservation of ancient and veteran trees. This was the first in-person Ancient Tree Forum’s field trip since before the pandemic and as with most ATF events, tickets sold out faster than an Arctic Monkeys tour! The day was split into […]
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5th January 2023

UK trees catch double the carbon

Climate change mitigation is just one of the many environmental benefits provided by trees and woods, but it is a key reason why trees are so vital in the fight against climate change. Here AWA Tree Consultant Lucy Garbutt details new research using laser scanning of woodlands to reveal potential significant underestimations of biomass carbon in our temperate forests: Trees and forests can help limit rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees capture and sequester carbon, ‘locking in’ […]
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11th June 2023
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission

The concept of tree root protection areas (RPAs) has been a consideration in UK planning and development for over three decades. Yet there is still often confusion about root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission. This post aims to get to the ‘root’ of the RPA in relation to new developments and planning permission. What is a root protection area (RPA)? In UK planning and development, the British Standard 5837:2012 “Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. Recommendations” defines […]
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14th June 2023

Team Day Out at Sherwood Forest

This month AWA Tree Consultants had a team day out to Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, with a guided tour of the beautiful woodland and ancient trees. In the morning we were given a guided tour by a member of Sherwood Forests outdoors management team. The tour was an excellent opportunity to see the awesome ancient trees and learn about the issues surrounding the woodlands management. Including modern history and current management issues, focusing on ancient trees, ecology, and visitor management. Sherwood […]
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14th August 2023

Bats in Trees – Considerations for Arboriculturists

Bats and trees have an ancient relationship, with trees providing vital roosting and foraging habitats for these fascinating creatures. In the UK, bats are an important part of our biodiversity, and all bat species, their breeding sites and roosting habitats are fully protected under European law, to safeguard their populations. Bat surveys are generally undertaken by professional Ecologists, who hold the appropriate and up-to-date survey licence to carry out surveys for bats. Here, AWA Tree Consultants in-house bat fanatic – […]
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17th August 2023
The team at AWA tree consultants

Introducing Sophie Beckerman: New Team Member

We are thrilled to welcome Sophie Beckerman, our newest member of staff, to our dedicated team of tree experts. With over 10 years of experience as a climbing arborist and team leader, Sophie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team, as she embarks on this new phase of her career with AWA Tree Consultants. Sophie’s passion for arboriculture led her to pursue a Level 4 Diploma in arboriculture while working as an arborist.  Throughout her career, she […]
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24th August 2023
Carrot and sticks in the urban forest

Carrots not Sticks: Why we should reward people for having trees.

The phrase “carrot and stick” is a metaphor for the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour or outcome. In terms of arboriculture and urban forestry, the desired behaviour or outcome is to maximise the countless environmental and societal benefits urban trees provide. Street and park trees account for only small fraction of an urban forest. The public sector owns only 8% of England, with most land being owned by private individuals, companies and […]
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9th October 2023

ATF Trip to Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

Last month some of the tree survey team from AWA Tree Consultants attended the Ancient Tree Forum – Yorkshire and East Midlands local group field trip to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire. Here James Brown, senior arboriculturist at AWA, details what went down on the day: Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. The abbey is situated within the wider Studley Royal Park, and together they are designated a UNESCO World Heritage […]
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24th October 2023

Academic Achievement in Arboriculture

At AWA Tree Consultants, we want to shine a spotlight on James Godfrey, one of our arboricultural consultants, who recently completed his FdSc Arboriculture and Tree Management at Myerscough College. James not only accomplished this significant milestone but was also honoured with the prestigious Student of the Year award. We are thrilled to share his story and highlight the academic success James G has achieved while working with AWA Tree Consultants. James Godfrey’s Academic Journey: Throughout his academic journey at […]
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24th October 2023

Fungi: Vital for Trees and Arborists

Last month, the tree survey team at AWA Tree Consultants embarked on a journey of discovery into the fascinating Kingdom of fungi! Through attending the ‘Learning Fungi Identification Skills’ workshop at Whisby Nature Park in Lincoln and the ‘Practical Fungi Field Skills’ course at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire (both organised by the Field Studies Council), our team broadened their knowledge and appreciation of the often-misunderstood fungi kingdom. Arborists and tree consultants have tended to focus on the wood decay fungi that […]
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3rd November 2023
Identifying-Conifer-Trees-Masterclass-AWA-Trees

A Masterclass in Identifying Conifer Trees

A Review of the ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ Course by the Field Studies Council Arboriculturists Lucy, Sophie and Joe at AWA Tree Consultants recently had the opportunity to attend a weekend residential course called ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ at the Preston Montford Field Studies Council Centre. Under the expert guidance of Mark Duffell of Arvensis Ecology, this botanical tree course was thoroughly enjoyable and a brilliant learning experience. The course is aimed at people who would like to improve their […]
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15th November 2023

Tree Surveys Near Me

The Ultimate Guide to Sheffield Tree Survey Reports for Planning Applications When it comes to planning applications in Sheffield that involve trees on your property, having a comprehensive BS5837 tree survey report can make all the difference. Whether you are a homeowner or a developer in the Sheffield area, understanding the significance of these tree survey reports can make for a smoother planning application process and ensure compliance with local tree related planning regulations. Sheffield is known for being one […]
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7th December 2023
Kelham-Island

Branching Out into New Office Space

Green Shoots in Sheffield From humble beginnings in 2011 – working as a sole trader from a spare box room, ‘Adam Winson Arboriculture’ became AWA Tree Consultants Ltd and moved into a small office in 2012. This was in the then still ‘edgy’ area of Sheffield – Neepsend/Kelham Island. Since then, the AWA team and our customer base, has steadily grown. While the small office was great, over the last few years we were fast outgrowing it, and despite flexible […]
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28th December 2023

Our Journey Through the Seasons

This year has flown by. Perhaps it’s to do with getting older, but these days, months seem like weeks! As such, we though it’d be good to look back and take stock of what happened at AWA Tree Consultants over the last year. Here we detail a few of the events in what’s been a ‘tree-mendous’ year at the company: Tree Surveys – lots of em! As ever, it’s been a busy year for the tree survey team getting out […]
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12th April 2024
Dr. David Lonsdale presenting next to a tree

A Tribute to Dr. David Lonsdale

It is very sad to hear of the death of Dr. David Lonsdale, who passed away on 9th April 2024. Undoubtedly, he stood as the preeminent tree expert in the UK, serving as an inspiration to myself and countless others within the profession. His seminal work, “Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management,” published in 1999, established the gold standard in tree risk assessment and management for decades to come. It was the first professional arboriculture book I purchased 25 […]
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20th May 2024

Welcoming Ross: Our Newest Arboriculturist

AWA is thrilled to introduce Ross, our new Arboriculturist, who brings over 10 years of diverse arboricultural experience to the team. With a background encompassing horticultural, arboricultural, and ecological work, Ross has worked across the UK, conducting tree surveys and has worked on a wide range of projects, both small and large scale. Ross holds a technician level membership with the Arboricultural Association and a qualifying membership with CIEEM, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence. Academic qualifications include a first […]
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13th September 2024
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – What you need to know .

The long-awaited draft revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – Code of Practice has finally arrived. It represents the most significant update to the British Standard since the last revision in 2012. For tree consultants, urban planners, and developers, this revision could have a profound impact on how trees are integrated into design and construction projects. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes, what they mean for trees and planning, and how you can, and […]
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4th August 2011
Trees, People and the Built Environment logo

Trees, People and the Built Environment

This years ICF conference ‘Trees, People and the Built Environment’, was a great experience. At around 400 delegates this was probably the largest number ever seen at a tree conference in the UK. Nearly all of the 29 speakers were academic doctors and the international flavour was great, with nine of them invited from overseas; so it was an honour for me to stand up alongside them to represent my research and then get my brains picked by an audience of arboricultural experts afterwards. […]
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6th August 2011

The Gigantic Kapok Tree

  These pictures are of a gigantic Cotton-Silk Kapok tree, located in Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore, India; taken on news years day 2010. It is arguably the largest specimen of a Kapok tree in the world. The tree is native to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America tropical and had been introduced in other tropical countries of the world. To the Mayan people, the tree is a sacred symbol.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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9th August 2011

Trees for Cities creates social cohesion!

