1st TREE SERVICES magazine thread. How's this?

[Jim@turf]

Question: How did you find yourself in this profession ... and what lengths have you gone to increase your skills, knowledge and professionalism?

(Please let me know how you want to be identified in your posts)

Oh ... and please participate!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Back in '77 I was drawing unemployment from the military and getting bored. Lo and behold, a buddy drove by in a 60' HiRanger, and that was that. Because he was my friend, I was operating and climbing from day one.
My training was like a lot of arbor training back then... basically hands-on ojt. There weren't climbing seminars/classes that I knew of, and really very few climbers to learn from. I probably shoulda died several times, but got lucky.
Todays climbers have a much greater advantage over the old timers. Better tools and superior training techniques insure safer, more practical results.

 

[Trignog]

I started holding a lowering line bout 2 years ago as a favor. My first thought was "guy in a tree tied to a rope with a chainsaw? AWSOME!" The science lovin redneck in me came a callin, I finally found a career. Although I was not content, at my young age (then 22) I had plenty of time to progress so I started taking classes and training when I could, relative to the biz. Now I have a new (better) job and am close to becoming a Ct licenced arborist. Oh ya, I no longer a fat slob, just a slob.

 

[Stumper]

I' m a third generation tree care professional. I grew up in the business but it has been my nature to read and study things that interest me. There wasn't very much good info available a few decades ago but that has changed for the better. I read industry publications and those books that I could find. When I discovered what is available on the Internet I became an addict.

 

[underwor]

I started in 1967, while a sophmore in college. Needed an high paying summer job and Davey was offering $2.15/hr. for climbers. After school and the army I ran my own business for 12 years, worked as an university arborist for 8 more and started teaching urban forestry 14 years ago. Got ISA certification in 1986, number 24 in Illinois. I attend any training sessions that I can find within driving distance of ND, such as Alex Shigo in NH. My work and my hobby are still the same after 38 years, so I guess I am lucky.

Feel free to use this with my name and location

 

[Treeman14]

I answered a simple ad in the newspaper back in 1979. "Tree climbers wanted. Will train." Started climbing the first week. Manilla ropes, if you can believe that. Worked with a bunch of Spanish guys in Paterson, NJ. Couldn't understand a word they said. Lead climber had epilepsy. More than once, I had to do an aerial rescue when he had siezures in the tree. Lots of OJT. Then started reading tree books, going to seminars, trade shows, met Shigo a few times, blah, blah, blah. Started my own biz way back in 1985, got certified, now I'm just sittin' back counting my money.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Haha! I remember manilla, it was way more plyable than the three strand esterlon, and cheap! Kinda rough on the hands, though.

 

[treeseer]

"Question: How did you find yourself in this profession ... and what lengths have you gone to increase your skills, knowledge and professionalism?

My climbing was strictly recreational from 1954, as soon as I could walk, to 1965. I was an itinerant, hobo hack with a heart but little brain from 1965 forward, working for various companies and myself. Did a swan drive 30 feet onto a driveway 1980. Took a little break and went back to school, started own company 1982. Have worked for 5 different universities in one role or other, taken classes at more. Not for the degree, just curious. :Eye:

But the best learning has come from touching and climbing trees. ISA Certified in 91, Board-Certified in 2004, Municipal Specialist Feb 05, and will eat the big enchilada, Certified Tree Worker, October 05. I get a lot of my ceu's by reading articles and books and taking the tests on them. I know a bit, but there's a lot more I don't know.

I belong to the American Society of Consulting Arborists and attend their meetings, and ISA, TCI, regional and local events. I speak a little, and listen a lot. The expense for all this is passed on to my (mostly ) happy clients; they value trees too.

I've climbed with over a dozen arborists that I met through arboristsite.com. I learned a lot from each one, and made some good friends. The best learnning comes from a combination of studying the ideas of others and studying the trees as (and after) you work with them. Ya gotta have both, really.

Guy Meilleur, Better Tree Care, Apex NC
(Copyright waived)

 

[tinman44]

It all started 5 years ago(keep in mind I'm very green to this industry) I asked to borrow my neighbors chainsaw. He said sure but the chain is bad you buy one and you can use it, I agreed. While looking for a chain at a Home Depot the guy said something smart like "I'll need more than a chain to find you the right one" (I had the chain with me but left the saw at home) so I said "how about that chain there", he said "well thats on a saw already", then I said "ok I'll take the saw too". From then on I removed a few trees here and there for beer or steak dinners for friends. Then a sheriff deputy friend of mine said "we should start a business", he had been doing line clearance and tree services for almost two decades. Well I bought all the gear I needed and started with "The Tree Climbers Companion", although still very new to this I'm learning more everyday. Maybe one day I will be able to expand but for now I'm just a hack, with nice new gear(PPE).

