Did you guys go to school for this??

[Climb020]

Spend some time with Climb020, he seems to have his head screwed on from all the input here and sounds to have some largish kahunas, has done a competition which would have taught him heaps and a very generous offer...

Thanks there arbor. I don't see it as generous just trying to help the industry have a more positive look. Too many half @ss guys teach new guys the wrong and unsafe ways. Accidents happen but most happen to be preventable. I get ridiculed by the older guys for following all the safety rules but once you can do it faster then them and are safer, they tend to pipe down very quickly.:jester:

 

[(WLL)]

Thanks there arbor. I don't see it as generous just trying to help the industry have a more positive look. Too many half @ss guys teach new guys the wrong and unsafe ways. Accidents happen but most happen to be preventable. I get ridiculed by the older guys for following all the safety rules but once you can do it faster then them and are safer, they tend to pipe down very quickly.:jester:

speed comes with knowledge in this line of work

 

[(WLL)]

I think a combination of being taught from other professional climbers as well as studying at a training institute would benefit you the most.

Woodward you seem like a smart bloke, go to an arboriculture school/training institute and get the basics sorted. Be careful about what your learn from other climbers, bad habits are easily picked up.

make all good habits because habits are hard 2 break

 

[Jim1NZ]

I get ridiculed by the older guys for following all the safety rules but once you can do it faster then them and are safer, they tend to pipe down very quickly.:jester:

Haha ridiculous isn't it! Good on ya for showing them how its done, the safe way will ALWAYS be the fastest way in the long run...

 

[Jim1NZ]

make all good habits because habits are hard 2 break

Hey good quote WLL, you should have that as part of your personal message in each post

 

[OTG BOSTON]

otg you were a grass geek i never woulda guessed yrs?

95-97. Lived at 375 N. Pleasant St., they tore the house down last week.

I actually got out of the golf course stuff because of greens committee politics, now I work for the city..............................

 

[treeman82]

Whilst I was at the zoo they didn't have to tear down Delta Upsilon's house... the dumb SOB's managed to burn it down themselves.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

For me it's lots of OJT, then I wanted to learn the science so I started reading books from the library.

Then the internet started taking off and I found Russ Carlson's KnotHole, then the ISA board before I found a "home" here.

I owe a lot to the people who were on the net early on, especially Russ and Scott Cullen. Most of them have went to the ASCA listserv now that the unwashed masses can sign on .

I've taken a few college courses over the years, MATC has a very good progam.

For the individual, it all boils down to what they want to be. Many people start in the industry then find something else they like better.

For the guy who want to be a good treeworker, and bring home a good wage every year, then formal education is not needed. Some classes will help but a lot of it will be forgotten.

If you want to be a real arborist, then a firm grounding in plant science is needed. Undestanding pH, soil triangles, Fe, Mn, Mg....Identifying pests and how to control them will be essential to advancing a career in arboriculture.

I would recomend getting a 2 year degree in organic chem, or soil science or something that easily translates into the green industries.

 

[kkottemann]

I graduated with a BS degree in Forestry from Louisiana State University. I really wanted to go to work for a timber company working on the timber harvesting side. After I graduated I could not find a job. I had a six month job with the nature conservancy doing controlled burns in longleaf stands but when the fire season was over I was out of work. I looked back to the timber companies and no one was interested. I answered an ad for a large private tree service looking for climbers. The hired me gave me 4 weeks of training under an expierienced climber and gave me a crew. At first I did a lot of bucket truck work but as time went on I was climbing everyday. I really loved the work But felt under piad and under appreiciated. I left them and got a job with a major timber company. I was an assistant district forester with them for 2 years but found myself bored to death with the BS of an major company. I kept up the skills doing weekend work and rigging big trees to pull for various loggers when they would get one around a hunting camp or lake ect... Eventually I got enough work to go full time and that is where I am today. A self employeed tree freak. I have always read books, attended seminars and taken continuing education classes geared towards advancing my knowledge of my chosen craft.

 

[treeseer]

"I've been in school for 25 years!"

I've been in college for 40, off and on. going back spring semester for some independent study. Climbed 2 big trees today, did some writing and some legal work. Balance is good.

Good advice about keeping a balance tween books and the field.

