lurking women, care to introduce yourselves?

Kathy_Holzer

Kathy_Holzer

Location
Seattle WA
ok ladies, why don't we go around the circle and introduce ourselves? tell us your name and a little bit about yourself and your connection to trees.

i'll start (this is just like the WOTT luncheon, isn't it?)..

i'm Kathy Holzer and i run Out on a Limb Tree co, a small residential tree care outfit in seattle washington. i'm 43 and i've worked full-time on one tree crew or another since i was 30, climbing the whole time. i do everything from big removals to fruit trees and fine pruning, cabling (steel and cobra, depending). i also compete in the ISA tree climbing comps, and was world champion in 2004.

next?

k.
 
Hi not a lurker here BUT

I am Shari - aka JerseyGirl - thou I live in Georgia now.

I am a rec climber and a rookie as i only started climbing in May 2007. (thank you treedude)

I climb Ddrt with a simple setup of a blakes and a slack tender.

I am old enough to climb in the Geezers challenge and in 2008 was the olderst women there then next oldest was the posted above. That was my FIRST competition - I can say - I DID IT.

So now I volunteer at local TCC events and want to become a timer on the events.

thanks for join us -

So who is next?

WELCOME

*** thank you tom and mark
 
Hi Buzzers.

Kiah Martin from Down Under. I used to climb quite a lot but have been working in an office now for several years so am out of the trees unless I am in a Tree Climbing Championship (TCC).

As part of the Women Of The Trees (WOTT) group, we organise recreational tree climbing events for kids and families at Arborcamps in Australia. Our youngest climber has been two years old and oldest in their 60's. We predominantly encourage women to attend and participate in our events but of course they are open to all. We also organise networking sessions for women (and their families) and take walks for the WOTTies to local attractions and through the bush at Camp events.

There have been a few major glitches with WOTT communication facilities over the past 12 months or so and as such, I have been out of contact with the database. I am hoping to rectify this over the coming months and get things back on track again.

It would be great to know how many women we have climbing in each ISA Chapter. We have eight women climbing in the upcoming TCC in Brisbane, Australia - 2 from New Zealand (including the current World Champion - Chrissie Spence), 1 from Singapore, 1 from Hong Kong and 4 from across Australia.

Hope to see many more introductions as the weeks and months go by.

Ditto on the thanks to Mark and Tom for facilitating this forum. Both fantastic supporters of women in Arboriculture.

Regards

Kiah
 
Hi!
I'm Carla, an arborist in the residential/commercial sector and I've been doing this for a while now. I veiw the buzz from time to time, it's nice to see WOTT on the board. This will be a good thing!

Cheers
 
Hi, I'm Debbie. My husband who has worked in trees years before he knew me has decided to go back into the business
so I have just finished my first week as Hole Grrl. We're taking out a giant Oak about 15' from a grand victorian house. I had my share of problems but overall was quite pleased with myself. I run the GRCS (including parking the stuff as well as my 118# will allow), Pass up stuff (including ideas), take pictures, and sit on the tailgate waiting until I'm needed for one or more of the above. I really enjoyed my first week except for the time I was needed to fasten a Come-Along to a ground anchor and pull a heafty piece in the right direction. It seem like there is so much responsibility with all of this weight and crashing. I was suprised at how easy I could control so much weight with the capstan winch. It all gives me the illusion of power...which really isn't me.
 
So that's five so far? Cool!

<font color="green">The TreeHouse</font>

Every click a different pic!
dude.gif
 
Okay, I'll be #6. It's my lucky number.
Hi. I'm Diane. I'm ISA certified and CA state licensed.
I have my own business doing aesthetic pruning of Japanese maples, high profile trees, fruit trees &amp; ornamentals.
Sometimes I feel like a rescue service for abused trees.
I often get called in after a homeowner has had the "blow &amp; mow" guys hack up their beautiful maple tree. Ever seen a Japanese maple tree hedged into a ball?! Very sad, indeed.
I'm glad to be on board here. I don't do the big rigging like most of the people on TBuzz, but I love hearing about it and watching all the videos. Arboriculture is a huge field with lots of specialty areas. That's what I like because there's always something more to learn!
 
Hey everyone! First off, I want to thank jerseygirl for having the courage to post the undergarment thread which basically set the course to have this WoTT forum on TB. Next, kudos to Kathy and Kiah for being moderators on TB and WoTT. I luv ya both.

I'm embarassed to say that this is my first posting on TB even though I have benefited from this site for many years (much to the credit of Mark and Tom). Nonetheless, this WoTT forum has successfully enticed me out of the wood work and this is not simply out of duty or obligation for women arborists, but out of desire and need.

