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Mark Chester of Cedarwood Tree Consultants

Mark Chester, who heads Cedarwood Tree Consultants based in Wormbridge, was named Best Tree Care Expert in the West Midlands category by SME News News (Small Medium Enterprise) in 2021.

Mr. Chester is a member of BNI Thomas Telford – a Chapter within BNI Shropshire.

“I was absolutely delighted to be informed of the prize win – it was quite a surprise because I didn’t even know I had been suggested for it! I have no idea who nominated me, ”he said.

“Someone was clearly impressed with the way we work and thought we were worth considering. Thank you whoever you are.

“My connection with BNI Shropshire has been extremely beneficial. Without lockdown and zoom, I would not have gotten involved with BNI, and after joining BNI Thomas Telford, I reached out to people I would not otherwise have connected with. It was very powerful. “

Mr. Chester started working with trees about 25 years ago and has served clients in a wide geographic area including Herefordshire, the Midlands, the South East, the South West and Wales.

“I got a degree in horticulture and just couldn’t connect with it. It wasn’t for me. I saw a job for an arborist managing trees for a local authority and I knew I wanted to do that.

“I loved the technical part of trees – trees and planning, tree lowering and trees and litigation during my time as an arborist.

“In 2005 I founded my own tree consultancy. It’s really interesting work, but it can be extremely complex. “

Mr. Chester provides a highly specialized service for providing tree reports in support of planning requests, planning feasibility assessments, TPO appeals and applications for tree assessments, reports from home buyers, safety and management inspections, advice on tree planting and forest management.

He is also an accredited expert in legal matters, including litigation and personal injury, when it comes to a tree.

“People often want to know what is best to do with trees in their garden, dropping branches, etc., and I’ve been involved in neighbors’ disputes over tree felling and compensation, and I regularly advise people on planting the right tree in the right place.

“It is an important part of my role to talk to the customer about the process they are facing with a planning application and produce a detailed report.

“If it is recommended that a tree be pruned or felled, the tree surgeon (arborist) can use the report to inform and guide their work,” he added.