 

[timothykamp]

I'm still in highschool, but I started a firewood business, which is rapidly expanding into an uninsured tree service. Because of insurance, I am extremely selective and only take jobs with no risk (I know, there is no such thing). Most of my jobs are simple 2 or 3 trees down, little or no climbing (I use a harness and my knowledge of rock climbing and all the freeclimbing I did as a kid (A LOT!!)), and trees that cannot (simply too far away) hit powerlines, houses, other trees, etc.

I am learning from other climbers and takedown crews that I come in contact with. My main goal is safety, and so far I have been successful.

 

[treeseer]

timothy do you want to learn maintenanace, or are you too busy with removals?

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Q: Did you guys go to school for this??

A: Everyday; hot or cold; uphill both ways - to and from!
For richer or poorer; in sickness and in health

 

[underwor]

Tree Spyder is right. The good thing about teaching is that I am constantly being asked questions that I never thought to ask my self. I do not attend a show, a TCC, or do a job that I don't learn something on, or get a new idea of something that might work better. When you stop learning and thinking is when the trouble starts. If you are new, don't be afraid to ask the older folks, if you have been in this for a while, don't be afraid to ask the young'uns. Everyone has different backgrounds and experiences and we are all teachers, by example as well as by advice.

 

[timothykamp]

treeseer - I really don't know much about maintenance, and right now i am paying off a splitter, a new stihl, and an employee to help split. I am staying busy with removals, but what do you have to tell me about maintenance???

 

[Doctor Dave]

I graduated with a BS degree in Forestry from Louisiana State University. I really wanted to go to work for a timber company working on the timber harvesting side. After I graduated I could not find a job. I had a six month job with the nature conservancy doing controlled burns in longleaf stands but when the fire season was over I was out of work. I looked back to the timber companies and no one was interested. I answered an ad for a large private tree service looking for climbers. The hired me gave me 4 weeks of training under an expierienced climber and gave me a crew. At first I did a lot of bucket truck work but as time went on I was climbing everyday. I really loved the work But felt under piad and under appreiciated. I left them and got a job with a major timber company. I was an assistant district forester with them for 2 years but found myself bored to death with the BS of an major company. I kept up the skills doing weekend work and rigging big trees to pull for various loggers when they would get one around a hunting camp or lake ect... Eventually I got enough work to go full time and that is where I am today. A self employeed tree freak. I have always read books, attended seminars and taken continuing education classes geared towards advancing my knowledge of my chosen craft.

I worked for a prof at LSU back in '87, researching baldcypress that was being eaten up by the fruit tree leaf roller (moth). Only time I did forest research from a bass boat! We went to the swamp near the Achafalaya; let's see...Grand Bayou (Grand Isle?) ring a bell? I learned to read the water better after running the boat 200 yards up on a mudflat.

Another time, I got a swimming lesson when a big 'gator surfaced just as I was about to jump off the boat as if to tell me: "Hey ******* Yankee--you see any Cajuns going swimming?!" The sucker was probably about 10 ft. long--I could only see the head, and it was 2 feet from the nostrils to the eyes. Then it sank out of sight.

 

[treeseer]

what do you have to tell me about maintenance???

In the long run, it's a lot more fun, and better job security. Nothing wrong with the firewood biz (I heat my home with wood), tho the earth is getting a bit warmer...

 

[jmack]

I currently attend SUNY Cobleskill, here in upstate NY with an associates in Landscape Development, and a Bachelors in Plant Science. Included in my curriculum was an aboriculture class, but I mean how much tree related info can you leanr in one semester. I have worked for a tree company for 3 years and combining my horticultural knowledge with practical climbing/removal experience has led me to wheer I am know. i do agree many business owners dont have any formal education related to arboriculture, or horticulture, and still do fine for themselves. Personally, being 21 with an education and climbing experience I feel way ahead of most of the folks my age inthe tree care industry. At the same time, I think that one needs a strong desire to learn in school, combined with practical experience. If I had to choose one or the other, I would go with experience. You can learn all you want from books,but until you do it you arent worth a ???? in my book.

sh*t loads

 

[jmack]

95-97. Lived at 375 N. Pleasant St., they tore the house down last week.

I actually got out of the golf course stuff because of greens committee politics, now I work for the city..............................

92-96 stockie

 

[jmack]

95-97. Lived at 375 N. Pleasant St., they tore the house down last week.

I actually got out of the golf course stuff because of greens committee politics, now I work for the city..............................

ayuh didya bounce at charlies?