I'm Wenda Li and I've been a climbing arborist for 16 years. I work for a small tree care company in Toronto which does residential and commericial properties. I have been there for 11 years and prior to that I worked as a municipal arborist. I do a bit of everything from climbing, sales, to consulting. In the past, I was also a seasonal instructor and technician at a local college for their aboriculture apprenticeship program. Last year I retired from competitive climbing having competed in 6 international tree climbing championships and winning the 2002 women's world ITCC. (Btw, Kiah you conveniently forgot to mention that you were the 2003 Women's World ITCC Champion!). Recently, I have been involved with Arboriculture Canada Training and Education.

I am also a proud and privileged member of the Over 40 Club which qualifies me to give and share advice about chronic pain, tendonitis etc...

Looking forward to sharing experiences,

Wenda
 
WOW! This is Cool!! Thanks for doing this Kathy!
applaudit.gif


I'm certainly not lurking either since I think I've posted a comment on every topic in this forum so far. Sorry if you are sick of me, but I can't hold back my excitement.

Anyway, my name is Rhonda Wood and I've been a Certified Arborist and Western Chapter Certified Tree Worker for 7yrs. I work for the Happiest Place on Earth planning tree and landscape maintenance.
smile.gif


Screen_of_Death.gif
It's a desk job, so I don't climb much any more, but that's how I got started pruning on the team at work in the middle of the night!

Now I climb to train for the competitions and just because I love it so much. Last year was my first competition where I won our TCC. It was the first year women ever competed in our Chapter. There was 2 of us, and a 3rd was signed up, but she got sick. This year there will be 4 of us!!! So we are continuing to grow and I'm excited to defend my title!!
I have a lot of training to do though.
trytofly.gif


After last year's comp, I realized how many women were out there interested in climbing so I have started to organize a women's tree group. There are about 40 of us right now (men are in our group too!). We are hoping to be Western Chapter WoTT group, if Kiah will have us. We want to reach out to women interested in Arboriculture and have a passion for trees, plus be a networking group for those already active and a chance for experienced folks to mentor new folks coming in.
ven.gif


Our hope is to grow the WC's Women TCC and be a resource for women who want to pursue Arboriculture as a career, a special interest and/or for the sport aspect of it. Plus support the next generation of women and men Arborists!! We have many ideas, but we are just getting started.
grouphug.gif


So that's me!! Oh, and last but not least, I have a wonderful husband who has supported me in this. Kudos to all the guys out there that support women in Arboriculture. I don't think I would be here if there weren't men like my husband that not only supported me, but also have taken the time to mentor me along the way, so thanks!!!
wink.gif
 
Hi, my name is Fiona Doe and I'm a tree addict...'sob'. I have also reached Geezerhood ( be proud now...)

I live and work in Bermuda where I have my own micro mini company called Tree Care &amp; Training.
I do all kinds of tree work from the 70'+ takedowns, felling, lots of residential pruning (and restoration), a bit of line clearance, whatever comes along!
I also deliver Lantra Awards and City &amp; Guilds (the UK national standard) training and assessment in chainsaw skills: maintenance, operation and felling and also general horticultural instruction for landscape gardeners. It's kinda cool the only qualified chainsaw instructor on the island is a woman!

There are only about three qualified tree surgeons over here, a handful of on the job trained climbers/groundies... and a ton of hack and slash merchants!

I have one of those cool husbands who doesn't mind his wifey weilds a chainsaw! he's my best groundie too.

I am green with envy for all the competitions, get togethers and conferences you all have, I subsist on ISA/TCIA and Arb Association magazines and forums like this.

I will visit more often now!
 
wow fiona! that's an awesome list of credentials there. way cool the only certified chainsaw instructor is female. you go girl! welcome to the buzz and please don't be shy - tell us some stories, post some pics - what's treework like in bermuda??
k.
 
I am Lisa Rasmussen. President of We're Not Scared, Inc. We're a small family business. We sell tree climbing gear and other fall protection. My husband, Kristoffer, still does occasional tree work for a few customers. We are forming a 4H Foresty Project Club in our area. (Azle, TX) We have 5 children, all have climbed, a couple were born to climb. We really got into the safety end of tree climbing when our youngest son was 4 and fell head first out of a tree about 12 feet and ended up in the emergency room. Our 6 year old daughter was born to rescue cats, she climbs barefoot using her toes in lieu of a foot hold. We call it the "toe lock". My husband is currenty studying for the ISA Arborist exam and I am working on getting strong enough to make it all the way up into the tree still breathing. We have a lot of ideas and are excited about meeting others who can show us the ropes (no pun intended)
 
HEY!

