The Tree Climber’sGuide is written as a text book for tree climbers and those wishing to pursue the Certified Tree Worker Program through the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture). The guide covers many areas of tree work which are not covered in other publications like the Tree Climber’s Companion (which focuses solely on climbing.) The Tree Climber’sGuide does have a chapter on climbing, but it also goes far beyond climbing techniques to cover tree pruning, health, rigging, cabling and more. See below for a chapter list.
There are many areas of tree work which are not covered by basic climbing or knots manuals. The Tree Climber’sGuide is excellent in that it covers a very broad range of tree work topics in a clear an concise manner. Each chapter has a list of important terms at the beginning and a workbook section at the end to help you test your knowledge of concepts in the chapter. The book is thoroughly illustrated by Bryan Kotwica who is a professional tree climber in addition to an artist, so the illustrations are very precise and accurate.
Chapter 1 Tree Health and Sciences topics: Tree Growth and Structure, Defense against Decay, Tree Health and Stress, Hazard Recognition, Principles of Tree Identification, Workbook.
Chapter 2 Safety topics: Laws Regulations, Personal Protective Equipment, Good Communication, General Safety, Electrical Hazards, Chain-saw Safety, The Role of the Ground Worker, Chipper Safety, Workbook.
Chapter 3 Ropes and Knots topics: Ropes Tues in Tree Care, Knots, Workbook.
Chapter 4 Climbing Topics: Inspection of Gear, Inspection of the Tree and Site, Ascent, Tying In, Working in a Tree, Emergency Response, Workbook.
Chapter 5 Pruning Topics: Reasons for Pruning, Pruning Tools, When to Prune, Pruning Cuts, Pruning to Establish Good Structure, Pruning Mature Trees, Pruning Techniques, Wound Dressings, Workbook.
Chapter 6 Rigging Topics: Forces in Rigging, Learning the Ropes, Equipment, Basic Rigging Techniques, Cutting Techniques, Role of the Ground Worker, Workbook.
Chapter 7 Removal Topics: Preparation, Estimation of Height, Felling, Limbing and Bucking, Lifting, Workbook.
Chapter 8 Cabling Topics: Reasons for Installing Cables, Hardware and Tools, Attaching the Cable to the Hardware, Cable Installation, Workbook.
The appendices in the book add on to the knowledge contained in the main book. Appendix A is “Advanced Climbing Knots”, appendix B contains answers to all workbook questions, appendix C is a glossary of arboricultural terms used in the industry, the final appendix, D, is a list of references which is a good source for further reading in tree care.
Tree Climber’s Companion 
Fundamentals of General Tree Work 
Tree Health & Pruning Books
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