Crew

When I was a boy in Fayetteville we had a hackberry tree next to our back door on Mission Boulevard. Birds loved that tree, but I loved it even more. Some of my best childhood memories center around scrambling up the trunk and around the branches, all the while imagining as only little boys can. One of the branches grew over the house; and as it got larger, it came close to actually touching the roof. I wanted to save that tree, so as a teenager, I volunteered to remove the branch. Not knowing any better, I removed it far too close to the trunk and watched it slowly die over the next five year from canker diseases starting at that area and destroying my hackberry. The loss haunted me and pointed me toward my future. I never wanted something like that to happen to another tree or to another boy.

After graduating high school, I worked in forestry for three years. Then, during a vacation in Virginia, I met James Earhart who eventually became the world tree climbing champion in 2015. Later that summer he introduced me to climbing and other arborists who taught me the observation skills necessary for identifying tree problems and solutions. He showed me how I could turn my passion for tree care into a career. Not long after, in 2008, the economy tanked and forestry with it. One of those pivotal life choices stared me in the face. I could stay in forestry with a dubious future or switch to arboriculture. Fate intervened when the Forest Service offered me a four month contract removing trees and branches damaged in an ice storm. Realizing the only arborists in Northwest Arkansas at the time worked for the electric company, I used this income as seed money to start Tree Climbers.

I needed additional education and experience in a hurry. I attended tree climbing competitions and conferences as well as serving apprenticeships under Cormac Nagan and Master Arborist Noel Boyer in Springfield, Missouri. I became an International Society Arboriculture Certified Arborist in 2009 and the fourth Certified Tree Care Safety Professional in Arkansas in 2012. In 2016, not only did my company become the only Accredited Tree Care Company certified by the Tree Care Industry Association, but I also became the only Board Certified Master Arborist in Arkansas, the highest certification available.

For me trees are much more than an income. They define my childhood, shape my career and provide fun and unity for my family. Contact us so we can help you save your hackberry, prune your shade tree or care for your forest. Trees are the emeralds of creation: beautiful and fragile.

Tree Climbers wants to help you nurture your trees and shrubs. Whether you have a stately oak shading a small backyard in need of pruning or a grove of ash needing aerating, we can help.

Unlike wrecked cars or broken refrigerators, trees are not easily replaced, so we take every precaution to protect them. We have certified tree climbers where bucket access is not possible, and we never use spikes except for removals because the wounds they create can spread disease and maybe even kill your tree. We follow American National Standards Institute (ANSI) best practices for pruning and safety as well as locating underground lines before stump grinding.

Tree Climbers has the right equipment for every job regardless of size and takes pride in leaving the site exactly as you want. Our equipment includes loaders and log trucks, chippers and chip trucks, grinders, bucket trucks as well as an Air Spade for aeration and decompaction. We feature a 75 foot rear mount bucket truck, a lighter weight vehicle that causes less yard damage while providing greater reach which is especially important qualities in residential areas. Our various certifications and accreditations ensure you receive best practices quality care and the highest safety standards for both trees and workers with our workers also protected by Workman’s Compensation Insurance. Those certifications demand the ethical business practices that define our business. Our uniformed specialists provide written estimates and transparency so you understand the services you want or need and their cost.

No job is too small or too large. We can protect the monarch of your forest from lightning or prune roots from trees near prospective building sites to preserve their health. We can help apartment complexes preserve their green spaces, and we only apply soil or pesticide treatments when needed. Give us a call because we can help you find the best possible service at a fair right price.