 |  | About Us |  | | Our Misson - To pursue the highest standards in all we do; from the development of treework & arborist equipment to the door-to-door delivery & supply of our products.
- To be at the leading edge of product research & development, with no compromise in quality.
- To always offer friendly, educated & impartial advice.
- To have a good time in our pursuits.
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| Our Philosophy We firmly believe that climbing & working with trees should be an enjoyable venture. People throughout the world have experienced the uplifting feeling of climbing & connecting with nature in this way for eons. From an early age the attraction to climb trees has been a magnet to many people.
It should also be a safe, secure & comfortable undertaking, so with this in mind we source many products through individuals & companies who have a similar approach or feeling.
We are passionate about our contact with trees & tree people, and hope to spread this feel good factor through our extensive connections within the sphere. This now is truly a worldwide happening with distance being no obstacle in sourcing & respect being given to the original innovators of new products.
We are the connection between tree, climber, designer & manufacturer. |
| Who Are We? Robert ‘Noddy’ Knott is an arborist since April 1987. Having fallen into the world of tree surgery whilst searching for ‘something to do’, he’s not looked back since. After only 2 months of dragging brash & carrying logwood the opportunity arose to climb (on preset ropes) the ‘Big Cedar’ at Painshill Park, Surrey. Described by Alan Mitchell as probably the largest bulk of Lebanon Cedar anywhere in Europe. With almost no climbing experience to go on, it was obviously a challenge not to be missed! Three & a half hours later, blistered & bloody & a body feeling like it had been beaten, the name ‘Nod’ was scribbled in the guest book nestled high in the uppermost twigs. This experience using very low-tech gear & technique paved the way to a life of touching trees through climbing.
Natural developments have taken place through the intervening years both personally & with equipment. The opportunity to travel throughout the world & climb trees exists for those searching the freedom of the highway. That highway has included sites & countries including Norway, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Jordan, Greece, France, Tenerife & of course the UK. Countries on top of the ‘must do’ list would have to be the USA & New Zealand; the big trees will be experienced. |
| Development In all areas of equipment, development was slow to non-existent; nylon climbing ropes, basic harnesses & polypropylene lowering performed well but has its very definite limitations. A wind of change blew in 1993, at the ISA European Congress in Leinstein, Germany. Rigging development & friction hitches changed form rapidly & advancement had begun in Euroland. Rip Tompkins & Ken Palmer (now of Arbormaster Training Inc.) began regular visits bringing the American style, along with Don Blair (of Sierra Moreno Merchantile) & other well-known faces. Modern rigging had finally arrived! Thankfully!!
About this time Nod was involved with Svensk Tradvard 85, a Swedish company carrying out contract work as well as developing & testing products for the arb industry. They were for some years the main UK importers & supporters of what has now become standard rigging equipment as well as promoters of aerial rescue techniques using caving tools for access; obviously time has not stood still & development continues to this day.
Next on the UK scene appeared tree-climbing competitions (TCC). September 1995 saw the first multi discipline event at the Arboricultural Association annual conference in Lancaster. A number of entrants arrived from Germany & Kay Buseman truly showed the UK how to competition climb; this was in part the beginning of climbing equipment development in the UK. The leading processes of development have taken place mainly in Europe with a forward thinking approach to energy efficiency & access technique. In the UK we tend to follow this lead at TCC level but dissemination into industry appears to be at a somewhat slower pace. |
| The Result The sum result of life within the arb industry has lead possibly to what was inevitable, Treeworker.co.uk. The desire to help develop & ultimately supply the latest equipment available to climbers & treeworkers lay deeply rooted. A network of people work diligently to further the safety, ergonomics, efficiency & comfort of the equipment we use daily. The long-term result will lead to decreased effort to produce the same outcome, will be more cost effective at ground level & lead the way to a safer industry for climbers & groundworkers alike. Treeworker.co.uk will be an asset to the arb industry as it keeps you up to date with events & happenings as they unfold. |
| More . . . The day to day running of Horizon Treecare has been the main business since the mid 1990’s, along with involvement with TCC’s. Having maintained a top five UK finish since 1997 it culminated with UK/I team places at European TCC in 2001 & 2002, with 1st place finishes in Scotland’98 & Wales’02. The most important aspect though, with this involvement has been how the TCC development has slid smoothly into the everyday workplace. From canopy access technique to more fluid friction hitches & effortlessness of climbing style.
Much can be achieved by effortlessly flowing with, rather than fighting against. To this end it would be fantastic to see more climbers using well developed & balanced technique that offer the chance of a long & fruitful connection with trees through climbing. It is important for this information to be available & accessible to all climbers so that we can all move forward together.
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| Treeworker.co.uk | 2 Portway Road, Twyford, Buckinghamshire, MK18 4EE, UK
T: 01296 738459 | M: 07971 830331 | E: info@treeworker.co.uk |  |  |
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