HortWeek Podcast: 'Failing clients deserve failing trees' - arb consultant Jeremy Barrell on the realities of tree procurement, growing, planting and establishment

Matt Appleby and Jeremy Barrell

HortWeek is giving arboriculture a well-deserved deep dive this autumn with a full 7 days of content from 24 - 30 November, we are calling ArbWeek (find out more about ArbWeek HERE).

The HortWeek Podcast has joined ArbWeek to bring HortWeek readers a series of interviews with leading arborists. The first of these is Jeremy Barrell.

A influential figure in the tree care landscape (and HortWeek columnist) Jeremy Barrell is one of the leading authorities on tree care.

A passionate campaigner on street trees in the wake of a number of controversial local authority fellings, in this week's podcast HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby hears Jeremy's uncompromising views on tree safety, tree planting, tree production and local authority procurement.

Barrell says: "The standard of training on some of the people that are planting [trees] - it's not surprising the trees don't survive...if you don't have a specification that is up to scratch, then of course contractors are going circles around you and you deserve to have a load of failures". 

"I deal with more tree failure cases that result in harm than any other expert in Britain...the harsh reality is there are many large duty holders...that don't do anything like the standard of tree checking that should be done".

Podcast presenter: Matthew Appleby
Podcast producer: Christina Taylor

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