An interview with Kevin Martin
By Mark Chester
2019-01-21
A Chat with Kevin Martin:
Regular readers will be familiar with the articles from Kevin Martin exploring some of the trees at RBG Kew. Kevin is the Arboricultural Manager at Kew, responsible for the management of some 14,000 trees. Christmas is a particularly busy time for him, so rather than ask him to write the article, I thought I’d interview him instead.
Kevin was unable to attend the recent CAS at Windsor Great Park event due to his workload, so I asked him to share about Christmas at Kew. One project has been to install some 2.5 km (2500 metres) of Christmas lights within a particularly large Beech tree, from the base of the trunk through the branches to the top. This is a major task, especially as the wires need to be installed in a very systematic manner. Once wires have been installed on a branch, it is not possible for the climbers to use that branch. Care also needs to be taken to ensure that all of the connectors work.
For Kevin, planning this event begins in June, and his full team of six climbers is involved for several days. In fact, he has calculated that a total of 20 work days are taken on this project. And that also means that the team is not involved with pruning trees! I can sense Kevin’s frustration at this loss of the team as he shares his resource with the wider operation. However, this must be quite a sight.
There is no let up for Kevin, because once the Christmas festivities have concluded, he is busy preparing to manage the Oak Processionary Moth. The larvae of this insect represent a major public health threat. Each caterpillar has more than a thousand hairs, each of which can cause severe skin irritations. Dealing with the pest is a major operation.
Does this leave Kevin much time for surveying trees? He takes his year as April to April, this fitting in with the Kew accountancy year. His target is to survey 3000 trees per year. He reached this in 2016-17 and again in 2017-18. He is on target for the current year. This is some achievement, especially considering the range of projects Kevin has covered this year.
Kew Gardens is presently undertaking some major construction projects. Several of these are involving work close to trees. Kevin is currently working on the rebuilding of the Pavilion restaurant. Six trees are affected by the development, and Kevin has been responsible for managing the tree protection element. This has involved writing the tree report to BS5837:2012, supervising work and overseeing the Root Protection management during construction works. It has involved on-going, and at times constant, monitoring.
Kevin shared with me previously of the challenges he faced with the monitoring. So often, tree protection is seen as a box-ticking exercise, and supervision is limited. In this case, he was client and consultant, a very rare combination. Kevin set the specification and then supervised its implementation. He even produced an induction for contractors, which had to be completed before they could enter the site. This must have been a very different experience for those contractors! He is pleased that work is nearing completion.
The new Children’s Garden is another construction challenge, this time involving some 68 trees. Kevin was again client and consultant. He wrote the BS5937:2012 tree report. Work included bringing in three new Scots Pines, each 8 tonnes. This project is nearing completion. One major part of the project was the construction of a platform around an oak tree. Kevin was involved in supervising and implementation of a pile foundation, which required root radar and the use of an air spade prior to piling.
Kevin has been committed to his own professional development, and he is nearing completion of a BSc in Arboriculture. How is this progressing, I wondered? Given Kevin’s own knowledge, it is perhaps not surprising that he has covered much of the curriculum. Some of the units have been covered by Accreditation of Prior Learning. I have often thought that, as someone who has developed an app for assessing risk in trees, Kevin could probably deliver some of the lectures himself.
He is currently working on his thesis. He is exploring the effects of ground compaction, caused by construction work or desire lines, on trees. He is specifically exploring the management of mitigation and the research on how certain species of trees are affected by compaction. Which trees are most affected? Is there a difference between ring porous and diffuse porous trees? From this, can we identify species that are more tolerant of compaction?
I then asked Kevin to share what his greatest challenges are. Insufficient time to pursue all of his projects is probably the greatest. Supervising construction work has been a learning curve as he has sought to work closely with professionals who have no experience of working with trees. It has emphasised the need to work closely together. Working on the new Pavilion restaurant, Kevin found himself with a site that had very little space. However, the trees still needed to be protected. Kevin took a firm line, knowing that he could stop work progressing. His concern is that this degree of supervision is voluntary. There is a need for greater restrictions within the planning process. The situation at Kew where he was client and consultant is unique.
The highlight of the year was the visit to the British Virgin Islands. Kevin took a team of arborists there in the summer. The Islands suffered great damage during a storm in 2017, and Kevin was asked to survey trees within the Botanical Gardens and other key sites. His report has been published and it is now being considered by the Governor of the Islands in informing the future management of the trees on the Islands.
Challenges for 2019 include supervising the demolition and rebuilding of the White Peaks restaurant. This is under a very large Japanese Pagoda tree, a London Plane and a Weeping Lime. All are significant trees. Previously, Kew enjoyed immunity from planning, being part of the Crown Estate. However, without the input of the planning process, there was a tendency to have poor designs. This has changed and planning permission is now needed for developments.
The redevelopment is a big project. Kevin has already used tree radar as there is a need to move the building. It is too complex to be built in the current print. The process of supervising the work will still need careful management.
I then asked for Kevin’s thoughts on the recent judgement on Cavanagh v Witley, and whether it would have an impact on his own work. The key issues are that a Lime tree failed, crashing into a passing bus. The driver of the bus suffered severe injuries and sought compensation. The tree had been inspected three years previously. It was decayed at the base and had a lean over the road. There were houses on the opposite side. Dr. Dealga O’Callaghan represented the claimant and concluded that the inspection regime needed to be more frequent. Jeremy Barrell, for the defendant, concluded that it was sufficient.
The original judgement was for the claimant. It was appealed, and two judges have endorsed the original judgement.
In his own no nonsense way, Kevin simply said that if it was his tree, he would inspect on an annual basis. He has already identified the highest risk trees at Kew, and surveys them on an annual basis. He wonders whether it is now time for a British Standard on surveying trees. Perhaps, one day, he will get around to writing it. One thing is for certain: Kevin is at the centre of a site of excellence where he can explore, trial and innovate. It seems to me that he is ideally suited to the role.