b_________
WedNEsdAy, D ecem B er 5, 2001
Feature
TI te ClAckAMAS P rint
Tree climber training gets up to business
ALLISON T.GERFIN
Copy Editor
I don’t live near any rock
walls, but I am overshadowed
” by an assortment of huge
trees—Douglas firs, ponde-
rosa pines and white oaks, the
quintessential Oregon trio. I
thought it would be cool to get
up into those trees and use
them for fun instead of just
staring up at them, cursing
their never-ending downpour
of limbs, leaves and needles.
Here I have recreation right in
my front yard—no need to
drive for miles in order to maim
myself far from home.
So I signed up for Tree
Climber Training (HOR 239),
expecting to rub shoulders
with a handful of ecoterrorists-
in-training. Instead, instruc
tor Terry Flanagan immedi
ately handed each of us a
hefty course outline, which
listed possible opportunities
in utility line clearance, com
mercial and municipal arbor
care and at Hoyt Arboretum as
a volunteer tree climber. The
first sentence he wrote under
“Grading” was “This is not a
‘basket-weaving’ course.”
Okay, so I wouldn’t have to
grow my hair long or stop
shaving.
The one-credit course is
only four weeks long, from 8
a.m. to- noon on Saturdays in
October, so Flanagan got us
PHOTOGRAPHER / Clackamas Print
Instructor Terry Flanagan (left)
critiques the climbing skills of
student Jef Gray while Allan
Wilson ( back ) and Jennifer
Whiting prepare to go up next.
Assistant instructor Joe Mendez
shows off some high-rise
chainsawing.
down to business quickly.
Flanagan is an arboricultural
consultant and has done tree
surveys for CCC in prepara
tion for its new building con
struction. Previously, he was
a manager for General Tree
Service and has over 25
years’ experience working in
trees. His arms are solidly
muscled lethal weapons, so I
listened and tried not to an
noy him.
Safety was the first prior
ity. We went through elec
trical hazards, tree inspec
tions, clear communication
and personal protection
equipment. All of the money
and equipment for the class
was donated, mostly by
Asplundh and Trees Inc.,
(two utility line clearance ser
vices), Portland General Elec
tric, Pacific Power & Light,
Collier Arbor Care, Organicare
and Rich’s Tree Service; we
were well equipped with hard
hats, safety glasses, ropes,
saddles, saws and carabiners.
This is not a cheap thrill.
Before even standing near a
tree, we had to learn knot ty
ing. Knots are as much of a
climber’s lifeline as his rope,
and they are either done cor
rectly or not. No “almosts”
here. Assistant instructor Joe
Mendez, the “gadget guru,”
very patiently helped us to tie,
dress and set our contorted
tangles. Repeating our half
hitches, “rabbit comes out of
the hole, goes around the tree,
then back in the hole” bowline
knot and the crucial Blake hitch
under the watch of the instruc
tors gave us enough familiar
ity to practice at home. This is
absolutely necessary, as I
found out at the final exam.
We learned how to get our
climbing ropes securely over a
limb using a slickline weighted
with a small, shot-filled canvas
bag. My first miserable at
tempts instantly improved as
soon as I relaxed. But still, the
hard hat was greatly appreci
ated by those closest to me.
We got to take the throwlines
and throwbags home, with an
admonishment from Flanagan
to practice.
We were supposed to use a
“modified body thrust” to
reach a limb 12 or 15 feet up.
Mendez, a former rock climber
and now a high climberTor the
Urban Forestry division of the
Portland Parks and Recreation
Department, made sure our
knots were tied correctly so
Flanagan didn’t lose any stu
dents. I leaned back in the
saddle, pulled up my legs as
far as possible (gotta do those
stretching exercises now),
locked the rope around both
feet, stood up and advanced
the friction hitch up the rope.
Then repeated it. Again. And
again. I looked around and I
was just about eye level with
my six-foot-tall climbing part
ner. This is real work. Mendez
sauntered over and asked what
hurt more, my legs or my arms.
I told him my lungs, and I vowed
to quit smoking. Descending
was, of course, much easier, but
the temptation to let it rip on the
way down was just too great—
Flanagan warns me about safety
and overheated ropes. It was
also a lot of fun. The “full body
pain” wouldn’t hit until the next
day.
It was a very intense course
with a lot of information, more
than we could utilize in four
classes, and as Mendez said at
the end, “This is barely scrap
ing the surface of all there is to
climbing.” But we had a good
base of knowledge, enough so
we could buy some equipment
and practice on our own since,
as I mentioned before, Flanagan
had hammered safety practices
into us. He said that we already
knew more than some people
who were working for tree ser
vices.
Most of the students were
taking the course as part of the
Horticulture program, and one
is volunteering at Hoyt Arbo
retum. Volunteering is a great
way to learn more about tree
climbing and see if this is some
thing you want to pursue.
Damon Schrosk, a wetlands
biologist, took the class so he
could prune his tall pines but
would like to use tree climb
ing in his future business of
rural land management. He
has already bought some
used equipment and started
climbing at home. He contin
ued, “I’ve been about 85 feet
up one of my pines...I was
spinning and swimming
through the canopy like a spi
der. It was awesome. I would
take a whole series of these
courses if they were offered.”
He said he would like to learn
more of the basics such as
limb walking and move on to
more advanced skills, like
aerial rescue.
Flanagan said about half the
class expressed interest in
continued training. But he
added, “You never know. It’s
a bug that bites you. You
think you’re going to walk
away from it, but it pulls you
right back in.”
Flanagan hopes to have a
longer 6-week basic course
next fall and an intermediate
class in Spring 2003. This was
the second year tree climber
training has been offered, and
13 students enrolled, up from
eight last year. Although it is
for occupational training,
Flanagan welcomes students
interested in recreational
climbing. (He didn’t say any
thing about tree-sitting pro
testors.) I am now applying
to the Power Line Clearance
and Tree Trimming Appren
ticeship Program in Portland
so I can make money doing
interesting, albeit slightly
dangerous, work.
To learn more about tree
climber training, contact Terry
Flanagan at (503) 670-1995 or
Bruce Nelson in the Horticul
ture Department at x2786.