HighGround chats with Jamie, a former Royal Corps of Signals soldier who left the Army after 22 years and built a second career as an arborist. Unsure of his next steps, Jamie attended a HighGround Rural Week, which introduced him to the breadth of land‑based careers. He discovered arboriculture—an industry that encompasses tree planting, pruning, felling, habitat management and tree science.

Training is essential: standard entry‑level qualifications include certificates in chainsaw maintenance and cross‑cutting, felling trees up to 380 mm and climbing and aerial rescuebali.org.uk. Tree surgeons typically start on salaries around £25 k and experienced arborists can earn £35 knationalcareers.service.gov.uk.

The work is physically demanding: arborists must be comfortable working at height and maintain fitness and concentrationnationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Chainsaws are dangerous tools—HSE reports that five deaths and many serious injuries have occurred in forestry and arboriculture from chainsaw contact; operators must be trained, competent and wear protective clothinghse.gov.uk.

Jamie explains how he built his own business, starting with any job he could find and gradually specialising in hedge‑laying, habitat work and providing traffic management for other tree teams. He highlights the importance of perseverance, networking and a willingness to invest in high‑quality equipment.

Despite setbacks and injuries, Jamie loves working outdoors, values the adrenaline of climbing and felling, and enjoys seeing the immediate impact of his work—especially when reviving traditional skills like hedge‑laying, which creates living windbreaks and wildlife havens.

Episode chapters & key moments:

00:00 Introduction: Tom & Jamie recap the podcast’s purpose – creating a library of land‑based career insights. They introduce Jamie, an ex‑Royal Signals soldier turned arborist.

03:00 Military background & Rural Week: Jamie explains his farming upbringing, service career and desire to work outdoors. He describes attending a HighGround Rural Week, which opened his eyes to arboriculture.

07:00 What is arboriculture? The hosts discuss the sector—from forestry and commercial tree work to planting and tree science. Jamie outlines the basic qualifications, including chainsaw maintenance and cross‑cutting, small and medium tree felling, tree climbing and aerial rescuebali.org.uk.

11:30 Training, risk & fitness: Jamie stresses that chainsaw work is dangerous: HSE notes five recent deaths and many serious injuries in forestry and arboriculturehse.gov.uk, so proper training and personal protective equipment are mandatoryhse.gov.uk. Arborists need to be physically fit, confident working at height and able to stay calmnationalcareers.service.gov.uk.

16:00 Finding work & gaining experience: Jamie explains how hard it can be to get work experience because companies are cautious about safety, but he encourages persistence. He initially did gardening and general ground‑work to gain skills before moving into tree work.

20:00 Starting a business: Jamie describes setting up his own company: starting with second‑hand equipment, reinvesting to buy better kit, and leveraging his military discipline—punctuality, equipment care and risk assessment—to build a reputation. He emphasises that arboriculture tools are costly; chainsaws, protective clothing and chippers can run to tens of thousands of pounds.

24:00 Diversification & hedgelaying: Jamie talks about adding services such as traffic management, hedge‑laying and tree inspection. Traditional hedge‑laying has ecological benefits; a well‑laid hedge forms a windbreak, is stock‑proof and provides habitat for numerous birds and insects (as explained by conservationistshse.gov.uk).

28:30 Challenges & rewards: The team discuss injuries, financial pressures and the long hours needed to make a self‑employed business work. Jamie highlights the joy of working outdoors, the adrenaline of climbing and felling, and the satisfaction of running a tight-knit team. He advises service‑leavers to persevere, network, and be ready to start small and build up.

34:18 Final advice: Jamie encourages veterans to attend a Rural Week, explore the variety of land‑based careers and remember that self-employment requires hard work, honesty and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

About our guest:

Jamie, a former Royal Signals soldier from Cornwall, served 22 years in the British Army before retraining as an arborist. He completed a suite of chainsaw, felling and climbing qualifications and briefly considered utility arboriculture before deciding to build his own business. Since launching his company in 2017 he has diversified into hedge‑laying, habitat management, traffic management and training courses. Jamie returns to HighGround’s Rural Weeks as a tutor, offering service‑leavers practical insights and mentoring.

Arboriculture essentials:

1. Training & qualifications: Entry‑level arborists usually start with a Level 2 Award in chainsaw maintenance and cross‑cutting and a Level 2 Award in felling trees up to 380 mmbali.org.uk. Additional certificates cover tree climbing and aerial rescuebali.org.uk, felling large trees and dealing with wind‑blown or uprooted treesbali.org.uk. Qualifications must be refreshed every five years and it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers are competentbali.org.uk.
2. Safety: Chainsaws are dangerous; inadequate training has led to fatalities and serious injurieshse.gov.uk. Operators must be trained, competent, physically fit and wear chainsaw‑protective clothinghse.gov.uk.
3. Skills needed: Tree surgeons need physical fitness, coordination, attention to detail, and the ability to work at height and remain calmnationalcareers.service.gov.uk.
4. Typical salary: Tree surgeons in the UK earn roughly £25 k to £35 k per yearnationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Salaries may increase with experience; self‑employed arborists’ earnings vary depending on workload and diversification.
5. Volunteering & apprenticeships: People interested in arboriculture can start as groundworkers and gain experience through training providers or volunteering with organisations such as The Tree Council, Forestry England and the Woodland Trustnationalcareers.service.gov.uk.

Further reading & resources:

1. Arboricultural Association – professional body offering guidance, training and networking: trees.org.uk.
2. Forestry Industry Safety Accord (FISA) – safety resources for working with chainsaws: ukfisa.com.
3. BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) – lists recognised arborist qualificationsbali.org.uk.
4. National Careers Service – advice on becoming a tree surgeon, including salary and training optionsnationalcareers.service.gov.uk.
5. HighGround – learn more about Rural Weeks and support programmes at highground‑uk.org.