Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition – May 3, 2025
Hollow Park, Hollow Road, Woodbury, CT
On May 3, 2025, the Connecticut Tree Protective Association will hold the 19th annual Connecticut Tree Climbing Championship. This competition will take place at Hollow Park in Woodbury. The competition will run all day, from 6:30 in the morning until it’s over (late afternoon/early evening). The public is invited to attend at no charge.
The climbers will show their skills in 5 preliminary events, with the 3 top climbers invited to face off in a Master’s Challenge.
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 workstations 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 workstations 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.
Currently, the Association has over 750 members, with approximately 550 of those members being licensed arborists.
2025 Climbing Competition Flyer
If you are interested in being a volunteer, please call Bud Neal (203)577-8144 (cell)
or Cathy in the office (203)484-2512.
Interested attendees are also invited to visit the CTPA website at https://ctpa.org.
