Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition – May 14, 2022
Press Release
On May 14, 2022, the Connecticut Tree Protective Association will hold the 16th annual Connecticut Tree Climbing Championship. This competition will take place in Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford. The competition will run all day, from 8 in the morning until mid-afternoon. The public is invited to attend at no charge.
21 competitors will compete in this year’s competition. The climbers will show their skills in 5 preliminary events, with the 3 top climbers invited to face off in a Master’s Challenge. Normally, the competition includes male and female divisions. However, this year no women signed up for the competition.
All of the competitors are drawn from the ranks of those involved in professional tree care. Most are from Connecticut, although competitors are also from other New England states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As the competitors demonstrate their skill, insight, knowledge of technique and athletic ability through their tree climbing. they will also be showing an absolute commitment to safety and concern for the well-being of the tree.
The five preliminary events are the:
- Ascent Event – A timed climb up a climbing line to a specified height (from 40’ to 80’).
- Throwline Accuracy – A timed event in which the competitor sets 2 different lines in specified parts of the crown of a tree.
- Belayed Speed Climb – A timed ‘free-climb’ (climber is belayed) 40’ to 60’ up a selected tree.
- Work Climb – Five work stations are set within a given tree and competitors move through the tree completing assigned tasks.
- Aerial Rescue – Climbers are timed as they ‘rescue’ a dummy set in a tree.
In the Master’s Challenge three work stations are placed in a large tree, and climbers move through the tree completing assigned tasks. The climbers are both timed and scored, in that only those tasks completed within a specified time are counted and points are added or deducted based on the skill and commitment to safety demonstrated by the climber.
The Connecticut Tree Protective Association is an educational non-profit dedicated to advancing the care of trees in the state. This is CTPA’s centennial year, as it was founded in 1922, following the passage of the original Arborist Licensing Law. Currently, the Association has over 800 members, with approximately 600 of those members being licensed arborists.
Further details regarding the competition are available through the CTPA office, at 203-484-2512, or by contacting Cathy Dvorsky, Executive Secretary, at cathy@ctpa.org.
Interested attendees are also invited to visit the CTPA website at https://ctpa.org.
