New Zealand Arborists can’t prune. For some, a generic sweeping statement like that will be offensive, but some will agree. If you’re a kiwi arborist, and you’re offended, it’s probably because you can’t prune – this, you may well find offensive, yet others will probably still agree…

Don’t get me wrong kiwi arborists are amazing – most kiwi arborists know how to make a pruning cut; their pruning cuts are normally spot on. Their climbing and complex removal skills are probably some of, if not the best in the world. Search tree removal on social media and see what other arborists consider worth posting – most kiwis wouldn’t bother; kiwi arborists are amazing. Generally speaking, the gear they use, their saw skills and health and safety are pretty good too – again, 10 minutes on social media and you’ll drown in sloppy demonstrations of laziness; drop-starting, one-handed saw use, little if any PPE that may or may not be being used and suspect site control that would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous…

Compared to most of the rest of the planet, kiwi arborists are amazing – but they can’t prune!

So, having just offended many of the arborists in my country and pointed the ugly stick at the remaining arborists on rest of the planet… I best explain myself. First off, in a time before COVID (BC – as some call it), I was in a position where I’d fly around the world talking to arborists about arboriculture. Apart from my carbon footprint, I had reached the arboricultural happy place. From this happy place I got to see first-hand what the locals were doing, what they cared about, what interested them and where their industry was going. In NZ I travelled too, most weeks I’d be somewhere looking at something (there is life after climbing after all). So, based on that, I have a reasonable understanding of what arborists do in NZ and across the world. I have also been involved in education – I’ve written national curriculum documents in four countries. I’ve been involved in writing Best Practice Guides and Codes of Practice in five countries – I feel that I have a reasonable understanding of what arborists communities expect from their industry, and before that, I was on the tools for about 15 years working nationally and internationally. I’m comfortable that I can be offensive, because it comes from a place of knowledge and because people have told me that I am… Note; I’m not claiming or suggesting that I have the moral high ground, not only have ruined many trees through my pruning, I’ve taught others to do the same…

So, what’s my issue with kiwi pruning – why do I say that kiwi arborists can’t prune?

Kiwis are taught to make pruning cuts (where and how), they are taught to formative prune (what and where). If they are lucky, they’ll get a bit of botany (why), but mostly they are taught how to climb, cut and remove. Once the average kiwi arborist gets out into the real world, they apply their knowledge of formative pruning and where to make a pruning cut to every pruning job on every tree no matter it’s age or stage. They replicate what they see and pass on what they do, and nobody says a thing.

It seems that they don’t apply their knowledge of botany or remember that if they are formative pruning with any tool larger than a pair of secateurs – it is no longer formative pruning!

Every pruning event is treated as a one-off thing and the concept of biological time and managing a tree over time to achieve an outcome is crazy talk. Epicormics are still removed; trees are blanket-thinned by 30% and crown lifting must result in symmetry and balance. It seems that the average kiwi arborist prunes like it was still 1980 and finds comfort in the knowledge that they no longer use pruning paste.

As I said, I have no moral high ground and I have ruined many trees through my pruning and I’ve taught others to do the same – but that was then, there is no excuse to carry on doing what we did – kiwi arborists can do better, we must do better.

I stopped some guy in a tree last week (I’m not one to hide behind my keyboard) – he was working above the footpath with no ground crew or site controls. He had a reasonable bit of kit and looked a little bit like an arborist – so I asked him if he thought he could do better [do better for the tree, do better for the client and do better for the industry], he said that he could – he made a bunch of excuses of course, but he knew that he wasn’t doing the best job he could do and he acknowledged that. I don’t understand that… why go to work and do a poor job – how can you feel good about your day when you know that you could have done better?

So, what to do – how can kiwi arborists be properly amazing?

If you honestly believe that pruning hasn’t moved on since 1980 then do some up-skilling (get a copy of MIS308 Tree Pruning). If you honestly believe that formative pruning can be done with a chainsaw then do some up-skilling (get a copy of MIS308 Tree Pruning). If you still think thinning by 30% is fine and symmetry and balance have anything to do with tree health, then do some up-skilling (get a copy of MIS308 Tree Pruning). It ‘crown cleaning’ is a term that is written on your work specifications, then do some up-skilling (get a copy of MIS308 Tree Pruning). If you go to work to a poor job, then get another job. If you don’t feel good about your day because you know that you could have done better, then do better tomorrow. And if you see bad pruning then call it out – don’t be nasty or aggressive, just ask them if they think that they could do better (then maybe direct them to a copy of MIS308 Tree Pruning).

Kiwi arborists are amazing, but they could be and can be, properly amazing.

• Written for Tree Matters Magazine (NZ)