How Did YOU Get Started?

[geofore]

Storm came through and needed to cut trees to get out of the driveway.Cut my way to the neighbors and Charlie Knapp asked if I wanted to make a few bucks on the weekends helping him out. It was a good expeirence as Charlie worked for Geer Tree Service in Brookville, PA. He was good enough to show me how to take down the really tall difficult trees without hitting houses or garages or buildings. First tree was 125' maple between a house and garage less than 10' between them. Tree was hollow for the first 25' and you could stand inside it. Got it down without scratching anything and I was hooked. Charlie worked for 28 years without a major injury and one day he was cutting the top out of a dead tree when it kicked back at him and broke his face in 7 places. Doesn't matter how long you have been doing this or how good at it you are, trees are dangerous. I've never been hurt but you have to be careful and pay attention to what you hear.

 

[teamtree]

started out as a stumper

I started out my career as a CPA and after 10 years of working in an office I decided to do something else. I loved cutting firewood and trees for friends and relatives. The local tree guys did not have a stump grinder and most did it part-time. I put an ad in the paper to grind stumps. A lady called me with 25 stumps and I went out and bought a stump grinder to do work on the side. One thing led to another and now I want to become a certified arborist. I am a big boy so I have not mastered climbing but love working around trees.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

In simple form: I started at a golf course, was going to quit, but within 2 years took college classes and became interested that there was something to the work. I enjoyed pruning more than other greenskeepers and volunteered to prune the entire course, courses applying what I was learning.

I moved to university campuses, landscapeing an business. It's in my resume in my website.

Not the average path, but it's a path.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ain't there another thread going axing the same question?

Ooops, I forgot! You'll get quoted!

 

[Monkeywitha_saw]

got started when i was 16 working for the forest service in idaho in the summers topping tree during forest fires then moved to arizona to a cable job as a line jocky pulling cable on the poles got tired of all the rules changing so started looking for new prospects called a guy in the paper to have him trim a few trees and after he left i had to re trim them so i thought if he's doing that bad of a job then i could get started and do a better job and put that guy otta bizz and now thats whats happened

 

[Trignog]

Ain't there another thread going axing the same question?

Darn, I put thought into answering the other identicl thread hoping I could finally get published!

 

[Trignog]

cowards

 

[Nickrosis]

Thread revivals are fun too.

 

[Nickrosis]

I've got two more years on this campus!

Nickrosis

Oh, I had no idea... Yes, two years. But I...wow... I seriously had no idea what I would end up doing in that time frame, and I doubt I would've believed it had someone told me. One day at a time, God, one day at at time...

 

[pmuscato]

You couldn't keep me out of trees as a kid shimming up Longleaf Pines to get to the first limb, then just sit there looking around. tree forts. Swinging down off the ends of Oak limbs.Then I found out when i grow up I can get paid to climb trees. I'M THERE.

 

[Nickrosis]

Exactly. My coworker was telling me he should be collecting hazard pay for this line of work. I was thinking, why don't you pick another career....

 

[vharrison2]

Speaking of John Where did he go? he sent me E-mail last thursday and havent seen him around since.

Could he be working?

 

[jason j ladue]

gramps got me into it @ about age eleven. he always kept a fruit and nut orchard. i have distinct memories of crawling around the apple trees w/ a hand saw and set of laupers doing the seasonal maintenence. he would make me work in the rain and til it was dark. by the time i was thirteen i was an expert at splitting and stacking firewood. secretly i couldnt wait to operate the chainsaw. the prospect of having so much power in a compact machine like that alway fascinated me. his brother-in-law owned a big timber outfit in coosbay. i was always around loggers. (i have some great old pics, but no scanner) i think he was trying to show me how hard i would have to work if i didnt do well in school...but it back fired

 

