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Gristwood & Toms have grown into one of the United Kingdom’s largest arboricultural companies, with knowledge of tree care and tree management that is second to none.

We work with numerous private clients and under contract to District and County Councils, Local Authorities, Highways Departments, Inland Waterways, and many London Boroughs - helping to improve the inner city environment.

We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and utilising over 100 pieces of specialist plant and a fleet of over 100 vehicles, maintained by our own workshops.

As Approved Contractors, the company have all relevant industry certifications and accreditations and have, in addition, obtained British Standards ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and are working towards ISO 18001 (Health & Safety).

We recycle over 20,000 tonnes of wood waste per year at our Hertfordshire site, which is then taken to power stations to generate carbon-neutral electricity for the nation.

Professional Trained Staff

We employ over 150 Arborists, provide professional in-house training courses, sponsor graduate training and encourage attendance at all relevant Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes.

There can be little doubt that a company is only as good as the people who work in it and at Gristwood & Toms we strive to develop the skills of all employees to provide a truly professional service to our clients.

For tree workers our training programme is rigorous and thorough and we offer a range of opportunities to progress within the company. Of course the compulsory National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) certification is attained by all staff working on site and this includes aerial tree work, stump grinding, wood chipping, tree planting and wildlife training - especially bat habitat identification. We further encourage our staff to take a professional interest in their work by providing in-house and external technical training opportunities. Currently we have 15 employees studying for the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) Certificate in Arboriculture, six studying for their Technicians Certificate in Arboriculture and three studying for a Degree in Arboriculture.

We provide further education through Continual Professional Development (CPD), actively encouraging relevant staff members to attend appropriate seminars on management and good arboriculture practice.

Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) and Heavy Plant tests have been successfully taken by most of our staff, adding to their skills and versatility.

We also arrange for extensive training in Health & Safety and First Aid, which is reflected in our remarkable track record in safety. We have Appointed Person and Slinger Signaller certification, enabling us to properly site cranes and communicate on site at distance with crane operators to ensure safety and precision, very few arboriculture firms can offer this fully insured service.