Women in Arb - Emma Weston on Alton Towers, sexist instructors and her advice to young female arborists

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?

I’ve done a variety of work in the past from photography, exotic dancing and admin, to working in a mental health unit with detained patients under the Mental Health Act.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

I work for Alton Towers on the gardens and arb team.

WHAT MADE YOU PURSUE A CAREER IN ARBORICULTURE?

My husband got me interested in arb as he made the career change from a carpenter. I started to help him on his own jobs and loved the idea of working outside and flexing my female muscles.

So, I put myself through my chainsaw tickets and started applying for jobs in the industry. I then put myself through my climbing, as I didn’t feel I was progressing fast enough with the company I was in.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK INVOLVE?

Day-to-day work involves a huge variety, like hedge cutting from a MEWP to tractor driving, tree felling, pruning, dead wooding, soft landscaping – and some hard landscaping – to looking after the water courses, rodding drains, pest control, and even working the events on emergency call-outs, towing light generators and recovering 
mud-stuck vehicles.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE IN ARBORICULTURE?

I was working with my hubby on one of his jobs. We were hedge topping and tree felling, and it was my first time wearing chainsaw boots and trousers. I literally couldn’t walk by the end of the day and crawled into the bath! I was exhausted but exhilarated.

The customer actually offered me (what was once) my dream job of a nursing associate on the acute ambulatory care unit in the local NHS hospital. But I declined as I was already invested in my new career.

WHAT WAS THE LAST JOB YOU WORKED ON?

I’ve actually been off work for a while due to recovering from a car accident. But the last job I worked on was rigging an ash with my hubby. We had a tiny drop zone so absolutely no room for error.

The job took a lot longer then previously estimated but we got it down safely. The customer couldn’t stop praising us and even gave us a tip.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY?

Putting myself through my climbing and passing, taking time out of work – I even used my holidays – to prove to the company and to myself that I am capable. And also proving some misogynists wrong.

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

Don’t rush! Whether that’s trying to finish the work you’re doing or, like me, progressing through your tickets. Because accidents will happen.

I read something on an arb group that said ‘the slower you are, the faster you become’ and that’s stuck with me now.

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

Honestly – pretty crap. It has been hard. Emotionally hard. I find it difficult to be taken seriously, even now in this company I’m fighting for acceptance to be an equal. On commencing on my chainsaw course the guy instructing had zero interest in helping me.

Instead, he would make sexist remarks towards me and sent me off to dismantle a willow when the others were knocking out trees using the felling techniques. I felled three trees in the duration of the whole course and cried driving home, pretty certain I would fail my assessment. I practised my cuts nearly every evening in the garden on logs and I passed!

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

Ergonomic PPE for females! Finding kit that fits my birthing hips and thunder thighs is a painstaking task!

And more advertising!

HOW IMPORTANT IS A GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE WHEN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY?

Massively important. It’s easy to get caught up in people-pleasing, whether working over all the time or accepting workloads that interfere with your home/family time. Your mental health is equally important to your physical health.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING THE SECTOR AT THE MOMENT IN YOUR VIEW?

I would say from experience some customers’ lack of value towards arborists. For example, when pricing work up. It’s the same with some arb firms, their day rate doesn’t reflect the skill and danger involved and you’ve got other trades, such as plumbers, on twice as much, especially when self-employed.

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

It’s an exciting career, it’s dangerous, scary and challenging. The point-of-view videos of an arborist dismantling a huge tree with the use of GoPros are both immersive and captivating to the audience, so I can see why it’s popular.

WHAT GIVES YOU JOB SATISFACTION ABOUT CARRYING OUT YOUR ROLE?

I love the element of danger, and feeling strong in my role. The fact that I’ve accomplished a career change in a predominantly male-dominated field. And that I’m the only female qualified to climb and operate a MEWP in an historical garden is quite empowering – even if working with my colleagues has come with some challenges. I also love driving the tractor.

READ MORE: Women in arb wanted for Forestry Journal/essentialARB's series