Angie Cruse – Owner of Happy Habitats & Nigel Powell Arboriculture

Our objective with both of our young companies is to change the way in which trees are considered within our environment. Whether in a woodland, a group or an individual, we value the habitat a tree has become. Our work is to enhance that biodiversity and support the associated wildlife.

As well as running the two business’s and to ensure we have a holistic approach to all our environmental management, Angie is responsible for continual research in habitat & woodland management. Including ancient and atlantic woodland sites, invasive species management, woodland planting, habitat surveys, a qualified groundswoman and assisting tree surgeon to Nigel for all our work in the field.  Angie has also qualified as a badger vaccinator to assist in the eradication of Tb in our countryside, training as a Bryophyte botanist ensuring our woodland management is fully inclusive of not only each layer but the micro habitats a woodland supports.

Angie is planning for the Happy Habitats brand to expand into further areas which all share the same core value. Including a level 3 awarded and FSA approved Forest School.

Professional qualifications

MAY 2019cornwall badger vaccination

Badger vaccination Module’s 2 and Module 3 with APHA Woodchester park (National Wildlife Management Centre) & Derbyshire Vaccination Scheme, Peak District.
Classroom and field work to be fully competent to vaccinate badgers and apply for the license to Trap and Vaccinate Badgers for the Purpose of Preventing the Spread of Bovine TB in Cattle. Course includes: Carry out fieldwork safely, Follow biosecurity guidelines when setting traps, Handling vaccines – how to store, use the cold chain system, and keep records, Reconstitute and use vaccines, Assess badger welfare pre and post vaccination, Vaccinating wild badgers. LANTRA AWARD ID 902055

JUL 2018 – 8 weeks

Habitat management for conservation – Acorn Ecology
Covering 6 modules. Module 1) Why Manage Habitat? –  Module 2) Surveys and Monitoring, – Module 3) Management Planning – Module 4) Habitat Management – Woodland. – Module 5) Habitat Management – Grassland – Module 6) Habitat Management for Specific Species

SEPT 2019 to FEB 2020

Forest School Leader level 3 (FSA approved) – Richard Irvine Outdoor Learning
Course to gain the skills and knowledge required to plan for and lead groups of children safely and effectively in long term Forest School Programmes. This course will allow our woodland to become a nature school and outdoor learning facility which will focus on education about our wildlife habitat.

OCT 2018

Level 2 award – felling and processing trees up to 380mm City & Guilds, NPTC
203 Fell and process trees up to 380mm (M/504/0321)

Level 2 award – chainsaw maintenance & cross cutting City & Guilds, NPTC
201 Carry out maintenance of chainsaw and cutting system (K/504/0319)
202 Cross cutting timber using a chainsaw (T/504/0319).

CPD

July 2022
QGIS – Field Studies Council

“A four week course delivered through a combination of seminars and online training. Covering all elements of Qgis from vector, raster, capturing data, elegant mapping and building final surveys.

Feb 2023
NVC Winter habitat Surveys – Field Studies Council

After training in Phase 1 and NVC site assessment using vegetation. This course gave further insight into how we can assess the quality of a habitat by the winter growth of plants, looking at grass identification, small winter seedlings & winter habit of plants. Covering heaths, mires and limestone coastal soils.

July 2022
NVC Site Assessment using vegetation – Field Studies Council

“A four day course delivered through a combination of seminars, laboratory identification sessions and practical field work at Preston Montford. An accurate discrimination of good quality habitats versus poorer habitats in conservation planning. Phytosociological techniques are essential skills needed for good employability and are recognised by the private, government and charitable environmental sector.

  • The history of phytosociology.
  • Phase 1 surveys and monitoring tools. Critical analysis of Phase 1 surveys in vegetation assessment, its use in the field, and how to analyse data.
  • National Vegetation Classification; Surveying & analysis of the methods used in the field, and how to analyse associated data.
  • Ditch survey methods, European habitat methods.
  • The use of plant indicators in surveying, surveillance and monitoring.
  • The role of Axiophytes as indicators of habitats of conservation importance.
  • Rarity and threat to determine the conservation of plant species.

July 2022
Atlantic Woodland Surveying – Woodland Trust & Plantlife

To carry out surveys for Woodland Trust sites across Cornwall and Devon to assess the value & potential temperate rain-forest habitats. Surveying the canopy, sub canopy, woodland structure, habitat features and identifying the indicator species.

