SPEAKERS

Jeremy Barrell

Barrell Tree Consultancy – UK – Kindly sponsored by Treescape®

Jeremy Barrell is the Managing Director of Barrell Tree Consultancy (BTC) (www.barrelltreecare.co.uk), one of Britain’s largest Arboricultural Practices, working primarily in the planning and legal sectors.  He leads a team of 15 people, specialising in assessing trees on construction sites and project managing their protection through to occupation.

Jeremy started his career working for the British Forest Service in 1978, establishing his own tree contracting business in 1980, which evolved into BTC in 1995.  In 2001, he was honoured with the British Arboricultural Association’s Award for his outstanding contribution to British arboriculture, joining the ranks of previous winners, which includes Dr Shigo, Professor Mattheck, and Dr Lonsdale.  He is a regular keynote speaker at international conferences, authoring more than 120 articles and papers on tree management.  He designed the SULE, TreeAH, TreeABC, and TreeAZ, methods of tree assessment, which are internationally recognised management tools.”

Philip van Wassenaer

Urban Forest Innovators Ltd – Canada

Philip van Wassenaer, B.Sc. Environmental Sciences, Master of Forest Conservation, is the principal consultant for Urban Forest Innovations, Inc., which specializes in the preservation, enhancement, and management of the urban forest using research- and science-based approach. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, member of ASCA , a Past President and Director of the Ontario Urban Forest Council and a 2009 recipient of the ISA True Professionals of Arboriculture Award.

Lynne Boddy

Keynote Speaker – Fungal Ecology – Cardiff School of Biosciences

Lynne Boddy has taught and researched into the ecology of wood decomposition for 40 years. She is currently investigating heart-rot in deciduous trees, the ash dieback fungus, the ways in which fungi fight each other and form communities, and how they search the forest floor for food resources and respond to their finds. She is a prolific author having co-authored Fungal Decomposition of Wood, edited six books, written well over 200 scientific papers, and is the chief editor of the journal Fungal Ecology. She was (2009–2010) president of the British Mycological Society. Lynne is an ardent communicator of the mysteries and importance of the amazing hidden Kingdom of Fungi to the general public including TV, radio, videos, popular talks, articles and exhibitions.

Caitlyn Pollihan

ISA Executive Director

Caitlyn Pollihan has been the Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) since 2017.  Prior to this she served as the executive director of the Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) since 2009. In this role, she facilitated the development of the organization’s strategic goals and agendas and worked with members and CWSF/WFLC staff to ensure the organization’s success. Prior to this role, Caitlyn was the CWSF/WFLC governmental affairs director where she was instrumental in the passage of key legislation and educating CWSF and WFLC members on legislative proposals and national policy with western implications. 

Russell Horsey

Goetre Villa Ltd – Wales

Russell is a Chartered Arboriculturist who specialises in working community groups and cities on urban forestry management planning and public engagement.  An Internationally known speaker for his work in Local Government having presented to audiences around the UK, Canada and Europe.  Russell is a member of Welsh Governments Woodland Strategy Advisory Panel and a board member of Wales Plant! Scheme (which looks to plant two trees per child born or adopted in Wales). 

Best known for his work at Bristol where he successfully ran a high profile community lead planting program TreeBristol alongside improving the day to day management of the cities trees.  This work was recognized by the sector in 2010 when Bristol was awarded the Barchams Award for “Outstanding Urban Forestry Management.”

Phillip Kelley

Wright Tree Services – North America

Team Development and Trainer – Wright TreeService

North American Training Solutions – Lead Instructor since 2009

Contract climber and owner of Samara Tree Preservation since 2014 

25+ years in the industry

Speaker at TCIA Expo as well as multiple chapter conferences

Speaker at Kletterforum in Augsburg, Germany

Head Judge North American Tree Climbing Championship 2014–present

Head Technician International Tree Climbing Championship 2013–present

Head Judge/Technician multiple ISA Chapter Tree Climbing Championship 2009–present

Past president of the Georgia Arborist Association TCIAASTI trainer multiple programs

Certified Arborist since 2000

Joe Harris

Intro Trees – Hobart, Australia

Joe Harris is an arborist based in Tasmania. His work is primarily climbing, with some training, workshops and other projects, including work on the new Australian Minimum Industry Standards. He has been in the industry for 14 years.

