By Matthew Norman, MArborA TechICFor
Senior Arboriculturist
Arb Ambassadors are volunteers who team up with the Arboricultural Association to inspire young people to consider a career in arboriculture. By giving talks and presentations in schools, we aim to spread the word about this exciting career path—especially to those who might not have heard of it before.
I recently took on the role of Arb Ambassador, having heeded the call for volunteers from the Arboricultural Association. I feel really excited and proud to be helping inspire the next generation to explore careers in arboriculture. It allows me to instil the same sense of passion and interest that I have about trees into the next generation that are entering the big wide world of work. And goodness knows we need to get them engaged, too. The arboricultural and ecological industries are both facing a succession crisis, where the skills gap for both qualified arboriculturists [1] and ecologists [2] is far lower than the demand. This leaves the industries struggling to adequately deal with the climate and biodiversity emergencies that threaten us today. Check out our Careers page for latest vacancies.
Why Arboriculture?
Arboriculture (arb) — the care and management of trees — is a field that combines science, sustainability, and hands-on work. It plays a vital role in tackling climate change [3], improving urban environments, and supporting biodiversity. Yet, it’s a career path that many young people haven’t considered—or even heard of.
That’s why this visit was so important.
School visit and presentation
The students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy had already attended this year’s Arboricultural Association ‘Arb Show’ courtesy of South Bristol Youth – a regional organisation supporting progression into green careers. The Arb Show is the industry body’s trade fair, held every year at the magnificent Westonbirt Arboretum. Here the students had the opportunity to visit trade stands, look at all the shiny equipment on offer, watch the tree climbing competitions, and even try their hand at tree climbing using ropes and harnesses.
Following their visit to the Arb Show, South Bristol Youth invited my colleague and me to build on that experience with a classroom session. This was a valuable opportunity to discuss with the students the pathway of arboriculture as a career. The students already had a grasp of the practical side of arb, so we decided to deliver a presentation on why trees and arboriculture are important, what roles there are in arb, the various routes into the profession and how to find further information.
We were careful not to overload the students with too much information, and I was keenly aware that in order to keep them interested we had to do more than just talk at them for an hour.
We divided the class into small groups and posed a series of thought-provoking questions throughout the presentation. Each group had five minutes to brainstorm before then sharing their answers with the class, sparking some thoughtful and insightful discussions.
Student Engagement
What stood out most were the thoughtful responses that some of the students gave. They showed a genuine interest in the subject and were quick to grasp the broader environmental and social implications of arboriculture. There were interesting answers giving the benefits of trees on physical and mental health, the safety implications of trees in urban areas, and even the medicinal properties of some plants.
It was especially rewarding to see them apply what they had learned in a practical activity of designing and managing a small woodland. I hope to see some of these students managing trees or being employed as forest work managers in the future!
Reflections
This experience reaffirmed the importance of introducing young people to green careers. Many students are enthusiastic about the environment but unsure how to turn that passion into a profession. By showcasing arboriculture as an enjoyable and rewarding career choice, we can help bridge that gap.
For me also this event renewed my own enthusiasm of arboriculture and has increased my determination to be more involved in promoting arb as an important and rewarding career.
A big thank you to the staff and students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy for their warm welcome and enthusiastic participation, and to the South Bristol Youth Green Skills project for making this outreach possible.
If you’re curious about arboriculture or want to get involved, check out the Arb Ambassador programme and South Bristol Youth’s green careers initiatives.
- Succession in Arboriculture (no date) Arboricultural Association – Succession in Arboriculture. Available at: https://trees.org.uk/Careers/Succession-in-Arboriculture (Accessed: 10 July 2025).
- (No date) Biodiversity in the UK: Bloom or bust? – report summary. Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmenvaud/136/136-summary.html (Accessed: 10 July 2025).
- Woodland Trust (no date) How trees fight climate change, Woodland Trust. Available at: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/how-trees-fight-climate-change/ (Accessed: 11 July 2025).