Climbing to the Top

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Care of Trees’ employee David Booth climbed his way to the spot of regional champion tree climber in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (MAC-ISA) Regional Tree Climbing Competition.

Booth, a 27-year-old certified arborist and seven-year veteran of The Care of Trees, will go to compete for the world championship title at the 78th Annual International Tree Climbing Competition in Seattle on July 27 and 28, as a result of his regional tree-climbing honor.

In addition to Booth, Care of Trees’ Melissa Lawler was chosen as a woman-designate of MAC-ISA to compete in the Woman’s Climbing Competition taking place in Seattle. She will be the first woman to participate in the competition from the MAC-ISA.

Thirty-five MAC-ISA members from Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia and West Virginia competed in the regional tree-climbing event. Climbers from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and New Zealand attend both the men’s and women’s ISA Tree Climbing Competition and are judged on skill, technique, attention to safety and time. The top five finishers compete in final events called the Master’s Challenge, where competitors are tested on work climb, belayed speed climb, footlock, accuracy throw and aerial rescue. 

The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.