Sam Hardingham

Everydayarbor – NSW, Australia

Sam has been working as a climber for 14 years and won the inaugural Red Bull Branched Out event. For the last 6 years, Sam has worked at Agility Tree Service in Newcastle Australia as a lead climber.

Andreas Ross

Pro Climb Ltd – Auckland

Andreas Ross (Rossy) is the managing director of Pro Climb Limited – Tree Care Auckland. His company is based in Auckland, New Zealand and specializes in tree climbing, horticultural abseiling and general tree care. Rossy holds qualifications in forestry, arboriculture, and industrial rope access. His passion for a safer work environment in arboriculture helped him to develop safety and training concepts that he shares through training days and workshops. Rossy is also a consultant to Auckland Council, Food and Plant Research, Primary ITO and an expert witness to Worksafe. Rossy is particularly interested in the safety of everyone involved with trees - from the arborist working on trees to the public passing below them. This requires a thorough knowledge of the risks associated with tree work as well as the management of trees as low-risk assets. While risk is an inevitable part of our lives it can certainly be managed and reduced to an acceptable level. 

Joe Astell

Sicon Ltd – Christchurch

I've been around the Arb industry for most of my life. I guess I'm one of those second-generation Arborists. My dad was in the Arb game before me and I've followed on from him. A year after finishing school I pulled away from the climbing life for a couple of years to pursue another love of mine, the Health & Fitness industry. Advanced personal training, sports specifics, nutrition and sports rehabilitation. I've always been physical and balancing my working life with my training has been challenging to say the least. I've done different Martial arts while growing up, later I got into Bodybuilding and most recently and for the past 10 years, Circus arts. 

Andrew Benson

University of Canterbury

Andrew is a practising consultant in Auckland with 17 years’ experience in the arboricultural industry. His is also a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Canterbury. Over the last three years, Andrew has undertaken root pruning research in Florida and New Zealand, which has yielded several publications in peer-reviewed academic journals to date. The focus of this talk will be on the lesser-known effects of root pruning, and a novel application of tree appraisal methods.

Peter Collingwood

Delta – Otago

I have worked for Delta Utility Services, (and its predecessors) for the past 38 years, 20 of those years as a practicing Utility arborist and the last 18 Years as overall supervisor of Deltas Dunedin, and more recently, Waitaki Based Utility arb Crews, as well as insuring the delivery of Deltas Aurora Energy, and Network Waitaki,  tree clearance from powerline contracts, I am responsible for all the facets of regulatory compliance regarding insulated equipment and arborial best practice, used in Utility arboriculture.

Rimu Tane

Delta – Otago

Rimu has over 15 years of experience in the arboriculture and horticulture industries. Having previously worked for the peninsula tree nursery, Excel, Downers and Treescape.  He now works at Delta in Dunedin as well as running his own small training and consultancy business.

Sam James

Canterbury

Sam grew up in Blenheim & developed a love for the outdoors through the exploration of Marlborough and the South Island. He gained experience in the Arboricultural industry whilst working for his father [David James] in the school holidays. This lead to an intermittent career in the industry over the past ten years.

The calling of the mountains and great outdoors drove him to study outdoor education and he gained a Diploma in Environmental and Outdoor Leadership and then became a Ski Patroller over the winter seasons. This lead to Sam expanding his rope skill repertoire with rescue techniques from the mountaineering and Industrial height access industries as well as gaining plenty of experience in outdoor trauma 1st Aid and patient extractions.

Sam has a passion for coaching and mentoring people and is always looking for a good excuse to pass on some knowledge and experience.

Colin Winch

Powerco – Tauranga

Colin has been in the electrical industry in various roles for over 35 years. For the last 15 years he has managed the vegetation around powerlines on the Powerco network using external utility arborist contractors. He is currently a member of the Electricity Networks Association (ENA) trees working group and also on the NZARB Utility Arborist Group.