Great short video by ‘Trees for Cities’ charity; deserves more views!  http://www.treesforcities.org/ Trees for Cities is an independent charity which inspires people to plant and love trees worldwide. Established in 1993, Trees for Cities creates social cohesion and beautifies our cities through tree planting, community-led design, education and training initiatives in urban areas that need it most.
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2nd September 2011

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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25th September 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Trees and Subsidence, ICF Chartered Forester Magazine, Adam Winson

Below is a short opinion piece  I wrote for Chartered Forester Magazine – the membership magazine of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the professional body for foresters and arboriculturists – my view is based on my work as an arboricultural consultant undertaking tree surveys in relation to property damage: Anyone who attended this years ICF conference can be under no doubt as to the major benefits urban trees provide. However, as some of the post-conference debate showed, urban trees implicated […]
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25th November 2011

Woodman, Spare that Tree

Felling trees near where people live is always an emotive issue. As chartered arboricultural consultants we have to factor this into our decision making when managing urban trees. This poem was first printed over 100 years ago, yet considering its age I was amazed at how contemporary the issues raised are (Sheffield Street Tree Felling?!). The language may have aged a little, but this could have been sent by a disgruntled local to the tree officer in the Oxford city […]
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29th November 2011

What is a forest?

When most people think of a forest, they think of a big area of trees. Yet definitions of a forest vary (for example, as arboricultural consultants we focus on the ‘urban forest‘) and a historical overview of the definition of ‘forest’ suggests it is not as clear cut as it seems. In ‘Forests, The Shadow of Civilization’ (1993), Robert Harrison notes how medieval chivalric romances tend to represent forests as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its […]
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2nd December 2011

Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds: Nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing.

Winson. Flourishing trees flourishing minds This is the urban forestry research paper – flourishing trees, flourishing minds; looking at how urban trees may improve mental wellbeing. The research paper forms part of the Forestry Commission Research Report Trees, people and the built environment – Proceedings of the Urban Trees Research Conference 13-14 April 2011  Flourishing trees, flourishing minds: nearby trees may improve mental wellbeing among housing association tenants.Abstract: Interventions to create even a small change in the average level of mental wellbeing across the […]
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7th December 2011

Howard Nemerov, Learning by Doing:

I’m sure anyone whose been involved in practical tree surgery will agree, this poem brilliantly captures the process and impacts of ‘section felling’ a mature tree. In the past I have taken my fare share of trees down by section felling (the photo is probably one of my last big ‘uns); its a task that can require considerable skill and nerve and one that as a young tree surgeon I would take pride in, focusing on the technical side of the job at hand without too much […]
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15th December 2011

Krishna on the inspiring life of trees

Trees form a key aspect to several Asian religions. The banyan tree is best known as sacred to Buddhists as after the Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under one. However trees are also important for Hindus and they feature prominently in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna uses tree to explain the meaning of life. “Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, heat and […]
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16th December 2011

Development tree surveys to identify assets and constraints.

When trees are on a development site they are often unduly considered a constraint to the sites development potential. However a suitable tree survey for planning should help identify not only trees that may pose a constraint to the development potential of a site, but also the trees that would add value and be an asset to any new development. This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It […]
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21st December 2011

‘Cracking Up’ Response Published in Chartered Forester Magazine

In the autumn edition of Chartered Forester magazine I had a short opinion piece published, ‘Cracking up’, which looked at the issues surrounding urban trees being removed due to subsidence claims and highlighted how the issue seems to make the tree industry so emotive. The piece provoked considerable interest and a few critical responses (generally from tree consultants who make a living from dealing with tree related subsidence claims). The latest issue of Chartered Forester featured a letter from Michael Lawson and my response which I have copied below.   […]
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8th January 2012

Nature’s endless employment of beauty to achieve its utilitarian ends

  New research is looking at the impact of birdsong on our sense of wellbeing. The study will examine the psychological impact of being exposed to birdsong, including whether it helps us relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. This research interests me as my own study has shown that urban trees may result in higher levels of mental wellbeing, yet how this happens is unclear, could it be that birdsong, closely associated with trees, […]
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26th January 2012
Nature an enchanted labyrinth

Nature as an Enchanted Labyrinth

Edwin Way Teale was a natural history writer who wrote and edited over 30 books, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. He is less well known than many other writers of the time, but was a mentor to today’s modern nature writers. Here he describes how an interest in nature interconnects with so many similar yet distinct areas of study. This struck a particular cord with me, as the practice of arboricultural […]
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1st February 2012

Are we hard-wired to love trees?

  The links between trees, forests and improved mental and physical health are becoming clearer, with an increasing amount of applied research providing a more solid evidence base. When researchers offer explanations as to why such links are evidenced, their theories tend to ultimately be grounded in psycho-evolutionary theory or what the Biologist E.O Wilson termed ‘Biophilia’. Psycho-evolutionary theory is based on the notion that millions of years of evolution have left modern humans with a partly genetic predisposition to […]
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22nd February 2012

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

  As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is specialist […]
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11th April 2012

Living next to trees makes us happier.

Findings of a study, published as part of the Forestry Commission Research Report: Trees, people and the built environment, show that residents are happier if they live near to trees. The study compared the happiness levels of 200 tenants renting properties from a Yorkshire housing charity; half of the tenants questioned had high levels of nearby tree cover and half had few or no nearby trees. The results showed that even with everything else broadly the same, tenants with high […]
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24th April 2012

Big Brother is watching your trees

    I was recently travelling overseas and found myself reading George Orwell’s classic 1984 (having read all I’d brought with me in the first week, it was the only English language book available!). What struck me throughout the novel (other than how many of the terms have become contemporary since publication) was how utterly grim and ruined the urban landscape was and how this added to the atmosphere of hopelessness. Yet I was struck by this particular passage, that relates […]
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26th April 2012

Do Tree Preservation Orders work, or is there a better way?

  New Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012) came into force in England on the 6th April 2012. England. There is a memo to go with the Regs that sets out clearly what all the changes are.    The TPO Regulations 2012 aim to put all Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) onto the same footing and consolidate much existing legislation into one new set of regulations. Essentially, the DCLG have attempted to simplify the TPO process in the new regulations, which in itself […]
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3rd May 2012
Cherry Tree Sheffield

Sheffield Hanami

  Shining spring day Falling cherry blossoms with my calm mind Kino Tomonari   My street, in the North West suburbs of Sheffield, is a nice enough, but unremarkable row of 1930’s built semi-detached houses. The Cherry ‘Kanzan’ trees that line my street too, are for most of the year, fairly unremarkable. Historically one of the most planted street trees in Sheffield’s suburbs; many have now died off or succumbed to the perils of new drives and highway improvements. If […]
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14th May 2012

Phoenix Park Combats the Canker

The Phoenix Park, Dublin, is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city.  The Park extends to over 700 hectares with a tree population in excess of 20,000 trees. Woodlands and tree-dominated areas cover 31% of the Park.  It is a highly important site for biodiversity, supporting 50% of all mammal species occurring in Ireland and 35% of bird species.  Among the 351 different plant species to be found in the Park, there […]
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31st May 2012

Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

    The practice of arboriculture is ancient. The image above shows it was a subject worthy of being painted about on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, clearly showing people transplanting and caring for trees. The word arboriculture is also old; derived from the Latin arbor (tree), and cultura (tending or caring). Today the terms “Arboriculturist” and “Arboriculturalist” are both used to describe a person who practices professional arboriculture – but which one is the right word?   Arboriculture was a term apparently […]
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15th June 2012

Lessons In Tree Care From Ancient Egypt.

