This summer's been good for chainsaw work (more so than the previous season). Most of the saw work has been scrub clearance or rhody bashing with volunteers, but there's been some woodland thinning work - all a bit of practice for the course. Also tried out climbing with a qualified friend, just to get used to being up a tree and moving about.
Is there work out there in the conservation sector for trained arboriculturalists? I think there's quite a few people working as rangers or wardens at woodland sites who have arboricultural experience, and one of the conservationists I know working for the local Wildlife Trust has quite advanced arboricultural training. The conservation world recognises the importance of ancient trees for biodiversity, and the importance of monitoring and managing them to keep them alive and standing as long as is possible, without compromising on safety. For instance, at a local nature reserve the warden (who is quite advanced in arboricultural knowledge) explained how they are doing everything they can to keep a giant, fungus-ridden beech standing for the sake of the bats that are known to roost there. He's already thinking ahead to when it may fall, and when reducing the crown he'll also be weighting it so that it will eventually fall away from the path and provide a valuable deadwood habitat in its afterlife. Quite encouraging, holistic, and forward-thinking - hopefully I'll be at the level one day?
