New Registered Consultant
Congratulations and welcome to our new Registered Consultant, Lewis Fraser!
Lewis joined the scheme in January after successfully completing the assessment process. He is included in the online directory of consultants who have achieved the accreditation, which is recognised throughout the industry and beyond for its robust and quality assured requirements.
Lewis shares his experience of the application process here. If you’d like to find out more, visit www.trees.org.uk/Accreditation/Become-an-AARC or email sarah@trees.org.uk. The next deadline for applications is 1st September 2025.
Lewis said …
‘You are now a Registered Consultant.’ Finally, I thought, all that hard work has paid off, and with the realisation came an overwhelming sense of achievement. But where did it all start? For me, the journey began up in the canopy, ‘on the tools’ and loving it, whilst studying arboriculture at Plumpton College. It was a higher education course (FdSc), which introduced the Registered Consultant Scheme amongst other accreditations, like becoming Chartered. This all sounded very exciting, and almost beyond comprehension for someone like me as, to put it simply, school/college weren’t really my thing!
Like many, I sort of (luckily) fell into arboriculture, and thankfully over a decade on from those early days of learning the basics (there was a lot to learn), I’ve somehow managed to pull it all off. Note to self: whilst it’s now a core memory and of great amusement to all those who were present, don’t draw attention to yourself on day one of the aforementioned course by being the only person to eagerly raise your hand when asked who doesn’t know the difference between oak and sycamore! It took a while to shake that one off, and looking back, it’s nothing short of a miracle I made it this far…
Jokes aside, as much as this is my achievement, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the great mentors I have met along the way. To that end, I would like to thank the lecturers at Plumpton College for providing so much inspiration in those early days, and to my colleagues past and present for all their support and encouragement.
For anyone considering joining the scheme, I would encourage you to submit a draft report for pre-submission feedback. I found this initial part of the process invaluable, and any aspiring Registered Consultant would benefit from it.
So, onwards and upwards. ‘What’s next?’ I hear you cry. Well, probably a pint (or cask) of aptly named beer at this year’s ARB Show!
This article was taken from Issue 208 Spring 2025 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.