    Hatshepsut is generally regarded by historians as one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt. She lived in the 15th century B.C. and had a long and successful reign, marked by building projects and trading expeditions unrivalled by any other culture for a thousand years. As well as being the first great woman in recorded history, inaugurating a long peaceful era and bringing great wealth to Egypt, she can also fairly lay claim to being the world’s first arboriculturist. Historians agree […]
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6th July 2012

The People’s Forest of Sheffield

Sheffield is England’s fourth largest city, with a population of over half a million. Like many northern former industrial cities it has a disproportionate share of the most deprived areas in the country. The 1980s were turbulent times for Sheffield, with massive job losses and large scale industrial action. During this time Sheffield became known satirically as the ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’ in reference to the left-wing administration of Sheffield City Council, and depending upon your political leanings at the time, the term was used derisively or […]
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18th July 2012

awatrees.com

These are a few images from some recent promotional photos I needed (I work as an arboricultural consultant to keep the wolf from the door). The photographer, a family friend, had her work cut out – They were taken on a drizzly afternoon in Grimsby, and I always find having my photo taken uncomfortable and embarrassing. So with these odds against her, she did a sterling job!
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18th July 2012

Dead Trees

  Aesthetically a large dead tree is a magnificent sight. Dead trees also provide vital habitat and the benefits of deadwood for biodiversity are massive.  If a tree dies it can’t be legally protected by a Tree Preservation Order. The Woodland Trust had recently been campaigning to have the exemption for dead trees to be removed from Tree Preservation Order Regulations. They were dismayed when the new Tree Preservation Order Regulations (TPO Regulations 2012), which came into force in April 2012, still retained the exception for dead trees. For […]
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27th July 2012

Green Places Magazine Publish ‘Flourishing Trees, Flourishing Minds’

Green Space is the UK’s parks charity; they work to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals. Green Space’s magazine, Green Places, brings together the latest thinking, best practice and debate for the green space sector. The magazine is dedicated to providing up-to-date news and features for professionals charged with planning, designing and maintaining public green spaces. Green Places recently published a more accessible version of my urban forestry research paper, ‘Flourishing Trees, […]
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1st October 2012

TOWN TREES

The postings on the blog page have been few and far between of late, largely due to me being kept busy with a large tree survey of all the roadside trees in Sheffield. In light of this I thought I’d share some of this lovely document; produced circa 1947 by the Council for the preservation of rural England, Sheffield and Peak District Branch (now C.P.R.E South Yorkshire). What struck me most about the 65 year old pamphlet is how contemporary many […]
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6th January 2013

Psithurism: the sound of wind whispering through the trees

We can’t see wind, only the things it moves. Likewise, we can’t hear wind unless it’s flowing past something that makes it vibrate; this causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Trees provide some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. This sound has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The naturalist author and founding member of the RSPB, W.H. Hudson, suggests in Birds and Man (1901), that psithurism is salubrious. He describes […]
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5th February 2013

A room with a view

  “A view? Oh, a view! How delightful a view is!” – E.M. Forster   Aesthetic preferences suggest that an individual’s visual encounter with certain landscapes will elicit pleasurable neurophysiological activity. Or in other words, people like nice views. Research shows that people prefer natural scenes over urban ones; with park-like views generally scoring highest, leading to claims that such preferences are hard-wired. People are willing to pay for a nice view from their home. Most (but not all) studies suggest that […]
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20th May 2013

BS:5837 (2012) Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – William Morris: Recommendations.

  The BS 5837: 2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations; provides guidance in respect of trees on development sites. It aims to provide a balanced approach on deciding which trees are appropriate for retention, on the effect of trees on design considerations and on the means of protecting trees during development.   The latest revision of the document is now one year old. The new document provides Local Planning Authorities more opportunities to refuse planning […]
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19th August 2013

Non-natives are welcome!

Ordinarily, if you were to pick up a copy of the Guardian newspaper and read an article that decried how councils were allowing non-natives to flood into our towns and cities, you would rightly do a double take to make sure you hadn’t mistakenly picked up the wrong paper. However, such nationalistic sentiment was at the heart of the recent piece by George Monbiot. The difference being, of course, is that he was talking about TREES; but it’s interesting how […]
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23rd October 2013

Messing About on the River

  AWA Tree Consultants have been busy this summer, surveying trees alongside waterways across the Midlands. Having previously never really given the waterways much of a thought, I’m now an enthusiast! Originally built to serve the needs of trade and industry, the iconic aqueducts, lock gates and bridges are technically and architecturally impressive historical features. However, what struck me most was how the waterways have now become a haven for nature. They form a vast network of green (and blue) spaces running from remote […]
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25th November 2013

Trees are the most civil society

  There is nothing so much alive, and yet so quiet, as a woodland…   Trees are the most civil society. An old oak that has been growing where he stands since before the Reformation, taller than many spires, more stately than the greater part of mountains, and yet a living thing, liable to sicknesses and death, like you and me: is not that in itself a speaking lesson in history? But acres on acres full of such patriarchs contiguously […]
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4th January 2014

Ancient Woodlands. Replacing the Irreplaceable?

Ancient woodlands are our rainforests. Beyond their massive ecological value, they culturally define who we are. This value can be seen in our emotional responses when ancient woodlands come under threat. Often perceived as fragments of a primeval ‘wildwood’ – a living link to the woodland from the end of the Ice Age – in truth, these ancient woods are not fragments of primeval wildwood, but have been influenced by human activity over thousands of years. Indeed, it is often […]
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17th January 2014

The Tyranny of Tree Preservation

Tree preservation orders are legal orders which make it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, lop or damage a tree without first obtaining Council consent. Tree preservation orders are powerful legal tools that can have a massive impact on both trees, the land on which they grow and the people who own this land.   Tree preservation orders can be a tool for great good, ensuring high value amenity trees are protected from threats of destruction, for the benefit […]
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15th March 2014

Dyngus Day and the Willow Tree

  Salix caprea, aka Sallow, Goat or Pussy Willow are the commonest and most widespread willows in Britain. They are the tree most likely to be encountered on abandoned industrial sites and urban wastelands. Visually the most unremarkable of trees, they rarely cause one to stand and stare (in tree survey terms, a classic contender for a lower value BS:5837 retention category ‘C’ tree).    In early spring however, they are transformed; first with the silky silver catkin buds, gradually […]
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18th May 2014

Asleep with our Arboreal Ancestors

Now I’m the king of the swingers Oh, the jungle VIP I’ve reached the top and had to stop And that’s what botherin’ me Despite our predominantly urban existence we still feel great connectedness and strong emotional bonds towards trees. It has been suggested that this positive emotional response is, in part, hard-wired. Millions of years of evolution have left us with a partly genetic predisposition to respond positively to trees. Interestingly, this connection to our arboreal origins can still […]
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16th July 2014
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Emotional Life of the Arboricultural Consultant

Like most jobs, working as an arboricultural consultant has its ups and downs. This light-hearted list suggests a top ten of the emotions we face in our daily struggle through the urban forest.      10. Telling someone you’re an arboricultural consultant and they say “Oh, you mean a tree surgeon?”      9. After explaining how you’re different to a tree surgeon, they ask you to prune their tree.  8. You’re on site and you’ve forgot the Latin name of a tree.  7. Reading on-line forum […]
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19th August 2014

In Awe of the Ordinary: How tree-porn can make you go blind.

Anyone who has both an interest in trees and an account with Facebook, Twitter or similar social media, is likely to encounter a stream of links to collections of images promising something like, “THE BEST, MOST KICK-ASS TREES IN THE WORLD!”  Seemingly a week cannot pass without clicking on a link to a similar collection of skilfully photographed images of extraordinary trees from around the world. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that nearly all of the earth’s largest and most unusual trees have been […]
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9th October 2014

Disraeli & Gladstone & Arboriculture

Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were both politicians of extraordinary ability; today they are consistently ranked in lists of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers.  They were possibly the greatest parliamentary rivals in history: their personalities clashed and they heartily loathed each other.  The feuding politicians were celebrities of the day, with their battles in the House of Commons attracting as much public attention as the marriage of a film star today.    The ghosts of Disraeli and Gladstone loomed in the background […]
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12th October 2014

AMAZING FACTS* ABOUT TREES THAT YOU DEFINITELY DIDN’T KNOW!

There are just so many interesting facts; the internet is full of them! You probably know most of the more common facts about trees, but here are some amazing facts* about trees that you didn’t know. OK so they may be unfounded but – after all – this is the internet, so who really cares, as long they blow your mind!   7: You probably know that the root system is one of the most important parts of the tree. But did you realise a tree’s […]
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24th October 2014

Do Trees Have Feelings?

Some people relate to trees almost as inanimate objects – green things that stand in the way. However, modern research has undermined this view and is showing trees as having ever greater levels of sophistication than previously imagined.    In their own way, plants can see, hear, smell, feel and it is possible they even have a memory. Trees can communicate with each other too; using mycorrhizal fungi, their roots exchange information and even goods to other trees in need. Obviously trees don’t have brains, but some believe that trees may have something […]
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12th November 2014

Charlotte Mew on Men and Trees

  Today we are increasingly aware of the importance of urban forestry to human mental and spiritual well-being. The prose and poetry of Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)  was such thinking.   Charlotte lived, for the most part, in poverty and despair. Tormented by her brother’s and sister’s mental illness, which confined them to asylums and early death; she vowed never to marry as she feared she might carry a hereditary mental illness, and this fear and grief ultimately led to her suicide. Despite this, she produced […]
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1st December 2014

The World’s First Tree Preservation Order

  At the turn of the 20th century, in the face of overcrowded slums and uncontrolled urban growth, the UK Government implemented some of the first ever campaigns to tackle the problem of poor urban environments. This political commitment ultimately led to the creation of the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, which brought most development under the control of councils, through a system of development plans. This Act also protected certain trees, by means of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), with private tree owners […]
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30th January 2015

I like trees, but…

Urban trees have many objective benefits to people, the economy and the environment; with much research and policy supporting this.  However, it’s less clear if the public’s perception corresponds with such research and policy. Increasingly, arboriculturists involved in public liaison have questioned whether the public are aware of, or agree, that urban trees provide such benefits. Yet without public support, there is little hope of sustainable urban tree cover.    When assessing public perspectives towards urban trees, a wide spectrum […]
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10th February 2015

Nemophilist: One who is fond of the forest; a haunter of the woods.

