Terry Earl – an insight into arboriculture

We are joined by Glendale arborist Terry Earl to talk about all things arboriculture in a short interview exploring what attracted him to arboriculture, the benefits of the job and how Glendale works to help local communities.

Terry is employed as an arborist supervisor with Glendale’s arboriculture team based in Watford maintaining trees on behalf of the London Borough of Hillingdon.

What attracted you to arboriculture?

“The aspect of climbing for a living appealed to me the most and, having come from a military background, I struggled to find something that was as challenging with problem-solving, teamwork, physical work to keep you fit and most of all, fun.  Nothing else came close!”

What sort of things do you do?

“As an arborist, it’s important to learn all about trees and their environment in order to do your job well, to spot hazards, pests and diseases and so on.  In fact, the learning is endless and the knowledge also allows you to educate the public as to why the tree’s in their area are being worked on and how they can help you spot any hazards.”

What are the benefits of the job?  Do you enjoy it?

“There is such an adrenaline rush involved with the climbing and the views are great.  You also can’t beat working outdoors all the time and being as close to nature as you can be.”

What do you consider to be the impact of Glendale in the local area?

“As part of Glendale, I feel our aim is to demonstrate that we are an organisation that cares for trees  And with the right people working together we can make it a better industry for our well respected local climbing community.”

What has Glendale done for you?

“Glendale made me feel respected as a climber and provided encouragement, training and team building throughout my career.  Climbers are very hard working people, we do a dangerous job that we have to study very hard for and it is good to feel appreciated for that investment.”