Arb apprentices: Meeting the future of Fife's tree team

“MY mum gets me into trouble for it all the time,” says Samuel Michie, an arb apprentice with Fife Council. “I’ll be walking the dog or out with my girlfriend and she’s like: ‘Will you stop talking about trees!’” 

With apologies to Samuel’s nearest and dearest, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

As he knows only too well, the minute trees become part of your life, they are in it for the long haul. As it seems are Samuel and his fellow apprentice, Corrie Brock, who both fell into the sector by chance (don’t most people?) but don’t regret it for a minute. 

READ MORE FROM THE APPRENTICES: Arb apprentices talk chainsaws, the public, and falling in love with trees

The latest duo to enter Fife Council’s arb division (which comes under the Assets, Transportation and Environment Services umbrella), they have spent much of the last year caring for the local authority’s trees, from the city of Dunfermline to its East Neuk and its blink-and-you’ll-miss-them villages that wind along Scotland’s coastline. 

Like many, Sam, 18, and 17-year-old Corrie didn’t really know much about arboriculture before landing the roles – “I knew nothing,” admits Corrie – but now embrace the fact it has taken over their lives. 

“It’s really different,” said Samuel. “When you ask most folk what they do, they say something like a joiner, or a sparky, a plumber. Being a tree surgeon is just a bit different.

Samuel in the field (Image: Supplied)

“I like the aspect of doing so much climbing. You can go on to get your rope access from there – there are a lot of opportunities.” 

During their apprenticeship, Sam and Corrie get a taste of everything arboriculture has to offer. As well as climbing trees, they work on two portfolios – one with the council and another with Rural Skills – while earning additional training through Lantra. Daily activities vary, but the use of chainsaws – mainly Husqvarnas – and woodchippers – Fife Council has a fleet of GreenMechs and one Timberwolf 230 tracked chipper – is at the heart of everything they do. 

The good news is a clear road to progress into the sector full-time exists. In recent years, Cameron Airzee, Owen Maxwell and Declan Brown have all trodden the same path Samuel and Corrie are doing now, while Codey Pierce and Dillon Findleton, both 24, are mentoring the duo. 

Fife's fleet includes a Timberwolf 230 tracked chipper (Image: Supplied)

For Codey, turning to trees has been transformational. After leaving school, he spent time on benefits before joining Living Solutions, a social enterprise based in the town of Cowdenbeath that included an arborist training team. When Covid hit and he found himself jobless again, he signed up to the council’s seasonal department, mainly doing grass cutting, only for the apprenticeship to appear. Two years later, he’s now a qualified tree surgeon. 

“It was definitely the right decision,” said Codey when asked about doing the apprenticeship. “Before, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt lost a wee bit. But now I feel like I am progressing with my life. 

“You start a path and I knew I could get a job at the end of it. Thankfully, I did. 

Codey has embraced the chance to do all types of tree work. (Image: Supplied)

“Now I want to just keep learning, and keep progressing. One day we could get up to the level of officer or something like that.” 

Similarly, Dillon has enjoyed the opportunities afforded to him by the apprenticeship, and doesn’t regret opting for arboriculture over horticulture. 

“There was a lot more room for progression,” he said of his decision. “The skills I could learn on this one would be a lot more useful for what I would need in the future. 

“My impression of trees has changed massively since I started. Before, I never even thought about them. I just looked at them and thought: ‘How hard can it be to chop it down?’” 

All told, the arb apprenticeships have proven to be a brilliant success for Fife Council, giving local people (the boys come from the likes of Kirkcaldy and Leven) a genuine route into employment. But it isn’t without its challenges. 

Brian Taylor is a tree officer, having started in a similar position to the foursome 40 years ago with what was then Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC). The difference between then and now is best summed up by the fact the GDC had the same number of tree surgeons to cover that one area than now work across the whole of Fife Council.  

“There were plenty of resources,” he said. “This is our biggest issue now; trying to get the job done without enough resources. 

“You are also being managed from the top down by people who maybe don’t understand the job. That’s not their fault but trying to say to them that we need this machine or that machine can be a challenge. They are looking at it from a financial point of view.” 

As if to prove that point, it took Brian and Robert Cunningham, also a tree officer, two years to convince the council’s hierarchy to purchase the Timberwolf. A similar discussion had to be had when it came to buying FSI stump grinders. 

“It’s about trying to be smart now with machinery,” Robert said. “We just got a new Timberwolf 230 tracked chipper, which is obviously so much easier with a reduced workforce. 

Pittencrieff Park, in Dunfermline, is among the locations managed by the council's arb team (Image: Newsquest)

“It’s better to take the machine to the work than the work to the machine. It’s all to do with the public and councillors’ expectations. 

“Long term, these guys should really be having a say about what’s purchased as well. They use them.” 

Another challenge coming over the horizon is the prevalence of ash dieback, which will see the team complete a survey on all of the trees on Fife’s school estate. Again, trying to convince different departments of the importance of tackling the disease early can take some time. 

“If we are talking about Fife Council and how ash dieback will affect it, it’s only really our servicing and the guys here who are aware of ash dieback,” Brian said. “If you’re in education or something like that, ash dieback is the least of your worries. You are not even thinking about that. You’re just seeing trees. 

“At some point it’s going to have to come under one umbrella and be dealt with.” 

“It’s something the council has to be looking at in the long term and how they can deal with it,” added Robert. “The scale of it is vast.” 

Despite these challenges, the apprenticeship scheme remains one of the jewels in Fife Council’s crown, offering a taste of arboriculture and steady hands to guide the young tree surgeons along the way. 

“The council is such a good employer because there isn’t a ceiling as such,” said Robert.

“You can keep learning and progressing. 

“These are challenging times financially for everyone. That’s one of the benefits of the apprenticeships scheme because you are growing your own guys for the end of it. 

“The great thing about the apprenticeship is you get the base knowledge. You are getting life experiences and you are getting out to work.”