A Big Win For WA!

ArbWest Vice President Dave Crispin has won the prestigious Arboriculture Advocacy Award that was presented at the Gala Dinner of the National Industry Conference, recently held in Canberra.

We caught up with Dave, who admitted he was blown away by the industry recognition.

What did it mean for you to win this award?

“It’s not often I’m lost for words, but this was one of those occasions. Advocacy is championing something you truly believe in; I truly believe in our association ArbWest, the arboriculture industry and what we stand for. ArbWest has achieved several positive outcomes these past few years; managing to turn our Arboricultural traineeship into an apprenticeship, those that finish the three years achieve a trade qualification at the end. Working closely with local governments to help combat Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB), running a two-day seminar at the prestigious WACA ground for over 100 delegates are just a few of the projects we’ve tackled. This award speaks to all the hard work that our committee has put in; I was fortunate enough to have my name put forward.”

What does the year ahead look like? 

“Our industry needs to embrace change. We must work smarter and reduce the number of critical incidents and accidents, everyone must go home in one piece at the end of the day. Through training and education, I’d like to see as many people as possible learn how to conduct their daily work tasks professionally and safely. As a trainer, I’m able to promote safe work practices and encourage the trainees to preach the same in their workplace. I’m also involved in a study on the PSHB, we are currently getting some very positive results with the chemical combinations we’re trialling, finding dead beetles and larvae in dissected trees.”

The Arboriculture Advocacy Award is presented each year to an individual or business that has significantly contributed to raising awareness and understanding about issues in the arboriculture industry. Dave was selected among 11 other prestigious nominees including David Ferrier, Treasuring Our Trees; Mona Bruckhoff, Brimbank City Council and Arb Aus Board Director; and Stefan Caddy-Retalic, Resilient South project.

The reasoning for the award included: “Dave has been outstanding in influencing the arboriculture community. He has been involved in many community groups to help retain canopy cover in urban areas and has been a great role model at careers events for schools, helping young adults discover and understand arboriculture.

But without doubt his greatest contribution as advocate for the tree industry recently has been his scientific research with the ongoing and increasing threat of the Shot Hole Borer beetle (PSHB, Euwallacea fornicatus) and being at the forefront of communication with the Department of Primary Industries, who are tasked with eradicating the pest here in Western Australia.

The important work being undertaken now, and the awareness that this major threat could be Australia-wide in the future, may prove vital in preventing its spread and saving hundreds of thousands of trees from an untimely and unnecessary death.”