Cochrane arborist wins prairie tree climbing competition

COCHRANE - When Stuart Witt was growing up near Stonehenge in England, his mother didn’t tell him to “get down out of that tree!” because his father had usually told him to go climb a tree in the first place.

That may be because dad ran – and still runs – a tree care business in southern England. Witt’s father took him under his wing and taught him how to climb and care for trees.

Now, that early training has come home to roost as the now-Cochranite returned from a competition in Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago with some new hardware, after finishing in first place at the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) tree climbing championship, Prairie Division.

Winning this event has qualified Witt for the world championships, which will be held next year in Atlanta, Georgia.

But first, the 41-year-old climber will be representing the ISA’s prairie chapter in Washington, DC at the North American Tree climbing championships in October.

The competition is intense, according to Witt, and there’s much more to it than scurrying up an elm tree as fast as possible.

Different skillsets are judged by a panel of experts, leading to a composite overall score, similar to what happens in some Olympic competitions.

There’s a range of events, like throw lines, fastest to the top, and aerial rescue, which simulates getting a worker out who’s stuck up a tree.

“Another simulation of a work situation has bells throughout  the tree and you have to move about the canopy and ring the bells,” Witt explained.

Winnipeg is home to a number of stately American elms, which make excellent competition structures with their fanned-out crowns.

“They’re beautiful – tall, wide-spreading. [It] definitely tests your ability to climb around a tree,” Witt said.

Scores on the first day in five events were used to determine who went on to the Masters Challenge on day two. Witt came out on top on day two, attributing the strong showing to his wealth of tree-climbing experience.

“I’m a bit of a veteran. I’ve been competing since I was 16 and I’m 41 now, so that puts me in good stead,” he said.

“It’s a lot of hard work.”

Besides the physical aspect, experience is key. Each climber assesses the tree before starting their ascent, planning their route of attack accordingly for tasks like the ringing of the bells.

Between now and the competition in October, Witt says he will be fine-tuning his climbing skills a bit.

Witt has been in the tree care industry for 25 years, following in his father’s footsteps. He owns and runs Nootka Tree Care, a Cochrane tree service company, where he is an ISA Certified arborist with his Tree Risk Assessment Qualification.

The full-service company does residential and commercial tree care, including removal, pruning and planting.

His best performance in a similar venue came a few years ago, where he finished seventh in an international climbing competition in Hawaii.

He said he didn’t have a preference between going to Winnipeg or Hawaii to compete.

“It doesn’t matter – it’s the quality of the trees, and how they’re set up,” he said. “That’s my ‘tree-fair’ answer.”

While boarding the plane home from Winnipeg, Witt had a ‘small world moment’ with the pilot, as the two of them chatted while the flight attendants struggled to squeeze his trophy into the overhead bin.

When he explained what the trophy was for, the pilot told him his cousin was a previous winner.