ArboristTypical Day

There is no such thing as a typical day, other than that you get a lot of fresh air. Nights can get pretty interesting too when winter storms bring trees down, and roads and utility cables need to be cleared while the heavy rain, sleet or even snow is still coming down on you like bullets. Today though, Joe Stump, the arborist, is up at about 5 am to get a Michael Phelps style breakfast to get him through the rigorous day ahead. 

Now that he is forty-seven, he really prefers to stay on the ground, but still climbs occasionally to inspect structural problems high in some of the geriatric trees in the older neighborhoods. Not everything is visible from the ground. Climbing really is not much of a problem, even with the few extra pounds that maturity and the 9-egg breakfast brings on. The concern is the ability to handle chainsaws safely and accurately. The focus (in good companies) always revolves around safety.

Forty-seven may not seem old, but Joe has been hard on himself. Because he is so tall and lean, he was not a groundsman for very long. He became a climber within his first few years. Since Joe knows from all of his experience how dangerous the work is, it is hard for him to watch the younger groundsmen and climbers enjoying their work too much. As far as Joe is concerned, they can never be too safe.

^{Even the dog is prepared.}