Learning the Language of Trees: My First 60 Days at Arb Innovators
- Katie Lewis
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 15
They say you should never meet your heroes, but what if your heroes are 400-year-old Oaks and veteran Field Maples?
Quick-Fire Questions
Tea or Coffee? Tea.
Early Start or Late Finish? Early start.
Favourite Tree Survey Snack? Mini Cheese. Cathedral City for the win!
Ancient Woodland or Parkland? Ancient woodland, every time.
What makes a tree interesting to you?
To be honest, it is rarely to do with the age or size of the tree, but the story they can tell through their structure, and unique features of their trunks to their crowns – almost being a map of their life that you can read/interpret if you learn their language.
How the First 60 Days Began
My first 60 days into the world of trees didn't happen all at once. During my degree, I actually thought I’d end up working with animals. However, everything changed during a student placement where I spent my time tree planting, coppicing, and surveying young trees. I began to see how resilient trees can be and the massive difference they make to a landscape.
I became fascinated by the idea that trees are "living monuments".
After my degree, I moved into a horticultural advisory role, but that fascination with trees never left me. It eventually led me to a chance encounter at an Ancient Tree Forum field visit. While most of the group moved on to look at the next tree, I stayed behind to get a closer look at a fascinating beech tree. I noticed someone else was doing the exact same thing. That person was Callum.
After the visit, I found Arb Innovators on Instagram to look at all the interesting things Callum had been telling me about. I was filled with excitement and eagerness and could not resist getting in touch.
And that conversation was the start of my journey with Arb Innovators.
From Horticultural Advisory to High-Tech
Transitioning into arboricultural consultancy felt like a big leap.
I’ll be honest: I was nervous.
I worried about staying away for work, the travel, and moving into a fast-paced role as a consultant.
The reality? I’ve absolutely loved it.
I have swapped my fixed routine for a life on the road. While I’m still mastering the art of navigating slippery banks, traversing ditches and waterlogged fields during a BS5837 tree survey, or noisy school playgrounds during a tree risk assessment, all whilst learning to absorb information in the field without stopping to take notes every second, the variation in the role keeps me constantly inspired.
Seeing the Unseen
One of my favourite things about this role is the storytelling. To me, a tree’s structure, from its trunk to its crown, is a huge 3D map of its life and I'm discovering that if you learn the language of trees, you can read its history.
Since joining, I’ve had some incredible "office" views:
The tiny highlight: spotting a mouse living in a small hole in a late mature Oak tree during a development survey.
Tech in the Field
If we can help visualise that data, we can change how people value the trees on their land.
I was genuinely surprised by how much tech goes into "looking at trees". At Arb Innovators, we use digital data collection tools like QField with our own custom forms for differing surveys to make data collection intuitive (and much easier when the British weather takes a turn for the worst!). We use drones to capture site images, create 3D models, or produce orthomosaics when we don't have a Topographical Survey. On top of all that, we use photogrammetry to scan trees or demonstrate site context, and I’ve started using GenAI and Large Language Models as a partner for "brain dumps" when I’m figuring out how to tackle a new task.
I've just started reading the The Drone and Model Aircraft Code so I can obtain my Flyer ID and, as the weather improves, start learning how to fly a drone safely and get my A2 CofC (a UK drone qualification from the Civil Aviation Authority) in the Spring.
It’s that blend of nature and modern innovation that really excites me and I can see how it makes the data we give to clients more impactful.
Thinking of a Career in Trees?
If you think arboriculture is "too late" for you, or that you haven't studied enough; think again.
You don’t necessarily need to study trees to work with them; you just need to get curious. There are so many diverse roles within this sector that you are almost certainly bound to find a place where your existing skills fit.
My advice? Focus on the skills you already have and see where they fit; the industry is much broader than you think. Trees are involved in our day-to-day lives more than we realise, and once you start looking, you can’t stop.
It's infectious.
That is when, like mine, your journey of "infinite learning" will begin.
Invest in good thermal layers (trust me, starting survey life in the winter has been a shock to the system), keep the mini cheeses handy for when the going gets tough, and just dive in.
Also... who knew, "going tree blind" 100 trees into a tree survey is a real thing!
Outside of Work
When I'm not "reading" trees, you'll find me walking my dog, practicing yoga, or listening to records.
But let's be honest, I'm usually still thinking about trees.
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