Nemophilist (pronounced  ne-‘mo-fe-list),  is an obscure word that hasn’t really been used for over 100 years. It means someone with a love or fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery, or someone who often visits them – a ‘haunter’ of woods. The word derives from the Greek ‘nemos,’ grove, and ‘philos,’ affection. The use of the word appears to distinguish it from the more formal pursuit of ‘forestry’, ‘arboriculture’ or ‘botany’ – suggesting a more artistic appreciation of trees, or the simple […]
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2nd April 2015

The trees are coming into leaf

Conventional wisdom has it that life speeds up as we get older. It certainly seems that the months and years fly by faster, and I’m always astonished to discover, “It’s already April!”  This feeling of mild anxiety – that time is passing me by – is never more prominent during spring. At this time of year nature is inexorable; stubbornly marching to its own pace, it races on while I am left incredulous, late to the party, “Since when was the hawthorn […]
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15th June 2015

The Sheffield Chainsaw Massacre?

A recent campaign has been in progress regarding the proposed felling of 12 Lime trees along Sheffield’s Rustlings Road. I spoke with a local journalist about this subject and the story was covered in the Sheffield Star and Sheffield Telegraph as well as other regional papers and media. I tried to be reasonably balanced in what was said and think the newspaper article generally reflects this (at the very least, it was good to see the title ‘Chartered Arboriculturist‘  in […]
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9th July 2015

AWA Tree Consultants: Growing with the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF)

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is the Royal Chartered body for forestry and arboricultural professionals. They are the UK’s leading professional organisation relating to forests, woodlands and trees, and are the only body to award Chartered Arboriculturist status.  This year saw the ICF reaching its highest ever membership. It hoped to build on this by attracting more people into professional Forestry and Arboriculture, from school-leavers to experienced workers.  Ask an average member of the public to describe a Forester […]
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17th July 2015

The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest

  The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It was recently the clear winner in England’s tree of the year competition. Yet, if it was not for the work of a retired local man, it would have been a different story. The tree would have remained just another Oak in Birchland Wood.   Mr Hayman Rooke was born in 1723 in London. After a military career, “Major” Rooke retired, to Mansfield Woodhouse in […]
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20th November 2015
The Emotional Life of the Arboriculture Consultant

The Lime Trees of Rivelin

  Sheffield is famous for its trees. One of the jewels in Sheffield’s arboreal crown is the avenue of limes along Rivelin Valley Road. At three and a half miles long, it forms the second longest lime avenue in the country. This spectacular natural monument is rooted in Sheffield’s history, but there are now concerns that it is under threat.   Unlike most historic tree avenues, formed as a result of vanity projects of the aristocracy or wealthy landowners, what […]
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18th December 2015

AWA Tree Consultants in Pro Arb Magazine

Pro Arb Magazine is an industry magazine and website that offers business tips, latest news, and the latest equipment information relating to arboriculture. The magazine promotes best practice and highlights the positive aspects of the arboriculture industry, and works closely with the associations to advance the arboriculture market in the UK. Pro Arb contacted us recently as they were looking for suitable people to feature in a magazine feature that was promoting and focusing on young people in the industry. […]
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22nd December 2015

Tree Surveys in the Bleak Midwinter

Tree surveys in winter bring their own challenges. Trying to look up into the crown of a tree in the icy rain isn’t fun for long. The speed of a tree surveyor, moving from one tree to the next, seems to be perfect to avoid the creation of any type of body warmth. All before the inevitable raging against the dying of the light, as darkness falls at 3pm. One aspect of surveying trees in winter that many arborists initially struggle with […]
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16th January 2016

Ackee: The Toxic Tree That Tastes Delicious.

The Ackee tree, Blighia sapida, is a tree of contradictions. In Jamaica, the Ackee tree is revered – more popular than Bob Marley. The Ackee fruit is the National Fruit of Jamaica, and forms the key ingredient in the National Dish of Jamaica, Ackee and Saltfish. However, the tree is also deadly. The fruits are highly poisonous, even having a specific illness named after them (symptoms include severe vomiting, coma and death). The Ackee tree is so toxic it is […]
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27th January 2016

Sheffield Tree Felling:

  The cherry blossoms that stirred me, shade me no more Issa In Spring 2012 I wrote Sheffield Hanami, about the cherry trees outside my house in Sheffield. In late Summer 2013 I came home one evening to find a “notice to fell” pinned on the tree outside my house. It stated the tree had “outgrown it’s location” and was causing a “footpath obstruction”. Despite my best attempts to argue/pull-strings/beg, with anyone who would listen, the photos show what happened […]
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19th February 2016

Neuro-Arboriculture: Your Brain On Trees.

Most tree problems are fairly straightforward to solve: the rooting environment can be improved, branches can be pruned or braced, and trees can be felled and replaced. It becomes much less straightforward when you add people. Deep-seated, even hard-wired emotions define people’s interactions with trees. However, the neurological basis of people’s connection to trees remains a mystery.    Research on the economic and environmental benefits of urban trees has amassed. It shows how urban trees reduce pollution, mitigate extreme weather events, reduce […]
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19th March 2016

Marilyn Monroe: Trees give me a little hope

Marilyn Monroe defines the 1950s. Even today, as an icon of American popular culture, she has few rivals. She epitomised the modern liberated woman – an endorsement of consumer culture and glamour – available to anyone using the right make-up, clothes and peroxide. The public perception of Marilyn Monroe seems about as far as one can get from the realm of trees. However, she displayed an ongoing and genuine affection for trees and woods, as evidenced from interviews with her […]
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17th April 2016

George Orwell: Spring is here, and they can’t stop you enjoying it.

  George Orwell is one of England’s greatest writers. He is not famous for nature writing, yet Orwell’s 1946 essay about the arrival of Spring, is a masterpiece. It’s a clearly written easy-read, avoiding any of the flowery language often used in nature writing, and it highlights Orwell’s brilliant insight, humanity and common sense truths that are still helpful today.   He begins his essay by referring to the toad – largely because he sees it as the underdog of […]
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12th July 2016

Thoreau and Arboriculture

    HENRY DAVID THOREAU was born 199 years ago, on 12th July 1817.  An extraordinary person and writer, he is often credited with anticipating modern ecology and environmentalism. His particular fascination with trees should also justifiably label him as one of the forefathers of modern arboriculture. The definition of arboriculture is the science and art of tree care, and few individuals embodied these qualities more than Thoreau. Trees were crucial to his writing, poetry, philosophy and spirituality; however, he also […]
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3rd November 2016

Enthusiastic Future Arboriculturist

  At the end of October we were helped out at AWA Trees by Elva Preston. Elva is currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham, and wanted some work experience as she is considering arboricultural consultancy as a career, following her degree.   After her time with us, Elva wrote us this lyrical account of her first impressions of professional arboriculture:   Arboriculture. A word few have heard of, but is so important to our lives. The combination of […]
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6th November 2016

Shinrin-yoku: Is Forest Bathing Science or Art?

A new phrase recently entered the lexicon of forestry and trees – Shinrin-yoku. It’s a Japanese term that roughly translates in English as “Forest Bathing”, or visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation. I first heard it around five years ago, at a forestry conference, and judging by the number of raised eyebrows, this was the first time many other tree professionals in the room had heard the term too. While Shinrin-yoku may sound ancient and conjure up romantic images […]
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17th November 2016

Welcoming the Introduction of Operation Arborcide!

We have all seen how trees can strike at any time and any place without warning. The threat from trees is real and serious. So it is good to see South Yorkshire Police being deadly serious about protecting the people of Sheffield from the arboreal menace. In the early hours of today, a dozen police officers demonstrated a range of tactics to protect the public, including arresting elderly residents who ‘peacefully’ protested the essential work to keep us safe from these […]
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30th November 2016

Are Sheffield war memorial trees being felled to save on maintenance costs?

