A chat with Kevin Martin.
By Mark Chester
2019-11-25
Kevin Martin is the Tree Manager at RBG, Kew, and a regular contributor to the CAS e-news. He writes about some of the special trees at Kew. The past year has been a busy time for Kevin, so I phoned him to catch up on what he is doing at the moment, and to reflect on the various projects he has been active with.
We had both recently assessed an oak which had been subject to really poor pruning several years ago, and it was to this specimen that conversation began. How could we still be treating trees so poorly, I wondered? For Kevin, there is a concern that too few arborists are equipped to think for themselves, but rely on the thoughts of others. For some, recommendations are based on what is in a text book, regardless of the situation. He had recently been asked to look at a tree where a colleague recommended felling before actually arriving on site, and when Kevin looked at it, there was no cause for concern. It is so important that we learn to think for ourselves, to reach conclusions and to back them and our own judgement.
Kevin is actually enjoying a few relatively quieter weeks (doing 40 hours per week rather that 50, I mused). The two construction projects that dominated his life over the past year are now completed and preparations for Christmas are yet to start. He actually has two days per week extra to focus on his main job now that the construction projects are finished. A highlight for visitors to Kew is to see one of the larger trees illuminated with thousands of lights. Kevin and his team are responsible for installing some 20km of fairy lights, a challenge that takes about two weeks. It is painstaking work, as one can’t climb an area once lights have been installed.
How had the construction projects progressed? Kevin found himself as the Project Manager for two projects, one to create a Children’s Garden and the other rebuilding a pavilion which is also used as a restaurant. Both projects were completed on time, and represented an unusual scenario, with Kevin being both client and Project Manager. He provided training for the contractors for both projects, explaining why the Root Protection Area needed to be protected, and why trees matter. He was aided by Richmond Borough Council stipulating the need for supervision in a condition of approval.
For the Children’s Garden, Kevin developed a good relationship with the Manager and work progressed smoothly. For the Pavilion, the journey was less smooth, not helped by a turnover of staff, some of whom didn’t always appreciate the constraints of the trees. Challenges included fencing being moved and soil being stored within protected areas. One member of the building team who was a repeat offender was required to leave the site.
Kevin considers that planning departments can help the process by greater use of conditions to require arboricultural supervision. He referred to the situation in Wales that was recently in the news, where a Redwood planted more than a century ago, and outside the area being developed, was felled ‘in error’. The offenders were fined, but the tree has still been lost. He observed that it is hard to see how something like this can just happen, that it can be an accident. It is also hard for consultants who write good reports to see their recommended being ignored when the document is viewed as simply ticking a box.
There is an additional problem with damage to trees in that it can take years, perhaps a decade or more, for damage to become evident, by which time, the perpetrators have long since moved on.
As he reflects on these two projects, Kevin recognises that within the construction sector, tree people are often seen as a problem, a pain. It is important that we work together, perhaps explaining the benefits of trees via educational workshops. With one site where he supervised, Kevin was seen as ‘God’, and not in a positive way; he had the power to stop work.
One of the big changes Kevin has encountered this year has been with climbing and the requirement of the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) that all climbers use two load-bearing anchor points when working in a tree. Is this always practical, he ponders? It will probably slow work and result in higher costs, and there is definitely a new learning process. However, Kevin, as a manager, can see the benefits, as soon many climbers have been injured or worse falling from a tree. For the commercial operator, slower work could be frustrating when meeting revenue targets. Possibly, this new policy should have been introduced with the Working at Height Regulations 2005.
One of the frustrations that Kevin is observes is that the AA Approved Contractor scheme focuses on the company and its operations rather than the competency of the individual climber, and it can be harder for the better climbers to demonstrate their qualities. He is concerned that too many of the younger climbers are too keen to pursue consultancy work and can be reluctant spending time climbing trees and working on them.
2020 represents the final year of the Batchelors degree that Kevin is taking at Myerscough College. His thesis is exploring soil compaction, and I was keen to hear more. He has access to many trees at Kew, and has been exploring how measures such as use of mulch and diverting desire lines away from trees can encourage vitality. For one trial tree, one side is grassed and the other has a path. Using sap flow, the impact on the tree can be measured. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the conclusions.
Oak Processionary Moth has been a major problem for Kevin in recent years. However, the work of the past five years to manage this pest is now bearing fruit, and no new nests were established in this past year.
One of the major projects for 2020 is the new building which will replace the facilities where students have previously been taught and Kevin and his staff have worked from. Tony Kirkham, Curator of the Collection at Kew, and Kevin’s manager, worked hard to make this new building a reality. Construction work is now commencing with the building of the compound. Kevin suggested that it won’t be ready to host a return visit by CAS in 2020, but perhaps the subsequent year? He reflected that Tony’s recent awarding of the AA Award was much deserved.
