Internal Tree Inspection Programme (ITIP)

Written by Phil Johnson of Professor Shearbomb Ltd

Bridging the Gap in Advanced Decay Detection – The Journey to Launch ITIP

Ever found yourself in the middle of an inspection, wondering if there’s more you could know about the inner workings of a tree’s decay? That’s where ITIP, my brainchild for "Internal Tree Inspection Programme," found its roots.

As it turns out, many of us in arboriculture felt there was a gap in the market for a dedicated, advanced course on decay detection – but it took a few well-timed conversations to really bring this vision to life.

My journey started with a chat with John Trenchard, who happens to be one of Lantra's top verifiers. John saw potential in the idea and quickly pointed me toward Sean Duffy. Sean was fantastic and introduced me to Mandy Maynard, Lantra’s industry lead for forestry and arboriculture.

From the moment Mandy heard about ITIP, she was buzzing with ideas. She suggested we do some market research at the 2024 Arboricultural Association's Arb Show at Westonbirt Arboretum. So, we rolled up our sleeves, hit the show, and discovered that there wasn’t just a need but a real appetite for a course like this. ITIP was on track!

From there, the dream became a bit of a reality, thanks to support from Mark Vestey at Sorbus and our German friends at IML, who shared their expertise in advanced decay detection. We started crafting a program to bring cutting-edge detection methods to arborists everywhere.

Mandy’s excitement grew further when she heard about an oak tree inspection I’d conducted at Ragley Hall, right where the APF Exhibition takes place. She suggested that the APF might be the perfect place for ITIP’s pilot. A quick chat with Ian Millward, the APF’s organizer, confirmed it – he was all in, and so were we!