      Picture the scenario…   Due to Council budget cuts, The Cenotaph (the national War Memorial in central London) has not had the maintenance it deserves and is in need of some TLC, so the Council outsource War Memorial management to a Spanish infrastructure services company, who are contracted to maintain it for the next 25 years. The company then have a marvelous idea: To save on annual maintenance costs, they knock it down and tarmac the area over – thereby […]
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17th December 2016

How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?

The Sheffield Telegraph runs a debate feature every week called Telegraph Voices. A journalist contacted me last week, to take part in a debate entitled: ‘How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?’ As ever, it’s tricky to cover such an emotive and complex issue – and to suggest pragmatic solutions – in just 300 words. “There is little room for sentimentality when managing urban trees. Eventually every street tree will decline and need to be replaced. Some protesters […]
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16th February 2017

Komorebi (木漏れ日): Sunshine filtering through the trees.

There is a Japanese term “Komorebi”, for which no simple English translation exists. Yet it is a distinct phenomenon, that anyone who spends time among trees will have enjoyed. Komorebi  roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees”. It is made up of three “Kanji” or Chinese characters: “tree” or “trees”, “leaking-through” or “escape”, and “light” or “sun”. Komorebi is especially noticeable when the sun is low, and mist or smoke can add to the […]
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30th August 2017

Trees, forests, woodlands…and nemus?

Forests are often romanticised as lying beyond the confines of the civic world and its institutions of law. But the word ‘forest’ in fact originates as a juridical term. The word foresta referred not to woodlands in general but only to the royal game preserves. The Latin forestare meant ‘to keep out, to place off limits, to exclude.’  A ‘forest’ then, refers to land that had been placed off limits by a royal decree. Once a region had been declared a forest, it could […]
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30th August 2017

Trees in relation to construction

This newly built kindergarten is a great example of using a sites existing trees as an asset not a constraint. It is located in the middle of a grove of chestnut trees and celebrates a sense of visual connection with the surrounding trees. Each classroom has a large panoramic window looking onto the chestnut trees and a skylight through which the tops of trees can be glimpsed.  There is now good evidence that access to nature contributes to the health and well-being of young people […]
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31st August 2017

Suitably Qualified Arboriculturist (Tree Bloke)

    As a profession, arboriculture has much to learn from ecology. Ecological consultants have, over the last few decades, moved from relative obscurity to become a recognised established profession. Meanwhile arboricultural consultants, when asked the inevitable conversation starter “what do you do for a living?”  still tend to have some explaining to do. This professionalism within ecology can be highlighted by the ecological sections of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); where it is recognised that ecological work for BREEAM is […]
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4th October 2017

Projects: Tree Surveys at Cannon Hall Barnsley

Cannon Hall is located within the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough, South Yorkshire. The site has many historic and veteran specimen trees and historic woodland and we undertook extensive tree surveys and woodland surveys as part of wider restoration works. Originally built as a large country house in the 1690s, the hall, its extensive park and intricate walled gardens were rebuilt and extended using wealth from the local iron industry, and became a superb example of a Georgian estate. Publicly owned since […]
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4th October 2017

Tree Survey in Nottingham for Planning at QMC bridge.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook a tree survey for planning in Nottingham for the new tram bridge at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which was officially opened on Friday July 28, which was also the QMC’s 40th birthday. AWA were the project arboriculturists throughout the duration of the scheme. The new bridge links the tram platform with the second floor of the hospital. The tram bridge is 90 metres long and eight metres off the ground, and features two rest areas and […]
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4th October 2017

Tree survey for planning – Sheffield Park Hill flats development.

The later phase of Sheffield’s Park Hill flats regeneration, including 330 student housing units by student specialist developer Alumno Developments, is expected to cost £20 million. We were instructed to undertake a tree survey for planning to assist in the regeneration works. Built between 1957-61 by the Corporation of Sheffield (the fore-runner of the modern-day Sheffield City Council), Park Hill is a landmark on the Sheffield city skyline, the largest listed building in Europe and widely regarded as a nationally […]
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5th October 2017

AWA Trees are hiring an Arboriculturist

Do you want to get paid to look at trees? Then join our team! About AWA We are a small friendly tree consultancy. Our office is based in Sheffield, and most of our tree surveys in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. […]
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9th October 2017

How do trees change colour in autumn? 

  “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  ― Albert Camus  Trees display a vast array of impressive colours throughout autumn. These various hues of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and browns are what provide most of us the first real indication that the seasons are changing. They provide us with a final colourful spectacle before winter sets in – the year’s last, loveliest smile.  The changing leaves on the trees are the main association most of […]
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10th October 2017
Sheffield Wednesday Alder

Why are Sheffield Wednesday called ‘The Owls’?

Sheffield is home to the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, which was formed in 1857. Today the main teams are Sheffield United ‘The Blades’ and Sheffield Wednesday ‘The Owls’. While ‘The Blades’ name is easily attributed to Sheffield’s main historic industry, most people don’t know why Sheffield Wednesday are known as ‘The Owls’. People would be forgiven in thinking the team once had a pet owl as the mascot, or some other strigine link. In fact, the reason Sheffield […]
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18th October 2017

Sheffield’s Heritage Trees vs Private Finance Initiative

Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, publishes tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes in the form of bulletins and handbills, showing signs and symptoms of tree pests and diseases and advice on what to do if you suspect the pest or disease is present. This bulletin is a lighthearted parody of their pest and disease alerts, it’s intended to make us think how we would react if Private Finance Initiatives, or PFI,  were a destructive […]
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17th November 2017

Projects: Tree survey at Lincolnshire’s International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC)

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln, is a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. During WWII over a million men and women served or supported Bomber Command. They came from 62 nations across the world and were united in their efforts to protect the freedom we enjoy today. Lincoln has been chosen for the site as it provides a central point for all 27 bases that earned Lincolnshire the […]
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29th December 2017
Tree Surveys across England

Have Arboriculturists – Will Travel!

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve had a look back at some of the places where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys and created an AWA Tree Survey Map of England! This year we’ve undertaken tree consultancy work in a variety of locations, and we’ve inspected some great trees! One of the good things about being based in Sheffield is that most places in England are easy to get to. The map shows our core area for work, which runs […]
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19th February 2018
Tree Survey Wakefield

Wakefield Tree Survey for Planning.

AWA Tree Consultants undertook arboricultural surveys in the Wakefield area that recently helped secure planning approval and meet planning conditions in relation to tree protection at the former Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital, West Yorkshire. The site is a triangular area of land which covers 4.4 hectares and was predominantly used as an administration base for various trust teams by the hospital. The site has many mature trees throughout that are covered by a tree preservation order. Our tree survey […]
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2nd March 2018
The Northern Forest: History

A common wealth of trees? Tree-planting past and present

The U.K government recently unveiled plans for ‘The Northern Forest’ – a 25-year tree planting scheme to create a ‘vast ribbon of woodland’ along the M62 corridor from Liverpool and Chester to Hull. The Northern Forest will link up fragmented woodland along the M62 belt and will deliver flood mitigation for up to 190,000 new homes, lock up over 7 million tonnes of carbon, boost wildlife habitat and contribute to northern England’s natural capital and ecosystem services. It is an […]
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6th March 2018
Arboriculturists around the Major Oak

Thinking Arbs Day with the Arboricultural Association

The Arboricultural Association is the leading voice on all tree matters in the UK, they provide a home and membership for all professionals within the arboricultural sector – from qualified and experienced arboricultural consultants to those starting out in the industry – they champion the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society. All the tree surveyors and arboriculturists at AWA Tree Consultants are members of the Arboricultural Association, either […]
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9th April 2018
Leeds Tree Survey

Tree Survey for Planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped gain planning approval for 50 new dwellings with associated access. Our tree survey for planning in Leeds, West Yorkshire, minimised the impact on important trees at the site and maximised the development potential. The site was the former West Park Centre on the eastern side of Spen Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Centre was demolished a few years ago, and much of the central part of the site remains covered with hard surfacing. There are […]
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30th April 2018
Trees and urban planning

Trees in the Planning Process

AWA Tree Consultants went to a recent half-day event: Trees in the Planning Process. It was hosted in Oxford by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF). The RTPI South East provides a range of services for members in the region. It offers affordable seminars and events for professional development, and acts as a champion for planning. The event was co-hosted by the ICF, which is the UK’s Royal Chartered professional body […]
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10th May 2018
Sheffield Trees

The State of Trees in Sheffield

Sheffield has a lot of trees. This fact makes Sheffield a great place to live and work. AWA Tree Consultants are based in the heart of Sheffield and all our arboriculturists live in or near the city. Sheffield’s various trees collectively form our urban forest. Components of the urban forest range from isolated individual trees, lines of trees alongside roads and wider groups of amenity trees’ in parks, to urban woodlands. The trees in Sheffield’s urban forest are owned and […]
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24th May 2018
Ashoka

Ashoka and Arboriculture in India.

