The Minnesota Tree Climbers Alliance

Two students focused their project on the dangers of tree climbing, which can be a deadly aspect of working in the tree care industry. In order to practice safe tree climbing and prevent injury or death, climbers need complete comprehension of climbing skills and techniques that demand time that is not available on a job site. Thus, these students created a club called the Minnesota Tree Climbers Alliance (MTCA) where both new and seasoned tree climbers have the time to learn and practice safe climbing under the supervision of an experienced individual or group. They found their club to be extremely successful and fun! These students mentioned that a highlight of their socially engaged philosophy project was climbing an especially large cottonwood they affectionately named “Big Mama.”

When asked what they learned by doing this project, one student exclaimed, “I learned you can take an idea and turn it into a reality…It is amazing what you can achieve when you are enthusiastic about what you are doing.” These students found that working with each other on a collaborative group project made their experience with the civic engagement project even more rewarding.

These students were able to utilize their creative thinking skills to re-envision how they can gain the experience and guidance needed to do their job safely.
For more information, see the e-portfolio for this project.