June 2022
CPD training day in Wetlands, Soils and Water Management – Landscape Institute SW at WWT Slimbridge

Feb to April 2022
Ancient Woodland Restoration/Continuing Professional Development – Woodland Trust & Cumbria Woodlands
Covering Modules in:

  • Key Features & Management – Priorities & Threats to remnant features and management principles.
  • Survey & Planning – Remote and Field Surveys. Feeding into management planning and setting critical objectives
  • Maximising Ecological Integrity – Old Growth Characteristics. Space, complexity & dynamism
  • Management Approaches & Opportunities – Improving health, internal systems and landscape scale integrity

Feb 17th 2022
Ancient Woodland Restoration – Restoring Ecological Integrity – Woodland Trust

A training day with Woodland Trust at Parke NT and Bovey Valley Wood. Learning about stage 3 restoration including ecological dynamism, deadwood habitats and veteranisation.

1st Dec 2021
Atlantic Woodland Restoration –  Plantlife, accompanied by Woodland Trust and Natural England

A final training day to the Building Resilience in South West Woodlands training scheme since 2019. Bringing together many important conservation organisations/landowners & managers to share their wealth of knowledge to those working on the ground. Increasing our knowledge base in recognising the potential to enhance our rare temperate rain-forest habitat. This interactive day demonstrated good planning, the processes and end results.

Nov 2021
Ted Green & Lynne Boddy Talk a Load of Rot – Arboricultural Association

A webinar series featuring a meeting of two great minds, Lynne Boddy MBE and Ted Green MBE. A course designed for arboriculturalists to delve into interactive discussions on tree decay.

March 2021
Fungi Symposium – Celebrating Trees and Fungi – Arboricultural Association

Featuring a selection of international expert speakers on Trees and fungi: Their complex relationships.

July 2020 to OCT 2020
Ecology Self Study – ETUK – Ecology Training UK
Covering Modules in:

  • Diversity and Classification
  • Abiotic Interactions and World Ecosystems
  • Biotic Interactions and Behavioural Ecology
  • Evolution and Genetics
  • Population Ecology
  • Habitats and Communities
  • Species and Habitat Conservation
  • History of the British Countryside
  • Surveying and Habitat Management

SEPT 2019 to MARCH 2020
New Generation Botanists – Advanced Bryophyte course – British Bryological Society/Plantlife
Advanced course of moss and liverwort biology and their ecological significance. This course covers site surveying and recording with expert bryologists. Applying a more in depth understanding of characteristics and terminology. Laboratory work with microscope Identification, keying out of acrocarps, pleurocarps, sphagnum, thallose liverworts and leafy liverworts and how to distinguish by their growth form.

FEB 2020
Winter Lecture with Charlie Burrell from Knepp Estate on Rewilding – Royal Forestry Society
Sir Charles Burrell, owner of Knepp Estate whose wife Isabella Tree wrote “Wilding”, talks with us to cover the 19 year project and story so far. Discussions to encourage opportunities for carbon sequestration, improving habitats, biodiversity, water quality and growing native trees at a landscape scale with many ideas transferable to smaller land units.

10 JULY 2019
Alternatives to Pesticides Demonstration Event – Cornwall Council and Tevi
Part of the Environmental challenge network, this event involved a good understanding of what damage pesticides/herbicides are causing to soil, water, air and human health. Covering invasive weed management, strategies in business to get ahead and join hundreds of pesticide free towns/cities. Demonstrations of three main alternatives, Rootwave, Kersten and Foamstream. Joined by PAN UK the only UK based charity dedicated to a pesticide free future. Plus talks by Edwina Hannaford – Cabinet member for Climate Change and Jenny Christie, Cornwall Council- Environmental Growth Strategy.

02 JULY 2019 – FEB 2020
Increasing tree canopy cover action plan & positive land management – TEVI & Cornwall Council
Aligning with Cornwall’s Environmental Growth Strategy and Forests for Cornwall Plan (previously the Canopy Action Plan), Tevi brought together enterprises who have land with those who have expertise in trees. Building on the insights of an excellent array of speakers to better understand the economic, social and environmental benefits that trees provide, with the aim of increasing the tree canopy cover across Cornwall.

25 JUNE 2019
Atlantic Woodlands for outdoor leaders – Plantlife
Post Rapid Woodland Assessment training, this course allowed me to gain knowledge on how to communicate the importance of Lichens to others. Identifying Lichens, learning about lichen habitat and the use of lichens to survey pollution and nitrogen. Additionally we covered fern ecology and identification through their leaf structure and Sori.

25 JUNE 2019
Arable plant ID & management– RSPB/Plantlife/Back from the Brink
Run by Back from the Brink project/ Colour in the Margins with Hannah Gibbons (RSPB), Phil Wilson and Pete Thompson (GWCT).
This course was to learn identification of rare plants and land management for arable plants and agri-environment schemes. Encouraging plants to reappear from buried seed.

28 MAY 2019
Bumblebee workshop – ERRCIS
Indoor sessions with Ecologist Patrick Saunders about surveying methods, Bumblebee ecology, identification and recording. Practical demonstrating how to survey, capture & identify species in the field.