It is commonly believed that street trees originated in the capital cities of Europe in the 1500s. First in France, then Holland and then to London and the rest of the continent. This European history of street trees is rightly uncontested. However, there is compelling evidence of a vast network of managed street trees, from over 2000 years ago. A massive programme of tree planting and arboricultural management along routes over many thousands of miles across India and South Asia. […]
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4th June 2018
AWA School Sites 2018

Tree surveys and risk assessments for schools

Trees in school grounds create inspiring learning spaces. In urban areas, trees in schools are often the main way young people connect with nature in their day-to-day lives. Trees do a lot more than make the school look pleasant, it’s even been shown in studies that students learn better with views of trees! The overall risk from trees to students, staff and visitors at schools is extremely low. Trees cause very few serious injuries; however, as the owner of trees, […]
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22nd June 2018
AWA Tree Consultants Yorkshire

Do you need an arboricultural consultant for a tree survey for planning?

Many companies in the environmental and planning sectors now offer ‘arboricultural services’. From large multi-national consultancies to smaller ecologists or landscape architect companies – there are an increasing number of slick websites offering ‘tree surveys for planning’. As these professions deal with the environment or ‘green stuff’, is there much difference? Is it worth seeking out a specialised arboricultural consultant or could some other environmental professional undertake a tree survey for planning and development purposes? Perhaps unsurprisingly, our view at […]
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4th July 2018
Trainee Tree Consultant

We’re Hiring a Trainee Tree Consultant

We are looking for an enthusiastic future arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. You will assist our lead tree consultants with our increasing work-load, helping us provide high quality tree surveys to a range of clients. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector […]
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25th July 2018
Mao Feng Shui Forest

How China’s Feng Shui forests survived Chairman Mao’s infamous ‘war against nature’.

The mission of Communist China’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ was to ‘conquer nature’. This mission was carried out with devastating efficiency in the name of a stronger China. Famously this foolhardy war against nature led to Mao instructing farmers to kill wild sparrows, as they were apparently eating too much grain and reducing productivity. This mass cull of the harmless birds had numerous associated negative environmental impacts. The Great Leap Forward also led to a massive loss of China’s forests, largely […]
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31st July 2018
Tree Poverty

Tree Poverty: The impact of austerity on our urban forests.

The North-South divide in the UK is inescapable, not only in economic terms but also in areas such as culture, health, life expectancy and transport. New evidence suggests a nation already divided along geo-political and economic lines, may also be divided arboriculturally. A recent Sunday Times article revealed that ‘More than 110,000 trees have been chopped down in three years by councils across the UK — equivalent to a sixth of the size of Sherwood Forest … According to Defra, […]
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11th September 2018
Mortgage tree survey reports for home-buyers

Mortgage tree survey and reports for home-buyers.

Trees provide significant benefits to property owners. Not only can they make a property more attractive, but studies have shown that nearby trees can increase property prices by up to 11%. However, if trees are highlighted as a potential problem when buying a new property, then there is a danger they can become a time-consuming, stressful and expensive hassle for the buyer. In a recent poll, two thirds of people voted moving-house top of their stress list, so the last […]
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6th November 2018
Western Road Trees Sheffield

Sheffield War Memorial Trees to be Saved

It has been reported that 32 of the 35 war memorial trees which were scheduled to be felled are set to be saved using engineering solutions. Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said: I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement…“Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case.” Green Party […]
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16th November 2018
National Tree Officers Conference

AWA Tree Consultants at the National Tree Officers Conference

The team at AWA Tree Consultants recently attended the 3rd annual National Tree Officers Conference. Organised by the London Tree Officers Organisation, Municipal Tree Officers Association and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the event took place at Telford’s Oakengates Theatre. AWA Arboriculturist Patrick Rowntree discusses a few of the talks and issues that he personally found most interesting from the day… It was a well-organised and smoothly-run event that was well worth attending; however, the diverse range of topics meant some […]
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8th January 2019
Sycamore Tree

The Great Maple or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sycamore

In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” there is a famous scene where John Cleese’s character ‘Brother Reg’ is trying to incite his gang to rebel against the occupying Roman army. After a few minutes of debate, he utters the immortal line: “Alright! – but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” Well, we could also add “The Sycamore” to this list. Although […]
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19th February 2019
South Yorkshire trees

Locum Arboricultural Officers for Yorkshire Planning Authority.

In spring 2017 AWA Tree Consultants undertook locum Tree Officer related work for Rotherham Metropolitan Council. Rotherham’s previous Tree Manager retired in early 2017 and as a result there was a backlog of planning related arboricultural survey work that needed to be completed. We provided temporary assistance for around 6 months, until the Council recruited for the post. Rotherham is a large town in South Yorkshire between Sheffield and Doncaster, together with its outlying settlements it forms the Metropolitan Borough […]
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7th May 2019
Ancient tree survey Yorkshire

Tree survey for historic garden in South Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants recently undertook a large-scale tree inspection and tree risk assessment of the trees at the stately home of Wortley Hall in South Yorkshire, which dates back to the late 16th century. The site is in the village and civil parish of Wortley, approximately 9.5 miles north of Sheffield city centre, and 8 miles south of Barnsley. It consists of a stately home, currently in use as a hotel, caravan park and business centre. It has large associated […]
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31st May 2019
Tree Survey for Planning

Are tree survey reports needed for all planning applications?

If you don’t consider the trees on your development site as significant, do you still need a tree survey for planning? Perhaps it’s only a small extension, or a rebuild with increased footprint, or the only trees are situated on the boundary or in adjacent land – you may be wondering: is a tree survey report needed for our planning application? AWA Tree Consultants often provide tree surveys and reports for large-scale housing developments. Our clients include planners and developers […]
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14th June 2019
Leeds Urban Forestry

Making Space for Trees in Leeds, with Green Streets

The team from AWA Tree Consultants recently attended Leeds Becket University for the Institute of Chartered Foresters 2019 North England Group event (in association with Green Blue Urban) – Green Streets: Making Space for Trees. It was a well-attended event with over 100 delegates present. Many of which were tree officers, arboricultural consultants, landscape and engineering professionals from the Yorkshire region and neighbouring Local Authorities, including Kirklees, Harrogate, Manchester, Amber Valley and Sheffield. The day was chaired by Alan Simson, […]
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5th July 2019
Tree Inspection AWA Trees

AWA Tree Consultants: Professional Tree Inspection in Staffordshire

Recently AWA Tree Consultant, Patrick, undertook the LANTRA Award in Professional Tree Inspection, provided by The Arboricultural Association in Staffordshire. He hoped to join his colleagues at AWA by gaining this invaluable qualification (who’d all passed with flying colours – so no pressure Patrick!). Here’s what he had to say about his experience on the course: The first of three days (two for training, and a third for assessment), begins with the obligatory introduction session, whereby everyone is paired-up and […]
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21st September 2019
Tree Experts

Arboricultural Experts Discuss Tree Risk

A few of the team from AWA Tree Consultants travelled down to the Arboricultural Association Midland Branch Seminar, held at the Hawkesyard Estate in Staffordshire. It was an excellent day of high-end arboriculture, with presentations from Jeremy Barrell and Dr. David Lonsdale – two leading expert witnesses in arboriculture. The day began with an open forum led by the audience, to discuss tree risk management. Questions fielded by Jeremy and David included: Ash dieback and tree risk. The requirement – […]
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1st October 2019
Dr Charles Mynors

Tree Consultants at Street Trees and Politics Conference, Sheffield

The team at AWA recently went to the Sheffield University Conference; “Street Trees and Politics”. The conference was in response to Sheffield’s infamous “street tree crises” or “chainsaw massacre“, which was a result of Sheffield Council letting a 25-year maintenance contract for tree care to Amey, whose actions led to public outcry and international reporting. The conference explored the issue of street trees and politics in greater depth, addressing not just the Sheffield situation, but the wide range of issues […]
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4th November 2019
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

AWA Tree Consultant visits the largest tree on Earth.

