Mark Page Forestry Contractor

Mark B Page NDF MICFor Chartered Forester is a forestry contractor. Mark set up in private practice in 2000 having acquired years of experience working in forestry since 1976, previously at Tilhill Economic Forestry, Shotton Forest Management, Crown Estate Commissioners and Fountain Forestry. He gained the National Diploma in Forestry (Central Forestry Examination Board) in 1992 and became a Chartered Forester by examination in the same year. Mark is a member of Confor, the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, the Continuous Cover Forestry Group and the Institute of Chartered Foresters. He is well known in the forestry sector across the UK and beyond for a wide ranging portfolio of forestry projects.

I am a self employed Chartered Forester, providing consultancy and management to clients in South Scotland and North England. A large proportion of my time is spent on forest surveys and data acquisition in woodlands. Many of these are in remote areas and most of them do not have reliable cell phone coverage. As I work by myself in these areas lone working has always been an issue. I did have a mobile phone-check in system with my family (“If I haven’t checked in by 17:00 call my client who will know exactly how to find me”) but this was dependent on employers being available during their out-of-work hours, and also me having mobile phone reception so I could make a phone call before the deadline. There were occasions when this system fell short as I was out of mobile coverage. The anxiety it caused both my family and myself, knowing I could not reach them, triggered the need for a more robust system to be put in place.

The Trackplot system which I have been using since 2012 has given me peace of mind. It is completely reliable especially now Trackplot have supplied me with the latest GPS tracker, which can get a signal out from under thick tree canopies. I carry it clipped on to my Hi Vis work jacket by a carabiner. I normally check-in to Trackplot when I leave my vehicle. I now tend to check-out by means of my mobile phone, once I am finished at the end of the day and back in phone coverage. The flexibility Trackplot offers to check-in and out either by GPS device, mobile phone or online means there is always a way for me to access the system and let everyone know I am safe.

As my clients have become more aware of lone worker technology and the benefits it can bring to health and safety, the knock on effect has been that it is now much easier to create robust Lone Working Risk Assessments for specific projects. Some of my clients have direct experience of using the Trackplot system for their own employees and this knowledge adds credibility and strengthens the confidence they have in my professionalism.