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| To advance the science of arboriculture for the public benefit |
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| To advance the science of arboriculture for the public benefit |
Up Front - June 06
Industry news and views, events, technical developments and people.
A Quarterly message from the Arboricultural Association by Nick Eden, posted June 2006
(This message is published in the Arboricultural Association's March Newsletter. For your regular copy, join us)
Trade Fair - is coming soon
It seems that exhibitors are falling over themselves to offer you the opportunity to see their kit - 70 booked by the beginning of May and still more expected before it all happens on 23rd and 24th June. NEW for 2006 - the show extends into the woodland edge and houses exhibitors and a tree dismantling demo by Treevolution. It should be good.
Logo Protection Approved Contractors' Standard - up date Contractors' Health and Safety Package Educating the Client Professional Members - M.Arbor.A - and Complaints
Find an Arborist UAG Core Group Membership Grows BS 5837: 2005. Your Views? And lastly
The long saga of the legal action we are taking against two contractors claiming to be AA Approved Contractors or otherwise using our name or logo inappropriately has taken a significant leap forward. By the time you read this, proceedings will have been filed with the Court outlining the action being taken by the AA and a number of AAACs local to the offenders.
We are still in the hands of the courts as to a date for the cases to be heard but rest assured that we will publicise the results far and wide.
Another step forward is that we have a contract with Yellow Pages to only allow genuine AAACs to enter a new boxed area of the Tree Work pages that clearly says they are genuine AAACs.
As regulations and standards change so must the industry's voluntary regulator - the AA Approved Contractor scheme. Scheme lead assessor Paul Smith takes us through the new standard in the Newsletter. It's no push over, but it brings increasing benefits to trees, tree owners and scheme members.
We're so convinced that the AA's Contractors' H&S Package is a major aid to helping contractors manage their health and safety that we're giving it away - but only one chapter at a time!. There are 20 chapters in total and from time to time we will publish a chapter in the Newsletter so you can see the sort of help it could be to you and your business. It's a great help to achieving the new AAAC standards.
The Contractors' H&S Package is one outcome of the AA's Contractors' Working Group which is made up of Andy Poynter, Craig Southwell, Peter Holloway, Nick Beardmore and the AA Technical Officers. If you would like to be in the group in a virtual capacity (receive email updates from time to time) please email us on admin@trees.org.uk with your details - make sure you include Contractors Working Group in the title.
The Health and Safety Executive list their Priorities for 2006/7 in the June Newsletter. Frances Hirst of the HSE will be briefing contractors on this at the Trade Fair.
An important part of raising the standards in arboriculture is to educate corporate employers and the AA has secured another year of contracts with the HSE to do just that. Workshops called 'Engaging Arboricultural Contractors' take place at various venues across the UK and cover the standards that contractors must work to - clearly explained by HSE, the Treevolution team and AA Technical Officers. Details on our website as and when venues are confirmed. They're free to attend (HSE funded) so if you are a client, try to get to one.
It's now 18 months since we introduced the AA membership grade Professional Member and some 204 people have upgraded or joined this group. Congratulations to you all - names are published in the Newsletter. The Assessed Route to Professional Membership is soon to be available and opens ways for those without a level 4 arboricultural qualification to demonstrate an equivalent level of competence and thereby gain Professional Member status. Details on the website when finalised.
As a professional organisation the AA must exercise a degree of control over the members it recognises as 'professional'. A complaints procedure exists whereby complaints against Professional Members or Fellows will be investigated by the AA with sanctions including termination of membership that may be applied in certain cases. Both the AAAC and AA Registered Consultant schemes also have complaints procedures that clients may use.
Only two people responded to the invitation to comment on possible AA involvement with the Find an Arborist scheme run by Total Arb (see www.totalarb.com). Whilst discussions are not concluded the Association is looking at another scheme: TrustMark (www.trustmark.org.uk) - let us know your views. Would you benefit from branding: "Government Endorsed Standards"?
The Core Group of the AA's Utility Arboriculture Group has been expanded to 12 members - that means there are four seats available. The UAG Terms of Reference (www.trees.org.uk/uag.php) explains more. If you could contribute to the development of the Utility Arboriculture sector of the industry and have the time to give to a working group why not consider membership - details on the UAG pages of the website.
In Newsletter 132 (March 2006) we reported that Simon Pryce had been appointed to be the AA's representative on BSI Committee B/213. As such he will be coordinating the AA's response to the "12 month review" of the revised 5837. This is an important opportunity for the industry to comment on and if appropriate shape the further development of this standard - you can email to Simon via the AA on
british.standards@trees.org.uk. 300 people attended the BS 5837 Roadshows that we put on in the early part of the year.
Director
Arboricultural Association