Last month AWA Tree Consultant Adam was lucky enough to visit some of the world’s largest trees at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California. Here he details an experience that should be on any tree lovers bucket list! The National Park was initially created, and protected from loggers, due to the efforts of the influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir, who is quoted as saying: “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find […]
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29th November 2019
Arborist Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants in the Arb Magazine

AWA Tree Consultants have been published in the Winter 2019 edition of the ARB Magazine, the quarterly publication for Members of the Arboricultural Association, with a review article titled: “Tree experts get on the mic”. Since 1964 the Arboricultural Association has promoted trees and the professionals who enable their sustainable management. It aims to be at the cutting edge of tree knowledge, set the agenda for trees in the built environment and show leadership on how best to care for […]
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6th December 2019
Joseph Beuys digging

Joseph Beuys: The Art of Arboriculture

Many great artists have drawn or painted trees, yet increasingly artists have used trees not a subject but as the substance of the art itself. Some of the best art using trees includes chainsaw sculptors carving into dead or fallen trees, or tree-shaping – making living trees grow into artworks – or artists harnessing the natural colour and beauty of trees to sculpt amazing geometric shapes. Here AWA Tree Consultant Dr Felicity Stout details what is possibly the best example […]
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6th January 2020
AWA Tree Survey Sites

Tree Surveys in Yorkshire and Beyond!

At the start of 2020 we’ve had a quick review of the last year and looked at where we’ve been undertaking tree surveys, creating an AWA Tree Survey Map of 2019! Last year has been the busiest yet for AWA Tree Consultants, with over 500 job instructions across the country. It’s clear we are busy looking at trees in our own neck of the woods – with most tree surveys in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the surrounding counties of […]
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11th February 2020

AWA are Hiring a Tree Consultant

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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23rd March 2020

Coronavirus Covid-19 and AWA Tree Consultants

These are strange and fast-moving times! While it’s not quite “business as usual” we’re keeping busy at AWA, ensuring minimal disruption to client’s projects, while closely following all government guidelines. Our key priorities are keeping the AWA team safe and busy, with minimal disruption to clients in the coming months. We are lucky compared to many jobs in that tree surveying is generally lone working in the fresh air, so is very low risk. While we have the benefits and […]
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5th June 2020

Tree Survey for Planning in Sheffield

AWA Tree Consultants recently helped with a tree survey for planning in Sheffield with approval of two major developments: Expansion of Sheffield Business Park (SBP) and Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The sites form one of the largest business parks in Yorkshire, that forms part of the wider 740-acre scheme within the Sheffield City Region. Council planners had initially been concerned regarding possible large scale clearance of trees. However, after our tree survey we identified suitable management to open up […]
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26th June 2020
Trees-in-the-age-of-coronavirus

Trees in the Time of Coronavirus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been described as perhaps the biggest global crisis of our generation, and one that will probably shape the world for years to come. The impact on healthcare systems, the economy, politics and culture are already noticeable. While the associated lockdown created virtual ghost-towns of most urban areas, there was an upsurge of people visiting nearby green spaces. For many people, the pandemic has led to a direct realisation of the profound value of local accessible green […]
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4th August 2020
Sheffield Arboricultural Consultant

Trees to Tries: Arboricultural Consultant in Sheffield goes to Canada

This week Sheffield based Arboricultural Consultant Patrick Rowntree is leaving the ranks of AWA Tree Consultants to head to the land of the Acer spp. Before joining AWA Tree Consultants, Patrick had enjoyed playing competitive rugby around the globe including several years in the apogee of the rugby playing world; New Zealand. Upon returning to England, he had resided himself to a less physical means of income and looked set to enjoy a career as an Arboricultural Consultant for AWA […]
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29th September 2020

VALID: Tree Risk-Benefit Management in Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants regularly inspect and risk assess many thousands of trees, around the Yorkshire region and the UK, as part of Tree Safety and Risk Management surveys. There is often a need to undertake detailed risk assessments for trees to ensure we can provide our clients with appropriate, proportionate recommendations, that manage the risk while retaining the benefits our clients appreciate from their trees. All our tree risk surveys are undertaken by experienced and qualified arboriculturists. In addition to […]
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23rd October 2020
‌Lincolnshire-Trees

Why would you need tree surveys in Lincolnshire?

Lincolnshire was described in a BBC article this week as having the lowest tree cover in the county. But is this accurate? From our experience of regularly undertaking tree surveys in Lincolnshire, this doesn’t necessarily ring true. We review the claim and critically look at the reasons suggested for Lincolnshire’s low tree cover: The BBC article “Gardens help towns and cities beat countryside for tree cover” detailed research which estimated the percentage of tree cover in different parts of the […]
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7th January 2021

AWA Tree Consultants: continue to provide tree surveys for planning.

Despite the issues across the country, we have been keeping remarkably busy at AWA tree consultants. Last year, our small team of exceptional tree consultants have successfully undertaken over 500 job instructions. We have been involved in tree surveys for some fantastic infrastructure projects, including major new road building, new windfarms, flood alleviation schemes, business parks, schools, hospitals, and major housing developments. As well as hundreds of tree survey reports for planning projects for owner-occupiers or very small-scale housing developers.  […]
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26th July 2021
Arboriculturist Spelling

How do you spell: Arboriculturist?

A person who practices professional arboriculture is termed an Arboriculturalist / Arboriculturist. The different terms are often used interchangeably, but which one is the correct spelling? The Oxford English Dictionary has the noun of arboriculture as arboriculturist; likewise, the Collins dictionary refers to arboriculturist (they don’t list Arboriculturalist). Leading authorities within the industry are clear. The Terms and Definitions of the British Standard 5837:2012 refer to an arboriculturist (as a person who has, through relevant education, training and experience, gained […]
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17th September 2021
The Tree Experts

The Tree Experts: A History of Professional Arboriculture in Britain, by Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston has worked as a tree contractor, tree consultant, tree officer and college professor. He has been a prominent figure within professional arboriculture for several decades, developing city-wide urban forest initiatives, influential policy, and urban forestry practice guides. Like many others in our profession, I was one of the thousands of students he taught over the years, being lucky enough to be one of the first students to undertake the Master of Science program in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, […]
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14th January 2022

Join our Team of Tree Consultants

Due to continued growth we are looking for an arboriculturist to join our existing team of tree consultants. We are a small friendly tree consultancy based in Sheffield. Most of our tree surveys are in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the surrounding counties, but we often work further afield and cover most of England. We offer our private, commercial and public-sector clients a range of tree consultant services, including: BS:5837 tree surveys for development, tree risk surveys and mortgage surveys. You […]
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14th January 2022

Ash Dieback and Tree Surveys for Planning

Ash dieback disease is having a major impact to the UKs Ash trees, with losses of between 75% and 90% predicted. At AWA Tree Consultants we are having to adapt to this when undertaking tree surveys for planning in Yorkshire and the surrounding regions of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Ash dieback is impacting our tree surveys in two main ways. Firstly, in the extra focus on Ash when assessing the risk of harm to people or property, and secondly, in how […]
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2nd September 2022

Expert Arboriculturists Join Our Team

AWA Tree Consultants recently welcomed two new team members, Joe Thomas and Jim Boyle. Joe has a first-class degree in biology with an integrated Masters from the University of Sheffield. He then undertook a Level 4 Award in Arboriculture while working as an Urban Forester trainee with the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Sheffield City Council, where he gained a variety of experience in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, including tree surveys and inspections, working with Sheffield tree officers on […]
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2nd September 2022

There’s no such thing as a tree.

What is a tree? Such a seemingly simple question. But when examined closely, even the best minds struggle to find an to find a satisfactory answer. When forced to provide an answer, experts ranging from Phylogenetic biologists, the High Court of Justice in England, and even Mahayana Buddhist masters, ultimately all come to the same conclusion: there is, in fact, no such thing as a tree. Do trees exist, scientifically? All life on Earth is part of a single phylogenetic […]
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16th October 2022

Managing Trees in Sheffield. A New Hope!

The unedifying events of the infamous Sheffield Tree Saga are now thankfully fading into history. Like many social events involving unrest and conflict, dramatic low points are often the catalyst for long term change for the better. This hope was very much in the air at the recent conference ‘Urban Trees in Sheffield’, which highlighted how far things have come since 2018. Showcasing new approaches and commitment to community involvement, in managing Sheffield’s street trees. It was a good-news event, […]
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5th November 2022

AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy to the team.

