Arboriculture

Arboriculture is the professional management and care of landscape trees for amenity and public safety. Qualified arboriculturists, or arborists for short, base their management on current scientific research and best practice. As consultant arborists we are qualified, trained and experienced to properly inspect and report on the condition of trees and provide informed solutions for their management.

Two key developments in the evolution of modern arboricultural practice include Dr. Alex Shigo's tree biology studies and Professor Claus Mattheck's work on tree biomechanics.

Shigo's work on tree biology and pathology has enabled us to choose practices which work in harmony with tree systems and structures. We know more and more now about how trees grow, how they respond to injury and how they die.  For example, this enables us to understand how and when to prune trees depending upon age and vitality and the correct positions for branch removal cuts.

Mattheck's work is facilitating a science-based method of assessing decay and other structural defects in trees. This is allowing us to retain valuable, old amenity trees that would previously have been condemned; while truly hazardous trees can be identified and promptly dealt with.

The leading professional organisation for arboriculture in north-west Europe is the Arboricultural Association. If you are interested in joining or finding out about the arboricultural association - get in touch with the Irish Branch of the Arboricultural Association by contacting us at goodwin-arborist or contact the UK and Ireland head office via the website of the Arboricultural Association.