In an occupation that often demands nimble limbs operating at up to 50ft in the air, Liam Cassidy lists good balance and a head for heights as primary attributes required for tree surgery.
“Without a doubt, those are important qualities, but I also encourage crews to maintain a focused attention to detail and operational punctuality. I would rather people did 10 small tasks throughout the day properly rather than cutting corners to rush through each action.
“That at old saying ‘the long way round is often the short way home’ fits well into practice here. Skipping steps in a process often takes just as long or longer if it causes a knock-on effect. I would also list patience as another great skill to develop if you’re part of a team.”
Having grown up around the business, Cassidy is a second-generation ‘tree man’, guiding the fortunes of Rebel Tree Care into an expanding and busy enterprise.
“My father was always involved with tree-related activities and ran his own business, Castle Donovan Tree Care, for years. You could say I am a second generation ‘tree man’, although I didn’t really get into the industry until after I finished a multimedia honours degree at university in Limerick.”
Having worked in a variety of jobs during and after college, including trawler fishing, event marquee construction and fish farming, Cassidy eventually came to focus on landscaping and tree care.
“I was never afraid of hard work and always up for a challenge. Learning to make good money doing something you like is the key. After university and during my other adventures, I steadily put aside money to fund my training in aerial rescue, tree felling and all of the necessary training requirements to operate safely within the industry.”
Initially joining a company in Cork, Cassidy admits to having had a “trial by fire” learning the ropes climbing and felling often enormous trees on a daily basis.
Eventually, the urge to establish his own business saw him hire an accountant and join the ranks of the self-employed.
“From there, it was a number of years operating as a subcontractor under my own insurance before biting the bullet and taking out a business loan to buy some real machinery. My wife helped me to come up with the name Rebel Tree Care, and from there, I haven’t looked back.”
Working outside is a joy in good weather, balanced against the reality of having to cope with Ireland’s often turbulent climate.
“Ireland’s temperate climate actually makes it a pretty great place for our kind of work. Not having the extremes of burning hot sun or ice and snow does make the work more manageable than it would be in many other countries.
“That said, on those wet days combined with high winds, we sometimes need to take a second look and postpone jobs if they aren’t safe.”
Safety is paramount in an occupation where chainsaws and great heights are a daily reality, equipped with helmets, visors, chainsaw-resistant Kevlar trousers and boots.
“The best safety measures are preventative ones. Pre-emptive decision-making and a good approach to every task make all the difference to safer and more relaxed operations. Keeping an eye on yourself and on each other is the best way to operate at a high level.”
Rebel Tree Care mixes private and domestic commissions with work for corporate, industrial and public entities.
“We have done some work through consultants for the city council, as well as large festivals like ‘Body and Soul’. We work with different private companies in various industrial estates around the county, as well as jobs on large manor estates with attached public areas, like Derreen Gardens in Kerry.
The work is varied and this is also what keeps it interesting,” Cassidy adds. In recent years, he has witnessed a greater appreciation of tree care and nature, as people become more engaged with environmental issues.
“The attention to safety and the availability of newer devices and equipment designed specifically for this area has exploded. In the old days, climbers would make their own harnesses out of ropes and old seatbelts, or even alter rock climbing gear.
“Nowadays, there is a feast of options to make the job more efficient, safer and less taxing on the body. All of our climbing gear must be inspected and certified every six months by an independent inspector,” he adds.
With the business becoming ever more established each year, Cassidy is weighing up the prospect of expanding Rebel Tree Care further as the demand for services continues to grow.
“I am cautious about expanding too quickly if I’m honest. Rebel Tree Care is currently doing very well for its size. Taking out huge loans to buy lots of equipment and running multiple crews simultaneously is higher risk, higher stress and could ultimately lead to losing the love of the work and of the whole ‘tree game’.
“Having a few good guys you can take care of and being in a small company which is dynamic is also probably more sustainable in the long run. I see a lot of the larger companies are forced to get into ESB line clearance contracts to keep their crews going and their equipment in use.
“This area doesn’t appeal to us as the quality of the work is much less. The cream of tree work is in private and residential contracts and is an area of the business that continues to do very well for us.
“Ultimately, we take great pride in what we do, and the variety and quality of work blesses us to operate in a variety of beautiful and interesting scenarios. We are very fortunate in Rebel Tree Care in the kind of challenging and rewarding work it brings to us.”
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