This month AWA Tree Consultants Limited welcomes Lucy Garbutt to the team. Lucy is a highly qualified ecologist, having graduated with a masters degree in Animal Behaviour from the UK’s highest rated university, St Andrews of Scotland, following the completion of her BSc degree in Biology from Lancaster University. She has experience in botany, working as a Research Assistant at Knepp Estate, Sussex and in Indonesia, and is experienced in protected species’ surveys, including surveys of bats, reptiles, and dormice. […]
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5th November 2022
Tree-Consultants-North-Yorkshire

AWA Tree Consultants Ancient Tree Trip in North Yorkshire

The AWA tree survey team recently went along to the Ancient Tree Forum’s Autumn Field Trip, held on the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The Ancient Tree Forum (ATF) is the only organisation in the country specialising in the conservation of ancient and veteran trees. This was the first in-person Ancient Tree Forum’s field trip since before the pandemic and as with most ATF events, tickets sold out faster than an Arctic Monkeys tour! The day was split into […]
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5th January 2023

UK trees catch double the carbon

Climate change mitigation is just one of the many environmental benefits provided by trees and woods, but it is a key reason why trees are so vital in the fight against climate change. Here AWA Tree Consultant Lucy Garbutt details new research using laser scanning of woodlands to reveal potential significant underestimations of biomass carbon in our temperate forests: Trees and forests can help limit rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees capture and sequester carbon, ‘locking in’ […]
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11th June 2023
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission

The concept of tree root protection areas (RPAs) has been a consideration in UK planning and development for over three decades. Yet there is still often confusion about root protection areas (RPAs) and planning permission. This post aims to get to the ‘root’ of the RPA in relation to new developments and planning permission. What is a root protection area (RPA)? In UK planning and development, the British Standard 5837:2012 “Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. Recommendations” defines […]
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14th June 2023

Team Day Out at Sherwood Forest

This month AWA Tree Consultants had a team day out to Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, with a guided tour of the beautiful woodland and ancient trees. In the morning we were given a guided tour by a member of Sherwood Forests outdoors management team. The tour was an excellent opportunity to see the awesome ancient trees and learn about the issues surrounding the woodlands management. Including modern history and current management issues, focusing on ancient trees, ecology, and visitor management. Sherwood […]
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14th August 2023

Bats in Trees – Considerations for Arboriculturists

Bats and trees have an ancient relationship, with trees providing vital roosting and foraging habitats for these fascinating creatures. In the UK, bats are an important part of our biodiversity, and all bat species, their breeding sites and roosting habitats are fully protected under European law, to safeguard their populations. Bat surveys are generally undertaken by professional Ecologists, who hold the appropriate and up-to-date survey licence to carry out surveys for bats. Here, AWA Tree Consultants in-house bat fanatic – […]
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17th August 2023
The team at AWA tree consultants

Introducing Sophie Beckerman: New Team Member

We are thrilled to welcome Sophie Beckerman, our newest member of staff, to our dedicated team of tree experts. With over 10 years of experience as a climbing arborist and team leader, Sophie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team, as she embarks on this new phase of her career with AWA Tree Consultants. Sophie’s passion for arboriculture led her to pursue a Level 4 Diploma in arboriculture while working as an arborist.  Throughout her career, she […]
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24th August 2023
Carrot and sticks in the urban forest

Carrots not Sticks: Why we should reward people for having trees.

The phrase “carrot and stick” is a metaphor for the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour or outcome. In terms of arboriculture and urban forestry, the desired behaviour or outcome is to maximise the countless environmental and societal benefits urban trees provide. Street and park trees account for only small fraction of an urban forest. The public sector owns only 8% of England, with most land being owned by private individuals, companies and […]
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9th October 2023

ATF Trip to Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

Last month some of the tree survey team from AWA Tree Consultants attended the Ancient Tree Forum – Yorkshire and East Midlands local group field trip to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire. Here James Brown, senior arboriculturist at AWA, details what went down on the day: Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. The abbey is situated within the wider Studley Royal Park, and together they are designated a UNESCO World Heritage […]
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24th October 2023

Academic Achievement in Arboriculture

At AWA Tree Consultants, we want to shine a spotlight on James Godfrey, one of our arboricultural consultants, who recently completed his FdSc Arboriculture and Tree Management at Myerscough College. James not only accomplished this significant milestone but was also honoured with the prestigious Student of the Year award. We are thrilled to share his story and highlight the academic success James G has achieved while working with AWA Tree Consultants. James Godfrey’s Academic Journey: Throughout his academic journey at […]
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24th October 2023

Fungi: Vital for Trees and Arborists

Last month, the tree survey team at AWA Tree Consultants embarked on a journey of discovery into the fascinating Kingdom of fungi! Through attending the ‘Learning Fungi Identification Skills’ workshop at Whisby Nature Park in Lincoln and the ‘Practical Fungi Field Skills’ course at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire (both organised by the Field Studies Council), our team broadened their knowledge and appreciation of the often-misunderstood fungi kingdom. Arborists and tree consultants have tended to focus on the wood decay fungi that […]
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3rd November 2023
Identifying-Conifer-Trees-Masterclass-AWA-Trees

A Masterclass in Identifying Conifer Trees

A Review of the ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ Course by the Field Studies Council Arboriculturists Lucy, Sophie and Joe at AWA Tree Consultants recently had the opportunity to attend a weekend residential course called ‘Getting to Know Conifers’ at the Preston Montford Field Studies Council Centre. Under the expert guidance of Mark Duffell of Arvensis Ecology, this botanical tree course was thoroughly enjoyable and a brilliant learning experience. The course is aimed at people who would like to improve their […]
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15th November 2023

Tree Surveys Near Me

The Ultimate Guide to Sheffield Tree Survey Reports for Planning Applications When it comes to planning applications in Sheffield that involve trees on your property, having a comprehensive BS5837 tree survey report can make all the difference. Whether you are a homeowner or a developer in the Sheffield area, understanding the significance of these tree survey reports can make for a smoother planning application process and ensure compliance with local tree related planning regulations. Sheffield is known for being one […]
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7th December 2023
Kelham-Island

Branching Out into New Office Space

Green Shoots in Sheffield From humble beginnings in 2011 – working as a sole trader from a spare box room, ‘Adam Winson Arboriculture’ became AWA Tree Consultants Ltd and moved into a small office in 2012. This was in the then still ‘edgy’ area of Sheffield – Neepsend/Kelham Island. Since then, the AWA team and our customer base, has steadily grown. While the small office was great, over the last few years we were fast outgrowing it, and despite flexible […]
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28th December 2023

Our Journey Through the Seasons

This year has flown by. Perhaps it’s to do with getting older, but these days, months seem like weeks! As such, we though it’d be good to look back and take stock of what happened at AWA Tree Consultants over the last year. Here we detail a few of the events in what’s been a ‘tree-mendous’ year at the company: Tree Surveys – lots of em! As ever, it’s been a busy year for the tree survey team getting out […]
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12th April 2024
Dr. David Lonsdale presenting next to a tree

A Tribute to Dr. David Lonsdale

It is very sad to hear of the death of Dr. David Lonsdale, who passed away on 9th April 2024. Undoubtedly, he stood as the preeminent tree expert in the UK, serving as an inspiration to myself and countless others within the profession. His seminal work, “Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management,” published in 1999, established the gold standard in tree risk assessment and management for decades to come. It was the first professional arboriculture book I purchased 25 […]
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20th May 2024

Welcoming Ross: Our Newest Arboriculturist

AWA is thrilled to introduce Ross, our new Arboriculturist, who brings over 10 years of diverse arboricultural experience to the team. With a background encompassing horticultural, arboricultural, and ecological work, Ross has worked across the UK, conducting tree surveys and has worked on a wide range of projects, both small and large scale. Ross holds a technician level membership with the Arboricultural Association and a qualifying membership with CIEEM, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence. Academic qualifications include a first […]
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13th September 2024
Tree Roots and Protection Areas

Revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – What you need to know .

The long-awaited draft revision of BS5837: Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition, and Construction – Code of Practice has finally arrived. It represents the most significant update to the British Standard since the last revision in 2012. For tree consultants, urban planners, and developers, this revision could have a profound impact on how trees are integrated into design and construction projects. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes, what they mean for trees and planning, and how you can, and […]
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