 

[hobby climber]

Started about 5 years ago. Large limb did some damage to my parents roof during an ice storm (in Ontario). The insurance company took care of the limb on the roof but would not cover the rest of the tree. I took down what remained of that tree and once word got around I do tree work, every friend & family member started calling. After a while I started charging for the work I was doing in hopes of stopping everyone from calling. That backfired into a part time business. Who Knew! Most the money I made in the first couple of years was used to purchase PPE and good equipment. I always knew my limitations and never took on anything that would put me at risk. Anything like that I referred to a reputable tree care company. This company in returned helped me learn the basics and how to climb safely. Its a good working relationship I have with this company due to the fact that I pose no threat as a competitor. I continue to learn and improve myself to be able to perform the best tree care I can for my customers. This is a hobby for me as well as a part time busyness and I enjoy it very much. HC

 

[a_lopa]

17 yrs old got offered a lineclearing job paid $320 a week hated it,progressed thru a few diffrent companys wound up climbing, started my own buis part-time 7 years ago built it up. now im working with local council on listing heritage trees,so dont come lopping in my hood .i climb 1/100th of what i did lineclearing doing residentual work for alot more $

 

[jason j ladue]

okay, this sucks ass! pardon my vulgarity. i just spent the last hour pouring my heart out carefully outlining the basis and history of my 25 year-long horticultural career- including many delicate aspects of my education and family background, as they pertain to my job (that i love so much). then i accidentally pressed some button or other, and in the twinkling of an eye- it all disappeared into the depths of a cyberspace wormhole. never shall they return... DAMMIT!

 

[jason j ladue]

gotta start over i guess but not right now... :alien:

 

[Jim@turf]

Jim @ Tree Service Magazine here ...

"From Treeseer: Copyright 2005 by Better Tree Care Associates, permission to reprint regrettably withheld until I get a copy of the magazine it's being sent to."

Have you signed up to get it? Do we have your address? If not, visit www.treeservicesmagazine.com

Jason -- Sorry for your loss. Looking forward to your bio, though.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I went to the Ag magnet program at Milwaukee Vincent High for plant Science, '83 grad. My councelors and the program head tried to find me a job in the tree industry, but no one was hiring. The power company said they were having their linemen doing ROW clearance because because of the economy.

The I did 8.5 years in the USMC. I was a radio operator, and had acess to gaffs, belt and a saw, so i did removals whenever I was in ConUS.

When I finally got out (bad back) I started knocking around with small companies climbing as daylabor and stopgap employment, (indentured servitude "management positions that lasted only a bit more then a year each) untill I fell into a grounders position at the local (seven counties) huge lawn company branch.

Within a few months I was running a crew, doing sales, customer relations and A/R work. In other words, It was allmost like my own buisness without the headaches of capitol investment and payroll.

But then I started studying the trade and science and my ideology and theirs diverged, so I went solo. I started climbing as a subcontractor in 2000 and have tried 2 different "careers" somewhat related, but niether lasted more then 7 months.

So for the last 5 years i've climbed for several different companies in the Greater Milwaukee area traveled around the country on large projects such as storm mitigation (Thanks Jerry, for the Tree House opportunity! ) and have picked up 2 regular clients up in the Green Lake area.

With that and consulting life is good. I get paid very well to play in trees.

Now at 40 I'm finally settling down and getting married.

