Mark Mackworth-Praed

Mark Mackworth-Praed

Senior Arboriculture Consultant

Mark has 43 years’ experience in arboriculture, initially as a contractor, then a local authority tree officer, and since 2001 as an arboricultural consultant. In 2009, he was accepted as a Registered Consultant of the Arboricultural Association, the premier accreditation for practitioners within the arboricultural profession.
From 1985 to 2001, he was the arboricultural and landscape officer for two local authorities, managing highway tree populations, parks and council-owned trees and woodlands; and dealing with tree protection and tree-related matters at all levels within the planning system, from householder applications to major transport infrastructure projects, including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (HS1).

Over this period, he also chaired the Arboricultural Association’s Education Committee and served on its Executive Council, and was an examiner for the Technician’s Certificate in Arboriculture. He has contributed to Government and Law Commission consultations on tree protection, tree strategy and other areas of both English and Welsh planning law, and to British Standards for tree care on development sites.

As a consultant, Mark has acted for clients ranging from private individuals to major national housebuilders and minerals companies on development and planning matters, often relating to ancient woodland; as well as undertaking tree hazard assessments, tree accident investigations, and tree and woodland management plans.
Mark has extensive experience of preparing and giving expert evidence in Public Inquiries and in the Magistrates’, Crown, County and High Courts, and has previously given evidence before Select Committees of both Houses of Parliament. In 2020, he presented arboricultural evidence for Westminster City Council in the Call-in Inquiry on the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, London SW1.

  • Arboricultural Association Registered Consultant
  • Fellow of the Arboricultural Association
  • Member of the Expert Witness Institute
  • Cardiff University & Bond Solon Civil Expert Witness Certificate
  • M.Sc. in Landscape Ecology, Design and Maintenance
  • LANTRA Certificate in Professional Tree Inspection
  • BA (Cantab.) Modern and Medieval Languages