New Trustees join the Board

Andy Tipping

Andy is Trees & Woodlands Manager at the London Borough of Barnet and a member of the Executive Committee of the London Tree Officers Association.

‘I have lived and worked in north-east London all my life, and have been at the London Borough of Barnet for 29 years after nine years as an arborist. I started in February 1987, eight months before the great storm and worked on the clear up with Enfield Council. I knew of inexperienced arbs working beyond their abilities, which resulted in a number of injuries and near misses, and this experience has stuck with me. Those of us that choose an academic route in arboriculture are heavily reliant on those who pick up the tools: growing, planting, establishing, pruning and felling trees all require levels of skills and safety considerations that we must appreciate.

‘I joined the Executive of the London Tree Officers Association 25 years ago and have been chair twice, in 2008 and 2022. The LTOA remains a great inspiration, and in any work I do with the Arb Association I hope to emulate my experiences at the LTOA, especially on working parties which tend to outreach, engaging expertise wherever it is needed. I have helped with the following: the National Tree Safety Group, BS 8545, the Joint Mitigation Protocol (JMP), Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) and the LTOA Risk Management Strategy for Tree Root Claims. I am also Chair of the Apprenticeship Trailblazer group for Arboriculture, Levels 2, 4 and 6.

‘As a Trustee, I am hoping to work on the succession project the Association has started, particularly focusing on looking for ways to reach people who have left school without any qualifications, care leavers and those on probation. Arboriculture offers extraordinary opportunities for people in those situations and we should encourage and facilitate gateways into a profession that has an acknowledged skills shortage at all levels. This is something close to my heart.’

Naomi Zürcher

Naomi is an urban forester, consulting arborist and Chartered Environmentalist.

‘Although retired from my practice, I have continued to donate my professional expertise as an urban forester/consulting arborist/Chartered Environmentalist, with over four decades of professional experience in my native New York and now in Switzerland.

‘My work has spanned the full range of urban forestry, ranging from the planning and management of urban trees and the landscapes they populate within the larger context of their association with humans and their built environment; to integrating an ecological thought process into crafting management plans/tree protection ordinances/procedural guidelines; to developing/implementing federally-funded participatory management programmes for young people and adults such as the NYC ALB Public Awareness Program and the Green Horizons Careers Day; and to the formulation, implementation and enforcement of a Building WITH Trees© ecological approach to spatial development.

‘I am honoured by the trust Arboricultural Association members have placed in me with my election as a Board Trustee, providing an opportunity to expand on my commitment to the care and conservation of our invaluable urban tree resource. I hope to offer my international experience in the practice of both urban forestry and arboriculture, investing that experience and passion in growing, broadening and elevating our wonderful profession.’

Simon Rotheram

Simon is the Managing Director of Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd, an Arb Approved Contractor.

‘Firstly, thank you for the warm welcome and for the opportunity to serve as a Trustee of the Arboricultural Association. It’s a real honour and something I take seriously – while hopefully not taking myself too seriously!

‘Having spent my career in the world of arboricultural contracting, I know first-hand both the challenges and the opportunities we face as an industry. One area close to my heart is the Arb Approved Contractor Scheme. From my perspective, it’s underrecognised and not utilised enough, and that’s a missed opportunity.

‘My intention is to be a strong voice for contractors, to champion the scheme, and to help make it more prestigious and better understood not just within our industry, but in the wider world.

‘At the same time, I want to ensure I support the broader needs of the Association and the important work it does for our profession. If I can play even a small role in raising standards, strengthening recognition, and making sure our contractors feel heard and represented, then I’ll consider that a job well done.

‘And if I can sprinkle in a bit of straight-talking honesty (and maybe the odd laugh) along the way, even better.’