Simon Pryce is an independent Arboriculturalist. He graduated from the University College of North Wales, Bangor in1977 with an Honours degree in Forestry. At the time there were few jobs available in conventional Forestry and his rock climbing and mountaineering experience led him to work in Arboriculture, initially as a tree surgeon based in south west Scotland. Since then he was had a varied career, working with trees throughout the British Isles and Ireland. He joined the Arboricultural Association in 1980 and was elected a Fellow in 1989. He was on their list of approved contractors while working as a contract manager for Southern Tree Surgeons and has been on their Register of Consultants since 1992. He is a Chartered Forester and Chartered Biologist. Since 1993 he has been an Arboricultural Inspecting Officer retained by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to advise on Tree Preservation Order Appeals. He is an Associate of Treework Environmental Practice, a multi disciplinary practice based near Bristol. He contributed to Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management by Dr David Lonsdale, published by DETR in 1999, and currently the leading work on this subject.   Click for larger image He is the lead assessor for the Arboricultural Association's Registered Consultant scheme and an examiner for the theory section of the Professional Diploma in Arboriculture, run by the Royal Forestry Society.