[daddieslilgirl]

hmm im not working now but i will be soon. logging is in my blood weve been in the woods since we were toddlers and up. we were taught to respect trees and all the dangers, even though my bro owns 1/2 the business im more into the physical aspect of it. when my dads not there hell teach me stuff and let me do it mistakes and all and believe it or not we have a good working relationship ( he can be a little!@#$) when i started and dad wouldnt hire me full time i told him i was going to the competition and i did i had to fight for my pay and drive for miles but i proved my point! anyway logging is what im meant to do i never feel happier than when im in the woods, maybe most of you will understand, but for a women its great to jump on that skidder (im not great with the dozer..yet) and prove everyone wrong i cant get on the picker yet i have made it to the 3rd step lmao my neice is just like me she loves logging ok i think im done sorry guys

 

[WMTP]

My grandfather was a logger Timber faller way back in the day all over the country.Then my dad and uncle both became timber fallers everything from old groth timber to pulp wood.So me and my brother both grew up running around the woods.My family started subcontract falling for most of the logging companies around here doing all of the high line or yarder logging conracts in this area.My dads crew did the very last yarder logging conract in this area in the early 90s.Then the eco terrorist closed down all logging and thinning in our part of the countryand it nobody cut a tree on the forrest for production or anything else here until just lately no maint on the forest for over 10 years created a big fire problem and we have had a few huge huge wildfires so the thinning is back.A friend of mine was awarded the largest stewardship contract in the country last year. but back to the story we got into line clearance and got to know people in the arbo bizz and started doing that and started a family bizz in the tree service bizz and have been going ever since that is all I have ever known except when I went to school to be a mechanic on diesel equipment and worked as an Ironworker for a while really helped me learn about rigging and cranes and stuff. good expirience anyway thats my story I love tree work and learn somthing new everyday!

 

[huskycandoit]

I started when I was eight. It was the beginning of the summer and my brother was 13 and he needed someone to help with these 2 huge lawn accounts. So I helped him cut them until i was about 10 or so. The next year we got more lawn accounts. Weve been cutting them for about 3 years now. And about 2 years ago i took interest on trees because my brother was very interested at age 16. He knew our city forester very well and became best friends. And Dale ( city forester ) is no longer with us R.I.P. 2004 Dale inspired my brother to love trees and to properly prune, remove, etc. So we have been going in tree feild for about 3 years now. Well thats my story.

 

[pantheraba]

My good friend was a chopper pilot in Vietnam...he has a knack for getting into lots of things. He used to give chopper rides to the SF guys so they could do jumps to stay qualified...they taught him to parachute. He also learned to climb poles to hang commo wire.

Shortly after he got back from VN, we had a big ice storm in Atlanta. He said, "Come on, we're gonna make some money.” He went and bought a set of spurs, a 1953 leather lineman's belt (I still have it), we found a rope somewhere and we started clearing trees off houses. He climbed at first....cagey guy he was, pretty soon he was teaching me what little he knew. I was more agile and suddenly I was doing ALL the climbing. We just made it up as we went. I knew how to rappel (Rangers had taught me) so that was how I got out of trees.

A few years later when I finally worked for a real tree company, they taught me a much better way to do things...they were pretty patient. First day I climbed for them. I was nervous. The boss watched me put on the spurs, spit some tobaccer and asked, "Boy, you gonna climb the INSIDE of that tree?" I had the spurs on the outside of my boots. I changed them and he still let me climb.

We were treating some big bull pines for pine beetles. I had to haul up a big hose with a fuel nozzle on it like you use for cars and spray down these trees. It was about 95 degrees, June, I think, and pretty tough. When it was time to come down, he yelled up, "how are you coming down?". I said,” hand over hand”, which I did until about 10 feet off the ground when my grip finally gave out (I don't remember why I didn't rappel...probably didn't have a biner with me). I landed at his feet in soft straw, OK, just dehydrated and worn out. He spit again and said, "Da??, boy, I ain't never seen it done like that!".

And they still let me work for them.

 

[Nickrosis]

hmm im not working now but i will be soon. logging is in my blood... ok i think im done sorry guys

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