TREE CLIMBERS RENDEZVOUS 2025 COSTA RICA

April 24-29, 2025  Words by Aiden Murphy and Colin Larkin  Over five days in Costa Rica, a group of 28 tree climbers came together to explore, connect, relax, learn, and most importantly, climb some towering giants! This wonderful adventure was…

Tree Climbing Outreach Program

Global Organization of Tree Climbers Launches Tree Climbing Outreach Program The Global Organization of Tree Climbers (GOTC) is excited to announce a new outreach program that aims to make tree climbing programs more accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or…

Building and Using a Reacher Pole

by Joe Vogel, GOTC VP When I’m up in a tree, I like to ascend and traverse. I’ve tried several methods for setting an anchor within about 15 feet. I was taught to get a throw bag and line over…

Randomized Rescue Scenarios – Roll the Dice

By Sam “Oak” Johnson Our local climbing community holds regular rescue practices where folks discuss and attempt a variety of tree climbing rescues – a chance to put our skills to the test, get ready for an unlikely but critical…

Gear Check

A couple of tips by Paul McCathie, Goodleaf Tree Climbing When it comes to checking gear the number one question I get asked is “When do I know when something is too worn out to use?”  This is indeed a difficult…

Belay Devices: Are they well suited for Tree Climbers?

Written by: John Greer & reposted from TreeXP.com There has been a lot of discussion about using belay devices for tree climbing. Many belay devices are lightweight and perform well for their intended uses. Products like the Trango Cinch and…

Hi y’all!!

By Griëtte “Lady D” van der Heide I wish I could be writing this “Grove of the Month” while hanging upside down in a tree somewhere in Georgia, with my feet on a branch, where my friend Will Cottrell seems…

Tiny Twigs

The Importance of Tiny Twigs  by Curt Andrews I still remember the first time I was kicked off a prospective client’s property for refusing to give them a price to top the large silver maple in their back yard. Anyone who…

Cradle in the Tree of Life

Part II by Dr. Donald Perry Dr. Perry welcomes your comments and questions. Please email him at canopy evolution at gmail.com The fruits of our creativity – music, dance, mathematics, technology, and our awareness of the universe – are the result of evolutionary events that…

Climbing the Tree of Knowledge

Part I by Dr. Donald PerryDr. Perry welcomes your comments and questions. Please email him at canopy evolution at gmail.com In 1973 I took a class in tropical biology where I was astounded to learn that while most rain forest species lived in the…