Glendale is backing a charity set up to help make trees safe in disasters zones across the world by donating £1,000 and a package of support.
The green services company is sponsoring DART International UK, a humanitarian response team which relies on donations to carry out its work. This money will be spent on training, deployments and aid missions.
Glendale is also providing a range of other services to the organisation, including IT and marketing support.
The team was set up by highly skilled, arboriculture specialists, including Glendale arborist Gary Bailey, after he witnessed first hand the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.
While there he witnessed untrained volunteers, aid workers and locals using dangerous methods of clearing up trees, often with unsuitable equipment including inadequate knives and hand tools.
Gary said: “I was there initially to help with shelters, but demand for my skills with a chainsaw became quickly apparent. Fallen trees that close major roads, down power lines and block water courses can quickly hamper the efforts of aid and rescue agencies and cause injuries to the untrained who try to attempt clearance.
“I saw whole swathes of trees cleared and then burned without a thought as to the economic and social impact this may have on the victims. Much of the wood could have been used in the rescue efforts, or even as a source of income.
“This is why we feel it is vital to have qualified and experienced specialists on the ground as soon as disaster strikes. All our volunteers are trained to be self sufficient so also reduce the need to pull upon already stretched resources and all have medical and survival skills. We believe DART will address the gap between disaster relief organisations.”
James Thomson, Glendale general manager, said: “As a leading provider of arboriculture services in the UK Glendale understands that in any situation, having trained and experienced specialists on hand to help is important, but even more so when disaster strikes.
“DART’s work will help to alleviate some of the issues that can occur when trying to get humanitarian aid in very quickly after a disaster has occurred and we hope that our sponsorship and support allows them to use their knowledge and expertise to help victims across the world.”
