Making the leap from the public to private sector, I started Objective Tree Consultancy in 2017 knowing it was always going to be a challenge, but professionally rewarding and personally very satisfying. Having traded for a whole year, I am marking the occasion by making my new website live on the companies first year anniversary. Objective Tree Consultancy would not have been created without the support of family and friends, to whom I am eternally grateful for their encouragement and confidence in me. A year ago I didn’t have a business logo, office or a single report of my own. Now, I am working with arborists, ecologists, architects and members of our community across Kernow and beyond. And this is just the start. 2017 was not only setting up the business, setting out report formats and templates, learning how to quote and invoice, but also stepping firmly back into my industry, with a much wider role.
2018 is proving to be a really challenging year. It started by working closely with my friends at Combined Tree Services (owned by Dave & Lisa and operated with the team) as they applied for and achieved the Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor status. Being part of the process proved to be a rewarding experience and I am very proud to be part of that achievement. The AAAC accreditation is a real accolade. I have also had the pleasure of working with Tom Wells at Expertrees, supporting him by providing tree surveying services for his Client.
My Client base is expanding, and the range of work required from me is diverse and interesting. I am now offering a range of practical arboricultural consultancy services to support other professionals, but still manage to keep in touch with the practical and often sharp end of the tree business. I am working with other professionals and support them with my expertise, including arboricultural method statements, tree protection plans or tree risk assessments. This adds value and quality to their service delivery to their clients, and I actively promote collaboration amongst the business community.
Recently I have gained a much deeper understanding of bats and ecology. Supporting local company – Plan for Ecology, I helped with a bat survey on a major infrastructure project in Cornwall by providing technical support for a tree climbing ecologist and created a GPS database for surveying potential bat roost features. This enabled Kim to survey woodland and create accurate plans and records of bat features. This was achieved using a bespoke GPS tree surveying system to plot tree positions with a high degree of accuracy. My GPS surveying equipment also enables me to carry out detailed tree surveys for development sites without the need for a topographic survey. This can significantly reduce costs for my clients. All in all it has proved to be a great asset, and despite my initial reluctance to embrace the technology it is working well and delivering good results