CAS 2007 AGM at Capel Manor’s Celebration of Trees
2nd May 2007
Thursdays evenings AGM for CAS was the first for a couple of years and given the fact that CAS Members have not heard a great deal from me in the past year, I was amazed that over 30% of the membership turned up to get actively involved.
I think the final unveiling of the new website was a significant factor. I am pleased to say that I have not heard any criticism for it, only praise, and I think it has prompted other people to look at their own websites and compare them to ours.
I also think that the new Area of Professional Competence (APC), is another. Dealga O’Callaghans new TPO seminar was a resounding success, at least to judge by the verbal reactions from the people attending.
Whatever the reasons, it was immensely encouraging to me to see such interest in CAS at the AGM and that has now translated to a properly voted in place management team, and a particularly capable management team at that.
Mark Carter is heading up the AMIUG APC and his review of the report format produced some interesting topics for discussion. This will lead to some new additions to the AMIUG format that will be exclusively CAS copyright. Those enhancements will make the CAS Homebuyers Tree Report Format more refined and suitable by design for the purpose that clients engage us to deal with.
Adam Hollis, will head up the Tree Valuation APC. Having produced a UK specific Regional Plant Appraisal Guide to supplement CTLA Tree Valuations in this country he is the best placed of anybody in the country to provide guidance for all doing CTLA Tree Valuations in the UK.
Robert Yates will continue to represent CAS on the BoD of the ISA. This is an important role because CAS represents the ISA UK+I Chapter on all matters relating to Consulting Arboriculture.
Dealga O’Callaghan will head up the TPO APC during the critical period in which it is now, that is, during it’s initial promotional period. Following that there is no doubt that somebody will rise from the ranks of attendees to represent those subscribing to TPO CAS Professional Membership.
Karl Forkaseiwicz will continue as CAS Newsletter editor in this critical period. Everybody on the management team understands that the CAS Newsletter must grow with the aspirations and emerging success of CAS, so all have committed to helping Karl by submitting incisive articles. There is a need for all CAS members to try to use the CAS Newsletter to keep all of your fellow members updated. It’s our newsletter, so let us all use it.
When I say “critical period” I mean it. CAS has, after an interesting few years, emerged with a clear idea of what it is and what it’s role in UK Arboriculture is. The messages contained within the new website are powerful as they capture the clear focus of CAS, which is, the commercial application of tree related research.
CAS is therefore the test bed for new ideas. If those ideas meet a need that can be commercially viable, by which I mean, if clients buy the services of people completing our seminars, then new products and innovative training providers will find a good vector for their products in CAS.
We now have a top class website which will improve as it becomes populated with more members and case histories.
We have good services to offer on that website and we are growing consistently in a variety of ways for the first time in a while. More than that though, that growth is underpinned by the fact that CAS creates value.
- “Value” for the public using the website to find a service
- “Value” for training providers in helping protect and distribute their products
- & “Value” in that we are fast becoming the best place to advertise your services as a Tree Consultant in the UK.
Add to those strengths the fact that CAS is now securely funded (through the careful use of your subscriptions over the years), and placed to use those funds to actively promote the new website and I think it is obvious that CAS is likely to perform very well for its members.
What you see is what you get. Read the website and specifically, “Join CAS” and “Principles”.
We have more clarity of purpose that any other tree association. Now we all need to utilise that clarity of purpose to improve our competitive advantage.
David Lloyd-Jones
CAS Chairman 2003-2007