Queensland’s Jamie Boston has a wealth of arboricultural experience.
There would be very few in Australia’s arbor scene who haven’t at least heard of Jamie Boston.
A successful climber at international level, his credits include five Queensland championships, one NSW title, and one Asia Pacic win. The Australian Arbor Age caught up with the Queenslander shortly after his return from the recent International Tree Climbing Championships in New Zealand, where he finished fifth in the world. The interview came only days after he completed his two-year term as president of the Queensland Arboricultural Association (QAA).
A quick career overview
“We started out in Mullumbimby, NSW,” said Jamie. “That’s where my family’s from. My brother and I started there working powerlines for ETS.
“We travelled to the Northern Territory, and in 2014 I moved to Brisbane to work at Treescape Australia. I was Foreman or Team Leader of the commercial division and then became a Training Manager.
“It was around that time, it must’ve been 2017, I started doing some work for QAA. I had a passion for climbing competitions so I thought I’d help out where I could.”
In 2020, Jamie and his brother, Terry, started Boston Tree Care, which continues today. Meanwhile, Jamie’s work with QAA ramped up until, in 2024, he took on the presidency. “I did two years as president and stood down just recently,” he said. “Two years is all that’s allowed as president, and I wanted to focus more on family, so it suited me. I’m still on the committee
and will continue to help with the association and climbing competitions.”
Roaming ambassador
Another reason Jamie is known to most in Australia’s arbor fraternity is his
association with Husqvarna.
“In 2023 I partnered up with Husqvarna as Australia’s second H-Team Ambassador, along with Kiah Martin,” said Jamie. “said Jamie. “I’m pretty proud of that.”
While it seems there can’t be enough time in a day to allow Jamie to meet all his commitments, he gets it done somehow, and especially enjoys his work with Husqvarna.
“There are some real perks to being an H-Team Ambassador,” he said. “We get to travel to Europe with the rest of the H-Team and test prototypes and new products. We give our feedback, particularly on where we see the industry going. We also share how, as arborists in the field, we can help to develop the product.
“I think for both myself and Husqvarna it’s a good partnership. I’m still climbing and working at the highest level, and Husqvarna is getting real product feedback from a professional, while the company supports me in my climbing-competition endeavours.
Paying attention
Jamie explained one of the facets of H-Team activities he enjoys most is that Husqvarna listens.
“When we’re all in Europe with the H-Team, the lead engineers for each of the products are locked into everything we say. They write down everything. They want to hear what we all think about the product and translate that into thefinished product. It’s really cool,” he said.
Industry driver
Jamie and his brother have a healthy business, and the competition climbing has proven a successful pursuit for Jamie, but he has concerns about the future of arboriculture in Australia.
“I think we’ve had a drop off in people wanting to be part of the arbor industry,” he said.
“I see it in a couple of ways. As a climber I see less and less in the next group coming through in competitions. We’re trying to do what we can to encourage more people by running amateur comps and training days.
“As a business owner it’s becoming harder to find staff – not only qualified stff, but apprentices willing to do the work. Maybe generations are changing and people don’t want to work outside as much as my generation did. I mentioned a decline in climbing arborists and I’m not 100 per cent sure why that is. I know at QAA we have some initiatives where we visit schools and career days to showcase what arbor’s about. Let’s hope others will do the same and that will raise some interest.
“I don’t have the solution, but it’s definitely something I’m passionate about trying to make happen.”
The life
While every day may not be perfect in the arbor world, Jamie’s happy with his time as part of the tree-care community.
“It’s been pretty special,” he said.
“I’ve been able to travel the world climbing trees, and I have lifelong friends all around the globe who I’ve met through the industry – people with a similar passion. I’d love other people to experience that.”
