Autumn Glory.

For some reason the changing leaves always makes me nostalgic.  Cool mornings and shorter days may have something to do with that feeling as well.  Of course, as a tree climber, the autumn glory is a wonderful experience and something I've always looked forward to throughout the seasons.  And since I haven't posted  in quite some time, I'll recap the past few months with some photos as my nostalgia takes me back.

My good friend Alan Krieg and I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in a recreational tree climbing event in New Jersey this summer at a beautiful property know as Duke Farms.  I was introduced to some really interesting people that share our same love of trees.  One person in particular that I must mention is author and recreational tree climber Richard Preston, who wrote "The Wild Trees," a book that illustrates the lives of those researchers and explorers that study the coastal redwood trees.

It was also rewarding to see participants at the event who have never climbed a tree before going up into the air for the first time.  Kids and adults alike couldn't help but smile as they went aloft and got to see the world from a bit of different angle.
Speaking of different angles, we've been busy this season dealing with everything from heavy wood to fine pruning.  As an arborist I'm trying to stay as well rounded as possible and I owe everything that I'm learning to the crew I get to work with every day at Alan Krieg Tree Care.

We also had the opportunity to travel to Portland, Oregon for the International Society of Arboriculture's world conference.  Not only did we rub shoulders with some of the best competition climbers in the world, but also some of the greatest researchers and professionals in the industry today.  And by the way, there's some pretty big trees in the Pacific Northwest.

Plans for the future include traveling to Northern California in less than a week for a recreational tree climbing event where we'll have the opportunity to ascend coastal redwoods and canyon oaks.  I also have plans of a research project that's going to focus on old-growth forest in Pennsylvania and what types of micro-habitat this forest provides for certain species of interest.  I hoping to apply for a grant dedicated to that project.  More on that in the future.  Stay tuned for pictures from Cali.  Until then, I'll see you at the top.