Kevin has been at Kew for some seven years now, arriving there are lead climber in the spring of 2012, being promoted to Trees Manager later that year. When he arrived, tree work was very reactive and there was a backlog of trees needing pruning. Such significant progress has been made that, whereas when he took on the role, Kevin would often find many broken branches after a storm, and sometimes several fallen trees. Now, storms pass through and the trees are largely unaffected. A pro-active tree management approach is now in place, and the benefits are being appreciated throughout the Gardens.
When Kevin arrived at Kew, in 2012, there were some 1.2 million visitors. 2019 has proved to be the most popular thus far, with an expected total of some 2.2 million visitors. Indeed, during the summer months, every weekend saw either the Saturday or the Sunday with at least 8000 visitors, and on several occasions, 15,000 through the gates. Previously, Kevin would need to carefully evaluated if a forecast storm was sufficiently serious to require not opening the Gardens for a particular day. He is pleased that there have been no closures during 2019.
Part of the pro-active approach has been to reduce over-extended scaffold branches where needed. This has resulted in fewer breakages. The use of mulch, aerating and the use of fencing to protect key trees is proving very beneficial. Ten trees showing signs of stress were subject to this treatment in 2018 with three more in 2019. It is having a big impact. This has been demonstrated by the response of the historically-important Chestnut-leaf Oak. This tree is one of the original specimens planted to create the Gardens in 1860. Extension growth was typically 10-20 cm per year. The tree was fenced off in 2015. The tree was measured then at 35 metres in height. It was measured this year to be 38 metres.
One of the important elements of tree management that Kevin is keen to highlight is what is happening to the world below ground. Soils and compaction is so important for trees, and a small compaction can have a significant impact on tree health. Kevin is keen to share our knowledge more widely. He feels that we should be going to schools and promoting arboriculture as a career for clever people. This is something for which I share his passion.
Our conversation ended with thoughts on tree risk assessments. We have QTRA, TRAQ, THREATS and VALID. Some are quantitative and others qualitative. David Dowson recently comments to arborists attending a training event for instructors hoping to deliver training to Highways Inspectors that it is very difficult to assess probably of risk with trees, mainly because one doesn’t know when failure could occur. Kevin concurs and observed that judges don’t tend to apply much weight to which system is being used, and whether there is a 1 in 10,000 or a 1 in 25,000 chance of a tree failing. Judgments are more concerned that there has been an assessment.
Kevin is someone I could talk to for hours. I look forward to the next time we have a catch up. I am hoping that we can feature details of the two construction projects in the near future.
A chat with Kevin Martin.
Kevin Martin is the Tree Manager at RBG, Kew, and a regular contributor to the CAS e-news. He writes about some of the special trees at Kew. The past year has been a busy time for Kevin, so I phoned him to catch up on what he is doing at the moment, and to reflect on the various projects he has been active with.
We had both recently assessed an oak which had been subject to really poor pruning several years ago, and it was to this specimen that conversation began. How could we still be treating trees so poorly, I wondered? For Kevin, there is a concern that too few arborists are equipped to think for themselves, but rely on the thoughts of others. For some, recommendations are based on what is in a text book, regardless of the situation. He had recently been asked to look at a tree where a colleague recommended felling before actually arriving on site, and when Kevin looked at it, there was no cause for concern. It is so important that we learn to think for ourselves, to reach conclusions and to back them and our own judgement.
Kevin is actually enjoying a few relatively quieter weeks (doing 40 hours per week rather that 50, I mused). The two construction projects that dominated his life over the past year are now completed and preparations for Christmas are yet to start. He actually has two days per week extra to focus on his main job now that the construction projects are finished. A highlight for visitors to Kew is to see one of the larger trees illuminated with thousands of lights. Kevin and his team are responsible for installing some 20km of fairy lights, a challenge that takes about two weeks. It is painstaking work, as one can’t climb an area once lights have been installed.
How had the construction projects progressed? Kevin found himself as the Project Manager for two projects, one to create a Children’s Garden and the other rebuilding a pavilion which is also used as a restaurant. Both projects were completed on time, and represented an unusual scenario, with Kevin being both client and Project Manager. He provided training for the contractors for both projects, explaining why the Root Protection Area needed to be protected, and why trees matter. He was aided by Richmond Borough Council stipulating the need for supervision in a condition of approval.
For the Children’s Garden, Kevin developed a good relationship with the Manager and work progressed smoothly. For the Pavilion, the journey was less smooth, not helped by a turnover of staff, some of whom didn’t always appreciate the constraints of the trees. Challenges included fencing being moved and soil being stored within protected areas. One member of the building team who was a repeat offender was required to leave the site.
Kevin considers that planning departments can help the process by greater use of conditions to require arboricultural supervision. He referred to the situation in Wales that was recently in the news, where a Redwood planted more than a century ago, and outside the area being developed, was felled ‘in error’. The offenders were fined, but the tree has still been lost. He observed that it is hard to see how something like this can just happen, that it can be an accident. It is also hard for consultants who write good reports to see their recommended being ignored when the document is viewed as simply ticking a box.
