Are tree climbers/trimmers a dying breed?

Ok, boys and girls, I'm going to burst the bubble we live in. I could substitute almost any other trade or profession in this discussion. As a career counsellor in a previous life I spoke with business owners and kept up with trends in most industries and sectors. There was nobody who complained to me that they had too many skilled workers. Nobody said the struggled with the wealth of choice amongst great candidates pounding at their doors to work. The high tech sector has for years complained about a shortage of skilled workers ( in the US the number usually runs around 500,00 and in Canada, 50,000, positions going unfilled due to this shortage).

What's the solution? How about a well organized and structured training program (ya know, we could call it ummm….. apprenticeship?) But we need to show that this isn't just "honest" work (code word for underpaid, no future), that it's a viable career with many paths and opportunities to earn a good living and have a secure future. AND, that its not just all brawn but knowledge and those tablets and phones they have their faces buried in are tools just like a chainsaw or chipper or harness.

OHHHHH… what would that take? Maybe being well organized as an industry and as individual companies that understand business and the real value of the work we do. We need to enter the information age, the age of knowledge workers instead of skilled trades.

When we understand that what we really have of value is knowledge instead of manual labor then we can start to earn a real incomes that compete with other professions. That's what will attract young workers, a future.

As for your immediate problem, go to the colleges and universities that have urban forestry or arboriculture programs.
 
Jason Newman said:
Tying to find experienced tree climber/trimmer if there are any left. Small company servicing the South metro area in business for twelve years with an overload on work. Looking for the right person for the job unless you are inside playing video games or do not like to work outside. Also if any one can tell me where all the workers are please let me know. Thanks
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Niiiiice.......trying to find skilled/able bodied employees by posting a request filled with insults and misspelled words ( tying instead of trying) I'm sure your quest will lead to the" experienced" person that you're looking for.
 
Remember you are in one of the fastest growing areas in the country. There is no labor pool at the moment for any sort of skilled labor position, it's not just the tree industry. There has been a shortage of "good" tree guys along the front range for a long time.
I somewhat still believe the whole "raise wages until the position is filled then pass the cost on to the customer" and most companies around here have finally figured that out. The days of finding a $20 per hr person that can be a foreman are done, get closer to the $25-$30 per hr mark and people will show some interest.
 
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mpatch said:
The days of finding a $20 per hr person that can be a foreman are done, get closer to the $25-$30 per hr mark and people will show some interest.
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Unfortunately that is not going to keep todays youth interested long though. If you look at any of the other trades that number is low as a general rule of thumb. (heck we was making that the day after my apprenticeships in 83). One of the biggest issues I think that you guys face is the customer themselves. Most people don't understand trees so as far as they are concerned you plant them and then you move or die and the tree lives on. Any money spent on those trees in between is just wasted because they make out fine in the woods, nobody takes care of them there. People will gladly pay for creature comforts but very few people ever invest in the long term of anything these days.
 
People invest in stuff that they understand the value of. We don't seem to know how to sell the value of tree care. What we sell is our time. Big mistake. Doesn't it seem odd that the better we get, the more efficient we are, the less time it takes and thus we actually make less for the same work!

How many of you have a sliding scale for their climbers? The more experienced the higher the hourly rate, that is.
 
There is probably something to that. I am certainly no where near as efficient as you guys are. I always price high but always seem to have repeat customers and referals. Since I am still learning I and take longer or even come back for a second day I think the customers probably feel they are getting a bargain since it took that long. Not really the way to run a business if you're feeding the family though.
 
Just e.g. Jason, I would likely apply to something like-
I'm on the lookout for someone who loves working with trees and plants, is eager to learn more about the young promising field of arboriculture. If you like working hard, have some back round in tree work, are safety minded and like the occasional adrenaline rush while having fun let's talk!
 
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monkeylove said:
There is probably something to that. I am certainly no where near as efficient as you guys are. I always price high but always seem to have repeat customers and referals. Since I am still learning I and take longer or even come back for a second day I think the customers probably feel they are getting a bargain since it took that long. Not really the way to run a business if you're feeding the family though.
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Sounds like an honest living to me, the best tree folks I know admit they're slow...and they're still alive to tell me so. And when you take your time your line will tend to flow.
Sorry my wife made me a strong mojito.
 
Watching the original film version of "Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn, Humphery Bogart and William Holden the other night and heard a reference to the Long Island estate having a "Tree Surgeon on retainer". You know you've made it when you can afford that!
 
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