Groundcare, amenity and forestry sit at the practical, outdoor end of UK land management. Whether it is a tree surgeon working for a local authority, a grounds manager running a Premier League pitch, a forestry contractor felling timber in Kielder, or a sales manager for a major turf machinery brand, these are skilled, qualified roles in industries that matter. They also share a common challenge: finding the right people is harder than it should be.
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists (AgriRS) has been placing people across groundcare, amenity and forestry for over 13 years. We recruit for arboricultural contractors, local authorities, groundcare machinery businesses, forestry companies, landscapers, sports turf operations and amenity businesses across the UK, connecting the right candidates to the right roles at every level.
This guide covers the jobs available across the sector, the businesses we recruit for and how we can help, whether you are looking to hire or looking for work.
In Focus: The UK Groundcare, Amenity & Forestry Sector
The UK horticulture and amenity sector contributes approximately £38 billion annually to the economy and supports around 722,000 jobs nationwide, according to the Horticultural Trades Association in 2025. The sector is forecast to grow to £51.2 billion by 2030. Within that, groundcare and amenity operations span local authority parks and highways departments, sports turf management, private estates, utility vegetation management, landscape contractors and the businesses that supply machinery, equipment and services to all of them.
UK forestry adds further scale. There are now 3.29 million hectares of woodland in the UK, covering 13.5% of total land area, and 15,580 hectares of new woodland were created in 2024/25 according to Forest Research's Forestry Facts and Figures 2025. UK roundwood delivery to processors reached 10.4 million green tonnes in 2024, a 6% increase on the previous year. Gross value added in primary wood processing reached £1.93 billion in 2023. The sector employs around 21,000 people in forestry directly and 7,500 in primary wood processing.
Recruitment across all three disciplines is under real pressure. In arboriculture specifically, climber and management roles have seen steady pay increases, with skilled arborist climber positions now regularly offering £35,000 to £40,000 or more, many local authorities and smaller contractors are struggling to stay competitive. The average age of skilled horticultural workers is 40.1 years (OHRG data), and with limited integration between the sector and school careers guidance, the pipeline of new entrants remains thin. The best candidates are qualified, experienced and rarely without work.
Careers in Groundcare, Amenity & Forestry: From the Canopy to the Control Room
Jobs across these three disciplines span practical site-based roles, commercial and sales positions, management and technical careers, and senior leadership. Here is a snapshot of what we place.
Site-Based, Practical and Technical Roles
Arborist/Tree Surgeon: Climbing and ground-based tree surgery work including pruning, felling, stump removal and aerial rigging, typically holding NPTC/Lantra chainsaw certificates and, at senior level, ISA Certified Arborist status.
Arboricultural Consultant/Tree Officer: Technical advisory role covering tree surveys, risk assessments, TPO applications, planning consultations and BS 5837 reports for local authorities, consultancies or private clients.
Groundsperson/Head Groundsperson: Maintaining sports turf, parks or amenity green spaces to specified standards, including pitch preparation, machinery operation and irrigation management.
Sports Turf Manager/Head of Grounds: Senior management of a grounds operation at a sports club, stadium or leisure facility, covering staff, budgets, machinery and playing surface standards.
Forestry Worker/Harvesting Operator: Chainsaw and harvesting machinery operations within commercial forestry, including felling, extraction and timber processing.
Forest Manager/Estate Forester: Planning and managing woodland operations across a private estate or commercial forestry block, covering harvesting, restocking, grant management and contractor supervision.
Landscape Gardener/Landscape Contractor: Practical installation and maintenance of designed landscapes including planting, hard landscaping, irrigation and ongoing grounds maintenance.
Commercial, Sales and Senior Roles
Groundcare Machinery Sales Representative/Area Sales Manager: Selling turf maintenance, grounds equipment or arboricultural machinery to councils, contractors, sports clubs and grounds businesses across a defined territory.
Forestry Machinery Sales Specialist: Commercial role covering harvester, forwarder and forestry equipment sales and aftersales support within the UK forestry industry.
Amenity Product Sales Manager: Selling fertilisers, seeds, pesticides or specialist amenity inputs to groundcare, sports turf and landscape businesses.
Regional/National Sales Manager (Groundcare or Forestry): Leading a field sales team for a machinery manufacturer, distributor or amenity product business.
Operations Manager/Contracts Manager (Groundcare): Managing the delivery of grounds maintenance or arboricultural contracts, overseeing teams, schedules and client relationships.
Business Development Manager: Developing new commercial opportunities for a groundcare, forestry or amenity business, including tenders, new market entry and key account development.
