The 20th annual Michigan Tree Climbing Championship takes place Saturday in Holland. Tree industry professionals and a few hobbyists will compete for prizes and the chance to go to the international competition in Florida.
Though it sounds simple, tree climbing isn’t just hoisting yourself onto low-hanging branches. For trees that are up to a hundred feet high, it’s more like rock climbing—with belays, a harness, and a helmet.
Nate Jansen works for Bartlett Tree Experts in Grand Rapids. This will be his first time at the championship. Jansen says climbing trees requires a great deal more thought than what it seems.
“So yeah, you kind of start at the base and work your way up looking for defects and trying to get a good feel for the tree—if it’s safe enough to climb, first off,” Jansen explains as he prepares to climb an old tree in his parents' yard.
The Michigan Tree Climbing Championship is unique in that it’s one of the few athletic competitions started to promote safety.
William Drews owns Woodland Tree Services in Kent County and is also on the board for the ArboricultureSociety of Michigan which organizes the competition. Drews son Lucas has gone to the international championship three times.
Drews says there’s a camaraderie that comes out of tree work. It’s dangerous—he says its right up there with ocean fishing and crop dusting.
“We really want every person that’s involved in the arboricultural field to know that they are as safe as they can possibly be when they’re out there, assessing the risk and understanding it," he says. "Making sure that when they come home at night, you know, they can be there with their family and have all of their fingers and toes and, you know, not get hurt.”
There are six events in the competition that simulate situations on the job or different climbing techniques—everything from the fastest climb to rescuing someone from a tree.
Brett Nelson is another arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts. He says not only are certain types of trees easier to climb or prune, but each individual tree has its quirks. Jansen says that’s what makes it exciting.
“You almost think of it as a puzzle that you have to take apart. And you try to do it with the tools you have in the most efficient manner possible," says Jansen. "And sometimes that also includes a little bit of adrenaline, so it can be a good time.”
But it’s that adrenaline that sometimes causes problems. Williams Drews says accidents caused by amateur tree climbers give the industry a bad rap.
“Whether it’s the homeowner, whether it’s someone helping someone else, all those accidents go into the same pool," he says. "And so as an industry, we suffer the injuries that the unqualified person encounters.”
Jansen says experienced workers have to remember that a lot can go wrong. A few years ago, Jansen sliced his leg with a chainsaw.
“That was due to not wearing chaps. The company provided them that I worked for, but I chose not to wear them because it was hot and I was working 14 hour days,” says Jansen. “And I’d run a chainsaw, in my opinion, long enough to where I didn't need to wear them. So I guess you could say I got comfortable and yeah, ended up cutting myself just below my knee.”
Despite the risks, Brett Nelson says it beats an office job any day.
“Got a job doing graphic design and was in a cubicle for five years and I just couldn't take it anymore. And so I’ll just work at Bartlett for a summer and get outside and take a break and go back to graphic design," says Nelson. "And eight years later, I’m still pruning trees because I love being outside every day.”
“We enjoy being in these big trees and knowing and understanding what their needs are. And making sure we understand the biology of the soil so that the tree can continue to survive,” says William Drews. “It’s almost a spiritual thing.”
You can watch the Michigan Tree Climbing Championshipat Prospect Park Saturday in Holland. There will also be a belayed kids climb.
