Women in arb: Margrethe Wheeler

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?

I was born and raised in the south of Norway. I was always quite independent, running around the neighbourhood having adventures with my friends. We played in the forest a lot. With my family I did a lot of hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. I ended up getting a degree in the medical field, as a doctor’s secretary. I’ve been working with that on and off for about 11 years and backpacked around the world in-between jobs. I have worked in this industry since January 2019.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

In a town called Fredrikstad, in the south of Norway. It’s a very nice city by the ocean, with a little over 80,000 inhabitants.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO PURSUE A CAREER IN ARBORICULTURE?

Originally, I wanted more freedom in my day-to-day life; not always clocking in and out at a certain time. In my old job, I spent the whole day inside, behind a desk. I was surrounded by stress and that had a physical effect on me. I don’t think I realised how much, at the time. I decided to take the chance and do something completely different and that’s when my career in arboriculture started. I quickly noticed the benefits of working outside in nature and being able to work physically. It just made me happier and healthier! Also, the excitement with felling trees and climbing quickly made me love the job and want to pursue it as a career. I had gotten a one-year leave from my job, but after eight months I turned in my resignation and said I wasn’t coming back.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?

For me, it was very simple because my husband has been working in the industry for 14 years and has had the company En Mot Tre (One Against Three/Tree) for the last nine years.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK INVOLVE?

We do a lot of felling and climbing, some pruning and de-limbing (I wish we had more of that, actually. I enjoy spending time in the canopy). On the job site, I’m either climbing or working as a groundie, running ropes, dragging brush and chipping. We try to split it 50/50, so we both get to do a bit of everything. I also answer phone calls, schedule estimates and jobs, and do billing and some accounting.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF ARB WORK?

That was actually right in my front yard, climbing and de-limbing a big birch, way before I decided to quit my regular job though. Back then, I had never run a chainsaw and definitely not climbed before. I didn’t see it as something for me. Man, do I wish I could go back and tell myself a few things, because I could have started with this way before two years ago!

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME IN THE INDUSTRY?

Stay humble or get humbled! There are a lot of ways and techniques out there, and even if it’s not how you do things, you can learn from it. Maybe you will change your ways or maybe not, but at least you know how to do it now. I have also learned a lot about myself and what I can do. I never imagined I would be in a physical job like this, maybe I thought I couldn’t do it, but the body is amazing. It thrives under hard work.

READ MORE: Women in arb: Georgi Ennis

I had neck problems and headaches when I worked in the office, but I don’t any more. And I never take naps after work now, I actually have more energy. Not that I don’t get tired, because you can really feel the hard work on your body, but it’s the good kind of tired!

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY?

Going from being uncomfortable with climbing, the gear, the heights and asking a bunch of questions to feeling so confident that I now actually just love climbing.

YOU ARE WORKING WITH HUSQVARNA, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THAT?

I personally don’t have a sponsorship or contract with Husqvarna, but our company En Mot Tre does, and for me that means I get to test out some new gear and equipment. That all started with social media and getting noticed there.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES HAS IT PRESENTED YOU WITH?

I’ve been able to join for some demo days, getting to learn about the equipment, meeting different H-team members that I already know from social media, including some of the women in the industry. So, all of that has been super fun and I really appreciate the opportunities.

ARE THERE ANY COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WORKING IN ARBORICULTURE THAT YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED?

People here are quite surprised to find out this is our only line of work. Beside some of the bigger cities, most people in the industry over here have it as a side job. We are actually the only company in our city, that we know of, that does this full-time without a secondary income. The arb industry in Norway is still very small, not a lot of people realise that they are getting a professional, not just a local farmer that does this for some extra cash.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BEING A WOMAN IN A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY BEEN?

I do get a lot of surprised faces, especially when the customers realise that I’m the one climbing, and not just helping out with the ground work or staying in the office. Sometimes, there can be some comments before we start the job like, “Oh, I see you brought your little helper” (referring to me). But they will find out soon enough that we’re a team and we do the same work. I’ve had nothing but smiles and compliments after a job. But, of course, sometimes I can feel like I need to prove myself a little bit more than the guys. Gaining knowledge and experience really helps. I’m getting more confident in my abilities as a tree worker and climber.

All in all, my experience has been really good. I think being a girl in the industry also brings a lot of benefits. You get noticed more and can get some opportunities the guys maybe won’t, so that’s not always fair to them.

The most negative is probably through Instagram and social media, just trolls saying stupid things like your gear is too clean, implying that I don’t actually work. But nobody would comment negatively about a guy wearing his new pants. You know it’s just stupid talk from people that have no clue. I used to leave comments and send a response, but now I just delete them, because I can and it doesn’t deserve my time.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN INTO THE SECTOR?

When business owners are looking to hire, they can make it clear that women are welcome to apply as well. Also, I think the more women are visible and actually thriving in the industry, other women will notice that and get interested. We are actually talking about doing an all-girls crew. How cool would that be?

ARBORICULTURE IS VERY POPULAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS INSTAGRAM – WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

There are a lot of people in this industry that love what they do! I think that’s easy to see with the ones I follow. It’s nice to use social media in a positive way, to connect with others in the industry. We share experiences and advice about gear and even trade shirts and stickers. It’s like a little community. Even to the people that are not in the industry, it’s interesting to follow because they get to see the exciting parts of the job.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUILD A FOLLOWING? WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DOES THAT BRING?

I had some experience with it since I was already involved with the Instagram for En Mot Tre and a popular one we have for chainsaw carving, @motorsagfigurer. It felt natural to get my own account going when I started working with trees every day. It’s nice to be able to connect with people, and follow the ones that I feel can inspire me to move forward. I definitely enjoy seeing all the women in the industry. It has made me feel less alone in a way. So, it started out just being a way for me to grow. But I’ve gotten a few followers since I started, which is very nice and that for sure brings some opportunities when it comes to sponsorships and testing out clothes and gear. As long as I’m not getting locked into an exclusive deal, preventing me from being honest about how I feel, I’m very happy to test out and promote products that I actually like.

ANY PARTICULAR AMBITIONS YOU ARE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?

The ultimate goal for me is to finish my certifications and become an arborist!

Follow Margrethe on Instagram: @xpmaggie

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