Viking
Tree Consultants
New Forest based Arboricultural Consultants
Testimonials
Chris has been working as a Tree Officer for Somerset Council since the end of May 2025. He has been working in the planning department, mainly for the ‘East’ area, formerly Mendip Council. He has been an interim Tree Officer, maintaining the service and processing the backlog of work that was left following the departure of the previous Tree Officer earlier in the year. He has more recently been helping the ‘North’ area following the arrival of a new permanent Tree Officer for ‘East’.
Chris has slipped easily into his temporary role at Somerset Council, quickly assimilating the workload and undertaking it in an efficient and pragmatic way to keep the service running and to ensure that the new permanent Tree Officer for ‘East’ arrived with a reasonably clean slate. He has also quickly mastered the planning system and technology used by Somerset ‘East’.
Chris is a knowledgeable and well-experienced arborist, having worked for various different organisations and in all areas of arboriculture. He is a personable chap, with an easy and sociable manner with colleagues and with the general public. It has been a pleasure to have him working in the tree team at Somerset Council for the past few months.
David Galley
Arboricultural Officer, Somerset Council Planning (West)
Chris Partridge was contracted as a Tree Officer at West Oxfordshire District Council for 13 months between July 2024 and July 2025. During this time, Chris was responsible for assessing and processing a wide range of applications relating to Tree Preservation Orders and trees within Conservation Areas, responding to consultations on planning applications and working with the Estates team on Council owned trees.
Chris has a strong understanding of arboricultural principles and the legislation that protects trees, balancing the needs of tree protection with those of development and public safety. He picked up a 2-month backlog of tree applications when he first started and coped admirably, working through them systematically.
In addition to application assessments, Chris has undertaken site inspections and consultation responses. He has shown excellent attention to detail and professionalism in liaising with all stakeholders, and he has in the past couple of months shared his expertise with a recently appointed tree officer.
Chris is reliable, organised, and has worked well under considerable pressure. His can-do attitude has made him a valued member of the planning team.
Abby Fettes
Development Manager
