ARB Show returns in partnership with APF
The one-stop-shop for tree care professionals!
22-24 September
This is a brand-new collaborative partnership venture for the Arboricultural Association and CONFOR, sponsors of the biennial APF Forestry Exhibition. The APF is well established as the largest forestry and arb exhibition, with over 20,000 visitors and hundreds of exhibitors and demonstrations. The opportunity to bring the ARB Show, with its own 20-year legacy as the arborist’s essential annual trade event, to join with the APF show will offer benefits for all, providing a one-time central venue for all tree-related contractors, consultants, trainers, innovators, movers and shakers – as well as the demonstrators, exhibitors, suppliers, competitors and technical experts who generously offer their time, services, knowledge and experience to share with the industry.
ARB Worker Zone
Demo’s, Workshops, Advice, Knot tying and Throwline competitions
This year, in addition to the massive range of exhibitors normally attending, we will bring an extra arb focus, attracting more arb suppliers and providing an Arb Worker Zone (AWZ) and Arborists’ Workshop adjacent to the Association’s headquarters marquee in the Static Exhibition area.
The AWZ will offer regular demonstrations and climber workshops, with impartial advice about climbing kit, current standards and tips for effective and safe working. There will also be old favourites, such as the knot tying competition, the throw line competition and a buzz of everything new in the arb world. The knot tying competition is a popular feature of each show giving visitors the chance to test their skills against the clock, in a race to successfully tie 5 different arborist knots. The all-time competition record is held by Matt Graham in 10.78 seconds, set in 2019 and beating his own previous record of 17.09 seconds. The under-16 record is held by Sophie at an impressive 20 seconds flat. In addition to the host of interactive features, we have a special mobile crane on site demonstrating tree dismantling, with workshop sessions and presentations on the preparation, skills, knowledge and experience required to carry out this work safely and efficiently.
Arborists’ Workshop Sessions
The Arborists’ Workshop seminar tent, running from 10am – 4pm daily, will have a schedule of short presentations from a wide range of industry experts, covering pests and diseases, current standards for tree work, training in crane work, the Approved Contractor scheme, use of two ropes, veteran tree management, new trainer recruitment and many other topics.

Programme
Thursday 22nd September
Start Time
|
Speaker
|
Subject
|
10:00
|
Stephen Roberts
|
Recruiting instructors
|
10:30
|
Andrew Dowden
|
Cranes in tree work
|
11:00
|
Chris Cooper-Abbs
|
Industry good practice standards
|
11:30
|
Fran Susanne
|
Arb Approved Contractor Scheme
|
12:00
|
Stihl Product Experts
|
Stihl technology: Enhancing the life of an arborist
|
12:30
|
Alex Laver
|
Climbing compliantly in 2022
|
|
13:00
|
Break
|
13:30
|
Caroline Gorton, Forest Research
|
Canker stain and other diseases affecting plane trees
|
14:00
|
Helen Bentley-Fox
|
Firewood: is the government going to ‘Ban wood burning stoves’?
|
14:30
|
Husqvarna Technical Team
|
Battery v petrol powered tools
|
15:00
|
Break
|
15:30
|
Grown in Britain
|
Plant Healthy Certification is an environmental and economic no-brainer
|
16:00
|
Simon Richmond
|
VETcert training and examination
|
Friday 23rd September
Start Time
|
Speaker
|
Subject
|
10:00
|
Andrew Dowden
|
Cranes in tree work
|
10:30
|
Chris Cooper-Abbs
|
Industry good practice standards
|
11:00
|
Fran Susanne
|
Arb Approved Contractor Scheme
|
11:30
|
Simon Richmond
|
VETcert training and examination
|
12:00
|
Husqvarna Technical Team
|
Battery v petrol powered tools
|
12:30
|
Alex Laver
|
Climbing compliantly in 2022
|
13:00
|
Break
|
13:30
|
Caroline Gorton, Forest Research
|
Canker stain and other diseases affecting plane trees
|
14:00
|
Helen Bentley-Fox
|
Firewood: is the government going to ‘Ban wood burning stoves’?
|
14:30
|
Stihl Product Experts
|
Stihl technology: Enhancing the life of an arborist
|
15:00
|
Break
|
15:30
|
Grown in Britain
|
Plant Healthy Certification is an environmental and economic no-brainer
|
16:00
|
Fran Susanne
|
Arb Approved Contractor Scheme
|
Saturday 24th September
Start Time
|
Speaker
|
Subject
|
10:00
|
Andrew Dowden
|
Cranes in tree work
|
10:30
|
Chris Cooper-Abbs
|
Industry good practice standards
|
11:00
|
Fran Susanne
|
Arb Approved Contractor Scheme
|
11:30
|
Simon Richmond
|
VETcert training and examination
|
12:00
|
Stihl Product Experts
|
Stihl technology: Enhancing the life of an arborist
|
12:30
|
Alex Laver
|
Climbing compliantly in 2022
|
13:00
|
Break
|
13:30
|
Caroline Gorton, Forest Research
|
Canker stain and other diseases affecting plane trees
|
14:30
|
Husqvarna Technical Team
|
Battery v petrol powered tools
|
15:30
|
Fran Susanne
|
Arb Approved Contractor Scheme
|
Sponsored by

UK Open Climbing Competition
The UK Open Tree Climbing Competition, sponsored by Harkie, will be held in the demonstration zone, and will offer a range of competitor levels, from novices to expert, with great prizes on offer.
The competition is the first of its kind to feature at an APF show and will test the mettle of climbers over three different skill categories; Novice, Expert and Premier climbers. Each will battle it out in one of the UK’s most popular climbing championships, in 2019 over 70 competitors took part over the two days, and it is their skill and daring which make the challenge a perennial crowd favourite at The ARB Show. The event is scored as much on safe climbing as it is on speed and task control. Formerly known as ‘3ATC’, the event is run by a team of Arboricultural Association volunteers who want to try and help advance UK climbing practice and safety. With the help of lecturers, the team have been able to guide and educate hundreds of students, spreading best practice and raising industry standards at a grass roots level.
The home of tree care
As always, the ARB Show is hosted by the Arboricultural Association, who will also be on hand with a dedicated stand full of the resources and support you need, as well as special show book and membership offers. The association is the leading organisation in the UK for tree care professionals working in all areas of arboriculture. It has more than 3000 members in the UK and around the world, and is increasingly recognised as an international, as well as a national, leader in arboriculture.