Recommended Training for starting Arborist-Treehouse Company?

[Ob1]

Hello, I'm new to this site, and looking to begin my career in this trade with an interest in climbing, tree health, and building treehouses (see my posting in Employment forum: Groundsman work WANTED, now or Spring: Denver/Boulder).

I've looked through a good number of the threads posted by others looking to start a tree service, but I'm wondering specifically if anyone has advice on what forms of education and training would be most helpful with regard to my treehouse construction interest.

Also, does anyone know of anybody in Colorado, or anywhere for that matter, who builds treehouses from an arboriculture/dendrology background?

Thanks for the help,
Ben

 

[Tree Machine]

I've found there are three very effective ways to lose money as an arborist, 1) Agree to build a treehouse, 2) Agree to hang a swing, 3 Agree to clean out gutters unless you can walk the roof and zap em with the power blower.


I'm not trying to discourage you at all. Everyone finds their niche. It's just that you don't need arborist-type experience to build a treehouse, you need experience in the construction trades. As far as the tree goes, use common sense; don't rabbet into the trunk, know the tree is going to grow, know the higher you build the more the tree will move and know that you may possibly be connected to the lawsuit when the kid falls out of the tree and kills himself. Kids just get hurt. They do stupid things (...looking back on my own childhood), they... they're kids.

If you do move forward on it, build low, build on independent posts to support the treehouse and avoid building on or in the tree itself. The higher you go, the more of a logistical hassle it is, unless you have a bucket truck. If you have a bucket truck, you really should be out doing tree care. If you have to rent a manlift for the job you better have some really wealthy clients. If you're up and down and up and down on ladders, life sucks quickly. Kids just want a fort up off the ground and a place to go make out and smoke pot when they're teenagers. My advice, keep it low, keep it simple because YOU are not going to enjoy the use of it unless it's on your property, or you build for a relative.

I'm coming from a place where I agreed to do a relatively simple treehouse a couple years ago. A one-week job spilled into three and there was a major storm that hit our area during week two (when it should have already been finished). Treehouse client had a party coming up soon for their kids and it put me in a spot of a deadline, which I don't do well with, especially whan I have to shelf my bread and butter business.

There's something romantic about building a treehouse, and the end result can be very cool. Building in trees is much more difficult than building on the ground, though not impossible.

Here's a few treehouse links. Also, the book Treehouses of the World, wow, what a knockout book. Especially note Sting's treehouse. Treehouseworkshop.com is where you need to investigate.

Good luck.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

Hey Ob1, did you recieve some training in the Boston area?

 

[Ob1]

Thanks for the feedback Tree Machine- your suggestions make sense to me. I hope to go ahead with my plan, and your input is helpful.

OTG Boston, I haven't done any training in your namesake's region. My training has been terra firma chainsaw training in Illinois and New Hampshire, working at a nursery in Plymouth, MA, and transplanting trees with my dad growing up.

Do you recommend any trainings, or mentors, or good arborists in that area?

 

[OTG BOSTON]

Thanks for the feedback Tree Machine- your suggestions make sense to me. I hope to go ahead with my plan, and your input is helpful.

OTG Boston, I haven't done any training in your namesake's region. My training has been terra firma chainsaw training in Illinois and New Hampshire, working at a nursery in Plymouth, MA, and transplanting trees with my dad growing up.

Do you recommend any trainings, or mentors, or good arborists in that area?

A friend of mine recently trained a gentleman who was moving out to Colorado to build treehouses.......................strange coincidence I guess.