 

[Davidsinatree]

1986 just finished high school, started working as a groundman for a small tree service. No chipper, loading onto a dump truck. Learned the art of dragging brush and stacking efficiantly. Became very interested in climbing so I bought my fist stringer butt strap saddle, stringer-brooks gaffs, 3 strand rope. Started learnig to climb and trim. Then had a real bad accident. I was on a side job trying to flush cut to the ground an elm tree I had just worked down. Elm tree grown into chainlink fence = kickback and a very bad cut to the bone in my arm. Spent 4 mo recovering. Got out of tree work, became a tool & die maker. I did continue cutting wood to heat our home through the years.
Jan 2001 the biggest ice storm in decades hits Kansas City area. I could hear the trees calling my name. Went to a pawn shop and bought some climbing gear.
Over the last four years my small buisness has exploded with growth. I consider myself......a self taught climber. Going to the isa tree climbing comp was one of the best helps I've had. Read lots of books about tree care. Use the latest upto date climbing gear. Its very satisfying to take a nasty looking tree and help it look & feel better.
Probly the biggest single thing that has helped my tree sevice was going from hauling brush on a trailer to using a CHIPPER. WOW!! what a difference that has made in reducing clean up time.
I'm looking forward to learning much more about tree care and servicing my area for many years.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

As a kid i used to help my father and other male relative's fell dead tree's mainly Elm's for farmer's /landowner's in re-turn we got the firewood which we then sold.

I left school in 84 with no qualifacation's ,i whent to work with a cousin [he was 18]doing landscaping and also firewood we would hawk [cold call ] farmer's and landowners and sell the firewood door to door ,we did scrap metal recycling you name it with an old rusty truck we did it,there was no way i was going into a 9-5 job.I partly come from the travelling community [gypsy ] and 9-5s are something we just dont do !

Anyway after a few years [cousin and i parted compay] and a major HURRICANE i realised there was more to this tree game basicly i was often way out of my depth
so for a few year's i mainly did small tree work and landscaping.But i could not get the saw dust out of my blood and i whent on various tree related courses ,chainsaw and climbing training ,city and guild's arboricultural courses ,health and safety training ,first aid you name it i have ticket /qualifacation for it including certification relating to tree report's and consulting ,i'm of again soon to merrist wood college to do another consultancy related course.

68-84 skivvy for me old man

84-88 bodging along

88-96 smaller tree job's and landscaping

96-now COUNTYWIDE TREE COMPANY [small but good tree surgery company,with all the kit and qual's ohh plus we do a bit of report work]

AHH one major thing WE DON'T TOP TREE'S !!!! ANYMORE !

 

[rfwoodvt]

Pardon the Pun but I sorta "fell" into it. I had been in Computer Programming for a number of years when my doc essential told me I needed to get out from behind that desk or they'd bury me in it.

I walked a way from a $40k/year job (good money in the late 80's) into the unknown. After paying off a bunch of debts and not finding a good job I scrounged $26 bucks and had 260 copies of a flyer I made on my PC made. and started selling driveway topcoating.

I parlayed the profits from that into a snow-plow and pickup, which I used to raise funds to buy lawn maintenance equipment. And then...

I started property maintenance covering all greenscape. I read, surfed the net and networked my way through the school of hard knocks. I had done a lot of small tree (ornamental) work with my clients but never heavy work.

Then the great northeast ice storm of 1998 hit an everything changed. Since I was thier primary contact I got a ton of calls from my clients to do thier trees, mostly downed stuff. I kinda liked it and decided to head my company in that direction.

I sold off my plowing and mowing operations and invested in a flatbed dump and an old 1964 Mitts & Merrill "chuk-n-duk" and aobut $1000 of books. I spent the next several years reading, practicing and web-boarding to learn as much as possible. In 2000 I bought a aerial truck.

Last spring I finally sat for my ISA Cert exam and passed. Still, I read, read some more, ask web questions and stop every chance I get to watch and kibbutz with other tree people.

This past fall I packed up everything and headed to Hurricane Central--southwest Florida. What an experience! What an opportunity to learn!

Each day that goes by is nothing short of an adventure now. I have not had such fun on the job since I was a firefighter in my college days.

All things considered, I have yet to "arrive", I'm still on the journey!

Oh! And did I mention all the "toys" I get to play with?! Where else can you climb a tree, harrass some of your best friends, make noise like you've never dreamed of, create a work of art or move 30000 pounds on any given day? No job like it anywhere!

 

[NYSawBoss]

Between the ages of 9-13 (bike riding age) I used to ride through my neighborhood. If I saw a tree crew working I would stop sit on the grass and watch the whole job from start to finish. Well it came to a point where I wanted to see what it was I was marveling about all those years. To be honest with you....it's the most fun you could have with your pants on. I'm one of the new age, young bucks but I'm in it for the long haul. Climb Strong and Git R' Done!!

Tony

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm just the opposite, Tony. I never saw a tree crew before, until I joined one. And I notice most people driving by hardly ever look up...