Climbing News

Have you ever thought about all the gear that you use on a daily basis? Have you thought about the harness that you put on everyday or the biners that get beat up at the bottom of your gear bag? How about some of the stuff that is your 'go to' gear that is surely getting used and, more than likely, slightly abused day-after-day? We want to give a huge shout out to all that under-appreciated gear that keeps holding tons of weight or makes your day easier without you ever giving it a second thought. Here's to you, lowly, under-appreciated gear!

If you read our other blog post about some of the most under-appreciated gear that we use daily, then you know how much boots take a beating without a second thought. Our boots help keep our feet warm in the winter and keep our feet dry through the wet spring, and all we do is keep walking them through mud and whatever else nasty we come across daily! On top of that we wedge them into crotches that pull and prod at their soles, trying to tear them from the very foot bed that makes them comfortable! We figured if we were going to beat on the boots all day long, then we should write a blog post on caring for your boots as well!

We continue our interview series with a discussion with Sara, who provides a woman's perspective on the tree climbing industry.

Bartlett:
So tell us who you are and how long you have been in the tree climbing industry:

Sara:

My name is Sara and I've been a tree trimmer officially since March of 2017. I started on the (IBEW Local 17) property in Nov, 2016.

Bartlett:
What do you like most about being in the tree industry?

Sara:'

I love being outside. I like the freedom and that everything is a challenge. It's something you can't study for. You have to go out and do it. It's always working your brain; it's not just manual labor or brute force.

I like that trees are all over the world and the service we provide is something that's always going to be needed.

How many times have you wanted to start a job, but the day before it rains? Or what about those times when the frost just started leaving the ground and every single yard you try to work in is a sinkhole? Or lastly, the dread of working in the yard with the perfect landscaping that you don't dare make one divot in the lawn? These are all situations that we, as tree company owners and employees, find ourselves in day in and day out! One of the best investments you can make when it comes to these problems is a bunch of Alturna Mats!

We decided to have a little bit of fun with this next blog post by going through the top 5 questions that homeowners ask us! I'm sure you've been asked ALL of these questions many times when on the job, on the phone, or maybe even at the grocery store with your work shirt on! We are going to try to answer these top questions that homeowners ask us as professionally and knowledgeably as possible. Hopefully, you can take our answers and use them the next time these questions are posed to you.

Last month we told you about the volunteer project we helped out with on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. This month we want to give you a breakdown of some of the cool tricks and techniques we used to get some of these big logs out of the canals and onto shore! We talked with Jake Carufel who used to work for Bartlett Arborist Supply, but now runs his own company, Canopy Climber Tree Care, out of Port Huron, Michigan. Jake is a Certified Arborist, as well as the 2016 Michigan Tree Climbing Champion, so it's always fun to catch up and see what types of cool climbing tricks that he and other climbers are employing to get the job done! Jake wrote the following account that details what he used to suspend himself over the water and make the cuts without getting wet.

When it comes to being a tree climber, one of the best things you can ask for is a good groundie who is capable of keeping up with the brush, making sure that most everything is done when you get out of the tree, and, most importantly, great at running ropes! There is nothing better than taking the top of a tree and watching and ' more importantly ' feeling the top come slowly and steadily to a stop before touching the ground. That is what a good groundie is capable of. It makes your day way less stressful and go more smoothly. It also makes it possible to talk to your significant other when you get home at night instead of losing your voice halfway through the day from screaming at someone on the ground or from screaming in pain from busting your ribs on the spar as you get jerked around 50' off the ground!

So we did an interview with some climbers that we are friends with a couple weeks ago. We pretty much just asked them some basic questions to see how they felt about the industry, climbing gear, any tree climbing tips they may have, and what keeps them going every single day! Our first interview is with Dan Thornton, who, if any of you have been to MTCC (Michigan Tree Climbing Championships) you've probably met him or talked to him behind the tape of some of the events or threw a disc around after the comp in the parking lot. Dan has always been willing to come help out with volunteer projects and is a great worker that is starting to make a name for himself in the industry. We were super happy to meet up with him and get his thoughts on what he sees going on in the tree industry! So here we go!