Freddy established TreeRunner in 2017 after 5 years of intense immersion in the arboriculture industry, having started his career working on commercial forestry sites in the Scottish highlands.
“I grew up in a Northumbrian forest, filled with a huge variety of trees and teeming with wildlife, including the increasingly elusive red squirrel. I guess you could say I was hooked from a very young age. My favourite place was my tree house, built amongst those ancient yews where I would have lived given half a chance! Whilst I enjoyed school I wasn’t particularly drawn to academic study, I always knew that my real calling was to work in the great outdoors, and for me that means working with trees.
That calling really found its direction when I was given the chance to work in the Scottish Highlands with my uncle, who is a well-established and very highly qualified arborist. Paul is a perfectionist, he does things “by the book” and requires the same of anyone working with or near him. This was a vital ingredient to my solid grounding in arboriculture and I know how lucky I am to have had this ingrained into me from my earliest days as an arborist. Even if those early experiences sometimes felt brutal, their value to me personally and to those I now work with are immeasurable. TreeRunner is lucky to be able continue drawing upon the incredible resource that Paul still provides.
Following my induction in Scotland I worked first for a ground’s maintenance company specialising in site clearance, but I quickly realised that my passion was to care for trees as a crucial part of the environment rather than just clearing them away. I moved then to a large facilities management company where I spent two years learning about the importance of caring for trees close to National Grid powerlines – exciting times which allowed me to develop my climbing and safety skills, often in challenging situations – working beneath powerlines carrying 400 KV’s is not to be taken lightly! By the time I left to set up TreeRunner I had become the company’s youngest ever team leader but more importantly I had learnt the importance of good tree management around our country’s essential infrastructure.
I never stop learning and throughout my career I have been fortunate to work with some amazing arborists – specialist tree surgeons whose “hands on” experience makes them the best teachers around. Arborists work in teams with each individual having specific roles, like a machine relies on each of its component parts to function correctly and efficiently. One of my greatest joys now is finding myself in role-reversal as I start passing on my knowledge to those working around me – but always being open to learning from them at the same time and from others we encounter in our work. A good arboriculture team requires high levels of mutual respect, trust, confidence and understanding – we’re constantly watching out for each other, when you have that you find yourselves working as one natural unit.
That’s why I love the Abraham Lincoln quote “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe”. Good arboriculture practice is all about coming at jobs in the right way, with the right people around you, the right equipment for the job and an ingrained attitude to following well thought out and practised policies and procedures, built through hands-on experience. Our daily method statements are never about just ticking boxes, they’re about preparing us for take-off – often literally as you’ll see from some of our photos!
In my time as an arborist I’ve learnt a lot about the industry – good and unfortunately sometimes bad – you learn though from both! I’ve been lucky to have had experience and expertise around me throughout. In practising what I’ve been taught, and replicating that with those who work with me, I hope also to play a small part in getting the arboriculture industry the recognition and respect it deserves. If you think about it, without arborists caring for our trees, every public service we take for granted, be it roads, rail, power, whatever, would grind to a halt – and that’s before you even consider the vital role trees play in our ecosystem.
Yes, you might say I’m passionate about trees and about the essential industry I’m proud to be a part of. The passion instilled in me by those I’ve learnt from, and those I’ve passed it to, is what drives TreeRunner and makes us want to make a positive impact on the Forestry and Arboriculture industries. Our commitment to staff, our maintenance of the highest possible standards, our dedicated and honest approach to every job, and ultimately our shared passion for trees has become our hallmark. We’d love to think that this might one day become a hallmark for the arboriculture industry as a whole.”
TreeRunner is now base in Northumberland and offers a complete range of Forestry Management & Arboriculture services across the North East.
We are always looking to invest in the right people to drive our business forward. Whether you are new to the industry or you are an experienced arborist looking for the next step in your career we would love to hear from you.
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