Leaf it to us – meet the team who look after our trees

Leaf it to us – meet the team who look after our trees

You might know Citizen has over 30,000 homes — but did you know we also look after more than 20,000 trees?

It’s an important job with the environment and safety at its heart – but luckily, we have a great team in charge.

Five years ago, the work was all done by outside contractors. But that changed when our very own tree surveyors Carl Williams and James Bogue took over and brought the service in-house.

Since then, they’ve made things much better. The way we care for trees is now safer, faster and more reliable.

What does the job involve?
Carl and James check every tree in shared areas at least once every two years.

That’s twice as often as the law tells us to.

This year, they’re focusing on trees in Coventry and Hereford, and next year they’ll move on to Birmingham and Worcester. They’re Lantra (an awarding body for land based industries) qualified and use specialist tools to spot problems early.

They also record everything in Arbotrack, an online system that shows every single tree we’re responsible for and the history of our inspections.

Carl and James carry out their inspections at ground levels, only calling in external help when the trees are really large and need the crown (top of the tree) inspecting.

What happens if there’s an issue?
If they spot any risks or problems, they’ll then raise a job for a contractor to come out – whether that’s to remove a branch or even a whole limb.

Taking down a tree is a last resort because of how important they are to the local environment.

But it’s always safety first.

Carl said: “It’s a massive responsibility making sure we balance the environmental considerations with public safety. We’d never forgive ourselves if anything happened to someone as a result of a tree falling. So, we always act with a lot of caution.”

How much do Carl and James work with customers?

They speak to any customer or local resident who might be worried about nearby trees.

Sometimes it could be a branch hanging over a garden, or a fast-growing tree blocking out light.

They listen, explain what we can do, and follow our Tree Management Policy to make fair decisions.

We’re only responsible for trees in communal areas though – trees in gardens are the responsibility of our customers.

The only exception is when there’s a serious health and safety issue.

James added: “Customers can get really upset when we tell them we can’t take a tree down or it’s their own responsibility to get it sorted – sometimes we’re on the receiving end of real frustration.

“But it’s really important we use our budget wisely and stick to the policy. Calming people down and advising them is a big part of the job.”

What’s the best part of the job?

Carl said: “We absolutely love what we do – being outdoors all the time, being around nature and doing something really important – possibly even life-saving. When we do test a tree and find a massive issue and are able to take action, I do think – phew, I’ve potentially prevented a really serious accident.”

For media enquiries contact our Communications Team.