The Groundcare, Amenity & Forestry Sector: What We Cover
Our recruitment covers the full width of the sector across all three disciplines.
Arboriculture and Tree Surgery: Climbers, ground staff, arboricultural consultants, tree officers and management roles across contractors, local authorities and consultancies.
Groundcare and Amenity Maintenance: Groundspersons, head groundspersons, parks managers and grounds supervisors across sports, leisure, local authority and private estate settings.
Sports Turf Management: Specialist turf managers and head groundspersons at football clubs, golf courses, cricket grounds and athletics facilities.
Commercial Forestry and Woodland Management: Harvesting operators, forest managers, estate foresters and woodland creation specialists across private and commercial forestry.
Landscape Contracting and Garden Design: Installation and maintenance contractors, landscape designers and project managers across commercial and residential landscape businesses.
Groundcare and Turf Machinery: Sales, after-sales, technical and management roles within manufacturers, main dealers and distributors of groundcare and turf equipment.
Forestry Machinery and Equipment: Sales, service and technical roles within the businesses selling and supporting harvesters, forwarders and specialist forestry equipment.
Amenity Products and Inputs: Commercial and technical roles in fertilisers, grass seed, pesticides and specialist inputs for the groundcare and sports turf markets.
Urban Tree Management and Consultancy: Local authority tree officers, arboricultural consultants and specialist advisory roles in urban forestry and green infrastructure planning.
Utility and Infrastructure Vegetation Management: Operational and commercial roles within businesses managing vegetation clearance for rail, highways, power and water utilities.
For Employers
What to Expect from Groundcare, Amenity and Forestry Recruitment
Recruiting across these sectors has specific challenges that general job boards do not solve. In arboriculture, the supply of NPTC-qualified climbers with several years of practical experience is genuinely limited, and salary competition between contractors, local authorities and utility companies is intense. Many experienced arborists are self-employed or subcontracting and not actively looking for employment. In groundcare machinery sales, the best candidates know their products, know their customers and are well looked after by their current employer.
Forestry is seeing growing demand for skilled operators as planting programmes accelerate under government tree cover targets, but the workforce pipeline has not kept pace. We have been building relationships across all three disciplines for over 13 years, and our candidate database includes qualified, experienced professionals who are not on any job board. We will give you a straight view of the candidate market from the start, tell you what a competitive package looks like and set realistic expectations on timeline.
How We Work with Employers
Contingency search: Proactive candidate searches across our network, with targeted advertising where appropriate. No placement, no fee.
Executive search and headhunting: For senior, specialist or hard-to-fill roles where the right candidate needs to be approached directly. 100% success rate since 2012.
Contract and temporary placements: For harvest cover, maternity leave or short-term operational gaps.
Market intelligence: Salary benchmarking, candidate availability and competitor insight to inform your hiring approach.
Candidate profiling: Psychometric and skills assessments to support your final hiring decision.
Looking for a Groundcare, Amenity or Forestry Job?
Whether you are a qualified arborist considering your next move, a grounds manager ready for a better operation, a forestry professional looking for a senior role or a machinery sales specialist looking for a new territory, we work with businesses across all three disciplines that are actively looking for people like you. Many of the roles we fill are never publicly advertised.
What We Offer Candidates
Free and confidential service: No cost to register, and your details are handled with complete discretion.
Access to unadvertised roles: A significant proportion of the positions we fill never reach a job board.
CV and interview support: Practical guidance to help you present yourself well at every stage.
UK-wide coverage: Vacancies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Career guidance: Whether you know exactly what you want or are still weighing up your options, we will give you an honest view of the market.
3 Quick Wins on Our Site
Get help with your application using our candidate tips.
Stay in the Loop with Groundcare, Amenity & Forestry Sector Insights
Our AgriCulture Live podcast features conversations with people driving change across UK land management. For career insight and sector news, our blog covers topics relevant to people working in groundcare, amenity and forestry:
Speak to Our Groundcare, Amenity and Forestry Recruitment Team
If you are an arboricultural contractor, local authority, groundcare machinery business, landscape company or forestry operation looking to fill a role, the first step is to tell us what you need. We know the candidate market across all three disciplines well and will give you a straight view from the start. You can submit a vacancy here.
If you are looking for your next groundcare, amenity or forestry role, get in touch with a brief outline of your background and what you are looking for. Email info@agriRS.co.uk or call 01905 345 155. Many of the roles we fill are never advertised, so talking to us directly is often the fastest way to find out what is available.
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Jobs in Groundcare, Amenity & Forestry Recruitment Specialists
