In a recent two-day seminar, more than 150 participants from various companies in the Dallas/Forth Worth area learned what to do when they are “out on a limb.”

Vermeer Equipment of Texas, along with Sherrill Arborist Supply, sponsored a seminar on tree access and climbing techniques used in today’s tree care industry. Aside from earning 515A Certified Arborist continuing education units, attendees also learned to work smarter, not harder.

Ken Palmer, internationally known instructor and presenter, from ArborMasters in Connecticut, conducted the training. He demonstrated personal protective equipment, ANSI safety standards, tree-climbing techniques and equipment, chainsaw safety, precision cutting and felling procedures, rigging and a myriad of the latest gear for the arborist.

The seminar was a win-win situation for participants and for the City of Grand Prairie, TX. By allowing the school to take place in Wagner Park, the city was able to get some potentially dangerous limbs removed from trees in the park, and attendees got training in an actual work environment.

The day was cold and rainy, but according to Palmer, just a typical day on the job.

In addition to demonstrations, the program included videos of Palmer and fellow arborists competing in tree climbing events in redwood forest in the Northwest. The trees’ height provided a challenging test of tree-climbing skills.

The final spectacle of the seminar was Rip Tompkins of Sherrill Arborist Supply working with Palmer as a team to rig, cut with a chainsaw, and safely lower a large limb from about 30 ft. high. The idea was to show techniques that can be used in areas such as dense residential or business districts in which simply dropping a limb is prohibited.

According to Mark Krueger, senior vice president of Vermeer Equipment of Texas, Palmer was an excellent teacher. “It was cold, yet these people were here for two days, and I never saw a one that was not paying strict attention,” he said. “The seminar went over so well and was attended by so many interested participants that we plan on making this a yearly event.”

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