Level 6 Professional Arboriculturist

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

THIS COURSE IS NOW CLOSED FOR 2025 ENTRY.

PLEASE APPLY NOW FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2026 INTAKE.

EMAIL EMPLOYERENQUIRIES@MYERSCOUGH.AC.UK

This occupation is found in local authorities, highway authorities, private arboricultural consultancies, private commercial arboricultural companies, parks, arboretums, charities, housing associations.

The broad purpose of the occupation is managing peri-urban and urban trees including writing and implementing proactive strategic plans to enhance the environment to benefit people, air quality, biodiversity, amenity and the built environment, while mitigating risk to people, buildings and property from trees by coordinating proactive inspections and undertaking tree work operations within an appropriate time-scale.

An overarching focus of the role is being able to advise tree owners of how to ensure they are adhering to their Duty of Care while complying with relevant legislation, regulations and statute and common law. These include, but are not limited to, the Highways Act, Town and Country Planning Act, Countryside Act, Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Occupiers Liability Act and Local and National Policy. Developing tree policies and strategies that can be adopted to provide management guidance and plans for individual tree management and can be relevant to a large geographic area which incorporate management of a large number of trees (e.g. highways, parks, estates, housing sites, etc.). Strategies would include emergency planning for extreme weather events and outbreaks of threats to the immediate and wider tree population - such as the identification of a pest, pathogen or disease.

Another key function of a Professional Arboriculturist is designing and specifying tree planting plans and advising planning policy related to trees on development sites. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues, the general public, stakeholders, clients, landowners, lawyers, insurers, contractors, politicians and civil servants. Other professionals that a Professional Arboriculturist will have regular contact with are highways engineers; town planners; utility providers and contractors; landscape architects; ecologists; architects; and street lighting engineers to name but a few.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:

Managing a team of tree professionals Assessing tree health and risk at a strategic level, focused on tree populations rather than individual trees. Managing contractors including contract oversight and adherence to contract terms and conditions. Managing complaints Understanding and applying law relating to trees Managing tree survey and inspection regimes to ensure work delivery and discharge of legal Duty of Care Creating and implementing planting programmes in relation to amenity, ecosystem services and replacement for development, managing and writing policy and strategy relating to these issues Financial management and resourcing, including income generation.