The morning was cold but breaks in the low clouds over Lake Champlain promised a sunny afternoon. Gathering in the back parking lot of Knight Point State Park, tree professionals parked their vehicles. Mine, taking the prize for smallest pickup truck, a hybrid just under two tons, the largest: a crane weighing 70,000 pounds. The machinery and personnel were preparing to take down a dead ash tree--or rather- take it up in the air. Hoisting trees with cranes, a powerful removal technique, was the topic of the training. Jeff Spear of Acer Tree Co. began his day of service by volunteering to teach. His demonstration explained three different topics in crane use: using the crane ball as an attachment point to lift a climber into a tree, hoisting a straight tree with a single high attachment point, and how to balance complex loads using 3 or more attachment points on larger limbs.

The participants appreciated the excellent training, for some of them a refresher, but the main event was yet to come. Arborists are not accustomed to standing still and they had come to serve. Acer Tree Co., DJ's Tree Service, Guerrina Cranes, Vermont Electric Coop, the City of Burlington tree care team and State of Vermont Forest, Parks and Recreation staff--totaling 32 highly skilled attendees—got to work.

In an all-out makeover of the state park’s canopy, these specialized volunteers with bucket trucks, grapples, climbing gear and pole tools, quickly and safely completed 3 dead tree removals, and pruned 13 additional trees—a service worth over $13,000 donated to the state. 

One moment of spontaneous kindness and cooperation summed up the event’s purpose as an arborist I’d never met before handed me his own chainsaw to replace my malfunctioning one. The sugar maple’s central stem had succumbed to girdling branches, and large dead limbs loomed above. I was piecing out the dead stems when my electric chainsaw stopped working, a recurring problem I thought I had recurringly fixed. I didn’t want anyone to notice my faulty saw-- chainsaw maintenance being a point of pride among arborists-- so I considered cutting through the 12 inch diameter hardwood by handsaw. Without a word, an arborist working for DJ’s appeared with a replacement chainsaw for my use. I thanked him for the help, and he graciously blamed my saw rather than me, and told me at the end I had done a good job. It showed how arborists, like trees, cooperate far more than we compete.

Even combined with the other tree I pruned, a little leaf linden with a dead stem to remove, my climbing jobs were small potatoes compared to the combined effect that transformed the canopy of that park for the better. The net effect was truly inspiring. Together we tackled some large pin oaks, sugar maples, and lindens by the water’s edge and in the parking area, clearing out thousands of pounds of dead wood, removing stubs from previous cuts, and improving the safety, function and beauty of the park. The value of all the work is estimated to be worth more than $13,000, representing an incredible contribution to the state park.

The most notable tree was a white ash. Knight Point boasts an interesting historic building along route 2. Fossils in the lintels, a slate roof, and rumors of the Allen brothers spending time there only add to the unique character of this state park. Above its 3 story roof a large white ash has been growing to impressive heights. Due to tight quarters or lack of resources for the job it had not received some much needed attention. There has been a debate about how long to keep the tree which had sizable dead pieces, encroached on the slate roof, and carried the ongoing maintenance expense of EAB prevention. Liam, an FPR protection forester, has injected the tree to protect it from EAB since 2024, which is the only reason it’s still alive amid forests of its dead relatives. Thanks to the work completed at the Arborist Day of Service, the debate on keeping this tree is over. Trees have to suit the humans they live with, so pruning the dead material out of the crown and cutting back branches that grew close to the roof gave enough peace of mind to ensure the ash can remain for many years to come. 

This was the second annual Vermont Arborist Day of Service. Stay tuned for more of the same next year.