My name is Sarah Smith, I am an Arborist, Rocky Mountain Chapter,( Just paseed, yeah!) and a rookie climber,(Thanx Bearclaw) Denver CO native. I also Have a QS (Qualified Supervisor's license from CO dept of AG, but I am SO over the commercial applications, so I don't do that much anymore. I work for the University of Colorado as a Campus Arborist, running the Aerial lift and doing removals, large and small, pruning and diagnosing. FYI&lt; I love chainsaws!!! My felling is getting better each day,(Blush) and I aim to be a crack shot with a Stihl!

I recently Started my own consulting company, and Cat Rescue Service (YIKES) but I love the climb so any excuse is a good one! Still young, 27, and looking forward to many great years of learning new things and seeing new heights!
Big up's to these ladies on here, the more the merrier!! Thanx for keeping it alive Kathy, all you women are so skilled in different area's, very impressive! I have ALOT to learn!
 
Well, I am not an arborist. I am not a tree climber although I did get a bit stuck in a tree one time. My name is Gillean. I hope to help out in showcasing the cool factors of all the great stories and experiences this group has.
I've only been to a few events - TCI in Nov. '07, Southern Championships in Knoxville, TN and most recently the Charlotte Championship. It was so cool to see Camille win that silver buckle!

I would really like to learn to climb. I am part of corporate America as I work as a marketing consultant and work for a very cooler than cool agency in Greensboro called King's English. It is through this agency that I had the chance to meet the folks at SherrillTree. I have learned a good bit and have read about Kathy, Wenda and Kiah! So, call me a bit of a starry-eyed fan.

My passion is that common thread, I think in many women...'making a difference.' I like to attempt to do this by helping bring to light great information, great stories and great people to the public, locally, regionally and nationally.

I'm blessed to have a few contacts in the media and really do want to get to know you great ladies of the trees and how your lifestyle is like many families with some minor twists and twigs included.

I have to give 'Props' to Tobe Sherrill, who has not only allowed but encouraged my interest in the arboriculture industry to see just how much the average Joe and Joanna do not know about. He has allowed me to meet some big names in your industry and talk with some very knowledgeable folks over the phone.

So, while you great ladies of the trees climb to new heights, I am hopeful to read (listen in) and see what great adventures and stories are going on to maybe see what can happen to inform and educate folks about who and what a true TREE CARING arborist is.

Story Angles:
--Ladies take to the trees to preserve wildlife.
--Arborist family shapes neighborhood trees and shapes the education of nature in the lives of their children (that 'toelock' family sounds like a winner!)
--Being the best or even a successful tree climber isn't out of the question for any woman. A little recreational tree climbing is a good way to start.

So, please don't be afraid to share amazing, touching and great adventure stories and even beautiful human interest stories of a great arborist sharing a fun and joy of safe tree climbing with children, who otherwise would not have the opportunity, with those who face physical challenges but can build their self-esteem enjoying a bit of 'tree time' and anything else. I would like to see something like the Sunday show on ABC - 'The Extreme Makeover.' I hope I didn't touch a nerve as there is a lot of wood from trees to build houses. But on the other side, there is a lot of nature that many simply drive by and will never 'get' or appreciate without your stories.

I am talking with reporters across the globe on a daily basis. So, know in advance that I would need high res. photos (300 dpi), if I wrote an article, you would preview it first, or if you were interviewed by a reporter over the phone I would gladly act as your media counsel. (This means I am sitting in on the phone conversation, taking notes and any follow up questions go through me so that you are not misquoted.)
OK. Pretty long. If you think I could be of value, please share your stories, story ideas and such and don't let 'aww, it's not worth a story' stand in your way!

PS-I get to meet Kathy Holzer in May. I'm wicked excited and want to be able to scramble up a tree and stand up on the same branch as this amazing lady. Be jealous. Be very, very jealous!
gillean@thekingsenglish.com
applaudit.gif
 
I formally invite all of you climbing ladies to compete in the Charlotte Arborists Association's 78th annual Tree Climbing Championship next year in balmy Charlotte, NC.


We hold our International caliber TCC in late April, so make sure you pencil it into your calendar.



This year we had 3 female competitors.




Next year we will have over 10.




But I need some help getting to that number.



SZ
 
To all of you that i know and hope to know, Hello!!!! I finally won the coin toss on who will use the computer. My name is Toni and I have met several of you and I know that there are more of you out there. So please say hello.
I am a certified arborist and work at Bernheim Arboretum south of Louisville Kentucky. I am married to rich h and we have a great time traveling to climbing competitions and meeting great climbers from all over. I have been a great fan of tree buzz from afar. If only I can keep my husband from the computer, I will hopefully post more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom