About TJ’s Trees
My Journey to TJ’s Trees
It all began when I was 17 and went over to spend the summer with my brother and uncle in Portland, Oregon. I was going into my senior year, and I wanted to make some money. So, I took a job with them at Rich’s Tree Service as a groundsman. That was one of the worst summers of my life. Afterward, I went on with school and forgot all about tree work, until about four years later when I had moved to Vancouver, WA, and went back to Rich’s for a summer in college.
The second time around, things went a little differently. I still had a terrible time a lot of the time; being on the bottom will do that to a person. But I could see ahead now, and wanted to find out what it was like to do the work, not just the cleanup. I became stronger and smarter, starting to pay close attention to those above me, and began to move up.
Over the next five years, I worked and worked and moved my way up. Starting as a groundsman dragging brush, I moved onto the ropes where I learned job site awareness and had a much more involved position with the work being done. Then I bought some secondhand climbing gear and took to the trees, which was honestly terrifying. I learned a lot working under and with the other climbers, and eventually was given my own truck and crews to lead every day.
I learned so much once in this position: professionalism, job site safety, customer relations, and building trust, to name a few. Still looking up, I learned the ins and outs of running a tree service, from estimating to maintenance to marketing. I was soaking in everything I could. By the time I was ready to move back to Walla Walla where my family was, I felt I was fully prepared to run a company of my own. I was shown the recipe, now I just need to learn to cook.
My Passion
Working in Portland, and even Idaho a little bit, exposed me to every manner of tree and the specialized work each requires. No two trees are identical; each provides its own unique challenges and methodology. I was privileged to learn to work on trees from people I, and many others, would consider to be some of the best in the Northwest. Spending entire days pruning just a handful of ornamental trees, taking the time required to make sure each cut is perfect, developing the “eye” to see the form that I want and how to get there. All the while, master pruners were checking and correcting my work, explaining and teaching their methods and reasons. I watched climbers dismantle the most nasty and sketchy-looking trees I had ever seen. One piece at a time, they were bringing down giants safely and efficiently, day in and day out. I saw them having to rope down every little piece of a massive 100+ fir tree because it was surrounded by a deck. I watched, I learned, and then it was my turn.
When I was married, my world and views shifted. I began to realize just how dangerous and taxing this work was for me. I didn’t know any of this at the time, but I was looking for a way out. I loved working where I did, and loved the people even more, but it was not sustainable for me at that level. I was burning out. I left a few days before our daughter was born, and after some moving around, settled back down in my hometown, Walla Walla. Unknown to me, I still maintained a passion for tree work. Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever want to return to it, but it’s part of me and something I can’t just leave behind. This is why tree work has become such an important part of my life; not only is it my passion, but it’s also a means to provide for my young family.
As of October 8th, I am now an ISA Certified Arborst. Although I have loads of technical know-how and the skills needed to do the work, there is always more for me to learn. Beyond my initial goal of becoming certified, there are several goals I have set for myself. These include the ISA Certified Tree Climber certification and the ISA Tree Risk Assessment certification (TRAQ). I will seek and gain as much knowledge as I can, for my own personal interests, as well as to provide a better service to my clients.
