How to Climb Trees With Ropes and Harnesses

Tree climbing, the sport, is an extension of tree climbing, the job, and both have been growing in popularity in recent years.

Tchukki Andersen, an arborist with a trade group called the Tree Care Industry Association, says that demand for pros who can climb and maintain trees began to increase after the Northeast blackout of 2003, which started when trees near Cleveland touched high-voltage power lines and ultimately affected 55 million people. In the aftermath government agencies required utilities to spend more to keep their lines clear. Since then a steady sequence of hurricanes, tornadoes, and ice storms have kept up the pressure on utilities and created ongoing work for arborists. "We just seem to be more inundated with more frequent and intense storms these days," Andersen says.

As the need for tree climbers has grown, the gear has improved. And a growing number of companies are teaching the necessary skills, including Tree Climbers International, in Atlanta, Georgia; a national group called North American Training Solutions; and the New England Tree Climbing Association. Gary Gross, one of the founders of the New England group, is a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran and former engineer for Pratt & Whitney. "There's so much work for arborists that they can't keep up," he says, "and it's really not that complicated to learn."

This summer I headed to Manchester, Conn., where I joined a recreational climber and two arborists for a weekend course with Gross. As a sport, tree climbing seemed easier and safer to learn than rock climbing. And the skills could even have a payoff down the road, according to Andersen. "We'll put recreational climbers to work," he says. "They have quite a bit of the training a tree care company is looking for. And the industry pays well."

Here's what we learned, and some of the gear we used, in Gary Gross's backyard. The following overview isn't enough to get a climber started, though?to learn the sport safely, hands-on instruction is vital.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/recreation/hiking/how-to-climb-trees-with-ropes-and-harnesses?src=rss

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