There is an additional problem with damage to trees in that it can take years, perhaps a decade or more, for damage to become evident, by which time, the perpetrators have long since moved on.
As he reflects on these two projects, Kevin recognises that within the construction sector, tree people are often seen as a problem, a pain. It is important that we work together, perhaps explaining the benefits of trees via educational workshops. With one site where he supervised, Kevin was seen as ‘God’, and not in a positive way; he had the power to stop work.
One of the big changes Kevin has encountered this year has been with climbing and the requirement of the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) that all climbers use two load-bearing anchor points when working in a tree. Is this always practical, he ponders? It will probably slow work and result in higher costs, and there is definitely a new learning process. However, Kevin, as a manager, can see the benefits, as soon many climbers have been injured or worse falling from a tree. For the commercial operator, slower work could be frustrating when meeting revenue targets. Possibly, this new policy should have been introduced with the Working at Height Regulations 2005.
One of the frustrations that Kevin is observes is that the AA Approved Contractor scheme focuses on the company and its operations rather than the competency of the individual climber, and it can be harder for the better climbers to demonstrate their qualities. He is concerned that too many of the younger climbers are too keen to pursue consultancy work and can be reluctant spending time climbing trees and working on them.
2020 represents the final year of the Batchelors degree that Kevin is taking at Myerscough College. His thesis is exploring soil compaction, and I was keen to hear more. He has access to many trees at Kew, and has been exploring how measures such as use of mulch and diverting desire lines away from trees can encourage vitality. For one trial tree, one side is grassed and the other has a path. Using sap flow, the impact on the tree can be measured. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the conclusions.
Oak Processionary Moth has been a major problem for Kevin in recent years. However, the work of the past five years to manage this pest is now bearing fruit, and no new nests were established in this past year.
One of the major projects for 2020 is the new building which will replace the facilities where students have previously been taught and Kevin and his staff have worked from. Tony Kirkham, Curator of the Collection at Kew, and Kevin’s manager, worked hard to make this new building a reality. Construction work is now commencing with the building of the compound. Kevin suggested that it won’t be ready to host a return visit by CAS in 2020, but perhaps the subsequent year? He reflected that Tony’s recent awarding of the AA Award was much deserved.
Kevin has been at Kew for some seven years now, arriving there are lead climber in the spring of 2012, being promoted to Trees Manager later that year. When he arrived, tree work was very reactive and there was a backlog of trees needing pruning. Such significant progress has been made that, whereas when he took on the role, Kevin would often find many broken branches after a storm, and sometimes several fallen trees. Now, storms pass through and the trees are largely unaffected. A pro-active tree management approach is now in place, and the benefits are being appreciated throughout the Gardens.
When Kevin arrived at Kew, in 2012, there were some 1.2 million visitors. 2019 has proved to be the most popular thus far, with an expected total of some 2.2 million visitors. Indeed, during the summer months, every weekend saw either the Saturday or the Sunday with at least 8000 visitors, and on several occasions, 15,000 through the gates. Previously, Kevin would need to carefully evaluated if a forecast storm was sufficiently serious to require not opening the Gardens for a particular day. He is pleased that there have been no closures during 2019.
Part of the pro-active approach has been to reduce over-extended scaffold branches where needed. This has resulted in fewer breakages. The use of mulch, aerating and the use of fencing to protect key trees is proving very beneficial. Ten trees showing signs of stress were subject to this treatment in 2018 with three more in 2019. It is having a big impact. This has been demonstrated by the response of the historically-important Chestnut-leaf Oak. This tree is one of the original specimens planted to create the Gardens in 1860. Extension growth was typically 10-20 cm per year. The tree was fenced off in 2015. The tree was measured then at 35 metres in height. It was measured this year to be 38 metres.
One of the important elements of tree management that Kevin is keen to highlight is what is happening to the world below ground. Soils and compaction is so important for trees, and a small compaction can have a significant impact on tree health. Kevin is keen to share our knowledge more widely. He feels that we should be going to schools and promoting arboriculture as a career for clever people. This is something for which I share his passion.
Our conversation ended with thoughts on tree risk assessments. We have QTRA, TRAQ, THREATS and VALID. Some are quantitative and others qualitative. David Dowson recently comments to arborists attending a training event for instructors hoping to deliver training to Highways Inspectors that it is very difficult to assess probably of risk with trees, mainly because one doesn’t know when failure could occur. Kevin concurs and observed that judges don’t tend to apply much weight to which system is being used, and whether there is a 1 in 10,000 or a 1 in 25,000 chance of a tree failing. Judgments are more concerned that there has been an assessment.
Kevin is someone I could talk to for hours. I look forward to the next time we have a catch up. I am hoping that we can feature details of the two construction projects in the near future.