We’ve heard of ‘beach life’, ‘salt life’ ‘dog life’ and many other passions that folks dedicate themselves to, but here at Simply Trees, we live an ‘Arborist Life’! And here, from the Arborists desk, is co-owner, lead climber, and foreman, Edward Delehanty to talk about what it is like to be a climbing Arborist:

The best ways to care for and assess a tree are from the inside out. Before we begin the process of doing so, there are appropriate measures to take. Before ascending into a tree, we always assess the tree and take in what needs to be done. Before talking about making any cuts, we look for any potential hazards within the tree and surroundings, or what the tree may have as existing issues.

Some of the things we look for:

• Power lines, cable drops, loose electrical connections
• “Widow makers” (broken hanging branches dangling from upper limbs)
• Disease or decayed branches • signs of insect or animal infestation
• Conchs or loose ground below the tree, near the root base
• Street or house impact, (obstructions, structures, other)
• Irregularities or abnormal ground surrounding the tree
• Weather impacts

To be a safe climbing arborist, you must think of all of these factors before ascending into a tree.

Once completing the assessment, you area able to position your climbing system to the safest location for a proper ascension point. Once finished preparing the gear, you can ascend into the tree for the proper arborist work to be done. We work in conjunction with our ground crew and fellow climbers to best accomplish the work proposed.

From within the tree, we can complete the organization of the order of work to be completed. Sometimes rigging is required for the work to be done, whether pruning or removal as needed. This is usually pre-planned based on the first arborist assessment.

Lastly, we check our climbing equipment before and after each time we ascend and descend from a tree. This is extremely important for best safety measures.

We continually keep up with all safety procedures and try to be expedient and professional at all times. We train in climbing safety, have gained aerial rescue certifications, TCIA and ISA certifications, work with approved machinery from chain saws, rigging equipment, safety harnesses and of course communication systems in the qualified helmets we wear. We continually try to educate in new proper safety arboriculture methods.

Our view from within your trees always seeks to achieve your goals for your tree and landscape, while professionally accomplishing the task on hand, safely and effectively.

Thank you for appreciating our efforts to meet our Arboriculture goals, while mastering your tree care needs.