20 -22 MAY 2019
Module 3 Cage Trapping and Vaccination of Badgers – APHA
As Above.

15 & 16 MAY 2019
Intro to Bryophytes foundation course – Plantlife
The basics of moss and liverwort biology and their ecological significance. How to distinguish mosses and liverworts by their growth form, recognizing acrocarps, pleurocarps, sphagnum, thallose liverworts and leafy liverworts.

15 APR 2019
Seed and Leaf beetles workshop – ERRCIS
A training day on how to identify beetles, their ecology and different types of habitat.

8 – 9 APR 2019
Module 2 Pre-baiting and trap siting for badger vaccination – APHA
Held at the APHA National Wildlife Management Centre, Woodchester Park with 32 active setts. Classroom and field work in a Lantra accredited course. Trained in siting traps, pre baiting, baiting, trapping, welfare, biosecurity, paperwork, badger habitat and social behavior.

3 APRIL 2019
Rapid Woodland Assessment (RWA) – Plantlife
A training day with Dr Alison Smith specifically on our SW regions Atlantic Woodland. Identifying our regions potential to support important lichens and bryophytes and improve their conservation.

15 MAR 2019
Cornwall branch spring event at the Eden Project – Arboricultural Association
A guided tour hosted by the Eden Project to look at the trees and issues with their management both inside and outside the biomes. Issues such as soils, disease, lack of wind and tree safety policies.

29 JAN 2019
AGM – Arboricultural Association
Attended Cornwall branch AGM helping shape what is achieved in 2019

3 DEC 2018
Woodmeet – Winter meeting
Sponsored by the forestry commission, various talks on tree work, inspections, pest and diseases and woodland management.

20 NOV 2018
Autumn seminars – Arboricultural Association
Attended seminar featuring highway tree inspection from Jeremy Barrell, pests and diseases from the forestry commission, re-introduction of beavers by Cheryl Marriott.

Skills

  • Woodland Manager with sound ecological knowledge of broadleaved woodlands: Surveying, carrying out selective thinning of canopy trees, clearance/thinning of dense understory, veteranisation. Qualified to make decisions throughout woodland for key species & their regeneration, restoration of woodland structure, where opening of canopy will benefit and removing threats to remnant features.
  • Habitat & species surveys in wetland, grassland and woodland. 
  • Invasive species management with experience in Crassula helmsii in both aquatic and terrestrial forms.
  • Hard working tree surgery groundswoman, inc. ground felling/ clearing, all ropework, lowering branches, processing trees and tracked chipper owner and operator.
  • Badger surveying, trap siting and vaccination
  • Soft landscaper whilst prioritising wildlife and native plants/ Pond creation and specialist of native species aquatic/marginal planting
  • Run all aspects of our environmental contracts and consultancy business
  • Forest School leader – Level 3

Activities and Volunteering

Woodland owner and manager – Happy Habitats Sept 2018

We own 4.5 acres of Ancient woodland near Truro.  We are managing the woodland for the benefit of wildlife and wish to use our findings as an educational resource for both ourselves and others.

Observing and managing a woodland long term allows us to study the entire woodland ecology. How our intervention and nonintervention have benefitted wildlife habitat and species diversity. Some of our work includes thinning areas for light and health, creation of deadwood habitats (standing dead trees, fallen trees), creation of a woodland pond complex, encouraging biodiversity and preserving important habitat.

Active Tromso, Northern Norway. Seasonal in 2011 to 2014.

Dog Sledding expedition guide – Assisting the head guide in leading 7 day expeditions with 80 dogs and 10 participants each week in the arctic wilderness. Collecting and co briefing participants. Ensuring dogs were well cared for on expedition, harnessing and securing dogs, feeding and checking health, emergency response and keeping up morale.

Libearty Bear Sanctuary, Zarnesti, Romania. 2015.

Guiding English speaking visitors for educational purposes and major donor funding. Woodland management & logging. Organising and sorting all donated “past sell by date” food from local supermarkets. Creating poultry and dairy ice cream and catapulting food from outside enclosures. Organising tasks for volunteers around sanctuary. CCTV and surveillance patrols to ensure all bears were secure from potential outside danger and in good health. Interviews to create charity awareness videos. Endorsed by WSPA to create charity fundraising treks

Creator of TOMORROWBEAR, the inspired adventure guide. APR 2013 

Adventure guide specializing in “leave no trace” experiences and coexisting with nature. Wilderness guide and later promoting experts in their field. Booking agent and Co-creator of Arctic expeditions and charity funded treks. Working with pioneering explorers, company owners abroad, mountaineers clubs and wildlife sanctuaries. Locations: Northern Norway and The Carpathians, Romania.