What does it mean to be an Arboriculturalist Association Registered Consultant?
For me it means I am at the very top of my game, that the last 20+ years working as an Arboriculturalist, the hours and money invested as an initially as employee and later running my own Consultancy have been recognised.
The Arboricultural Association say this about becoming an AARC
Arboricultural Association Registered Consultant (AARC) status is awarded to individual consultants who have attained and demonstrated an advanced level of qualifications and experience, and who have been subjected to rigorous examination by a panel of expert assessors. As a result, clients who instruct an AARC can be assured of expertise and professional advice of the highest quality.
But perhaps I should start with who are the Arboricultural Association?
What they say about themselves is…. As the leading voice on all matters arboricultural in the UK, the AA provides a home and membership for all those employed within the sector; championing the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society.
The AA were founded in 1964 as a scientific and educational organisation, promoting the care of trees in non forest settings. Since then the AA has grown in membership and has 6 levels of membership from student to corporate.
But why become a Registered Consultant? – In short because it is the pinnacle of recognition for the hours of work I have put into arboriculture in my career.
I have counted myself as a member of the AA throughout my career and I made the decision to works towards becoming a Registered Consultant many years ago. In order to pass the stringent accreditation process,
individuals must first reach the prerequisite level in qualifications and study, and be able to demonstrate a clear understanding and working knowledge of arboriculture and how it is practically applied in a variety of situations.
There follows a rigorous assessment process. All applicants must meet the required business and professional standards and be able to produce a variety of documents to support their application.
The reports provided as evidence, need to be actual client tree reports covering a variety of scenarios. Each submitted alongside evidence of information analysis and interaction with clients and professional bodies. Following the submission of your portfolio, two AARCs are appointed as assessors to undertake an extremely thorough review of the work, and, any candidate who successfully passes their stringent criteria is then requested to attend an interview.
Phew! what a process that was…. put on the sharp end of having your array of tree reports and professional correspondence questioned and interrogated by exceedingly experienced Arboricultural Consultants. Having spent years planning this goal, and many hours from the last year (or more) of your life, assessing every report and every conversation you have had with clients for evidence to support your application. Not to mention the sleepless nights spent worrying about your presentation it all comes down to this next intense 5 minutes ….or more like 2 hours in my case.
It is with a great sense of accomplishment and more than a little sense of relief, I can state I met the standard. I have achieved a pinnacle moment of my career, the highest accreditation I can get from Arboriculture Association
Not bad for a boy from Leigh Park who like trees….
