Tree climbing not just for kids

Daniel Stevens, 27, is weaving together his love of climbing trees with a successful business.

“I’m very lucky to be able to make money doing something I’ve enjoyed since I was a little kid — climbing trees,” Stevens said.

He owns Living Tree Service, a company based in Mesa that provides a variety of tree-related jobs, including pruning, planting, stump removal and grinding limbs so they can be used as mulch.

But it’s where Stevens spends his time off that makes him interesting. After a hard day’s work, he unwinds in a tree.

Stevens placed second of 29 contestants last year in the Western Chapter International Tree Climbing Competition held at Boyce Thompson Arboretum outside Superior. He’s preparing to use his climbing skills June 13-15 in this year’s contest in Elk Grove, Calif.

The outdoor athlete has been competing in tree climbing contests since 2002.

“Nearly all of the tree climbing contestants have regular day jobs like me — servicing trees,” said Stevens. “I look at my job as a combination of art, science and athletic skills. Art involving pruning trees to make them look beautiful, science is knowing about how trees grow and athletics because, well, it’s a real challenge to climb a very tall tree.”

He and his staff of five, including his wife, Heather, provide tree service throughout the Valley as part of an industry that could use more professionals.

“There are a lot of tree hackers out there,” said Stevens, referring to unskilled workers for companies that charge lower prices, but place their employees — and customers — in danger because they are unfamiliar with or ignore tree climbing safety requirements.

Unlike Stevens’ and other qualified tree service companies in the Valley, many likely do not have safety or workers’ health insurance, their climbers are not certified by the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, and they are probably not registered with the Arizona Better Business Bureau, Stevens said.

“We recommend that people ask to see WCISA certificates, call the Better Business Bureau and make sure the companies are insured,” said Stevens, who began tree service work at age 20 and was employed by a major tree service company in the Valley before starting his own company in November.

The International Society of Arboriculture is a nonprofit agency started in 1924 that holds annual tree climbing competitions that match winners from each chapter in the United States and throughout the world.

Competition is rated on a variety of skills, including speed, safety measures, climbing styles and other talents. Winners and runners-up are awarded climbing tools, equipment and sometimes cash.

Stevens said many adults have fond childhood memories of climbing trees. However, today’s youngsters, especially in areas such as the Valley where development is reducing the number of available trees, tree climbing is becoming a lost adventure.

Stevens said those children who are climbing, however, are “free climbing,” the term used to describe climbing without using safety equipment or ropes.

“Free climbing scares me,” Stevens said.