Contest in Provo leaves arborists out on a limb

"That's what (arborists) are hoping to do, is help trees live around people," Colver said. "Most of that is pruning. You want to prune the tree to keep it healthy. You want to prune the tree to keep it safe and of course to keep it beautiful."

Pruning techniques are easy to learn, Colver said, but "if you don't know what you're doing, then you can do a lot of damage."

Saturday's competition didn't require any actual pruning, but competitors had to display their ability in using a hand saw and pole pruner by tapping bells suspended 40-60 feet above the ground.

In the Master's Challenge, the final competition of the day involving the top five scorers, the men had to combine all of the skills tested individually in the five preliminary events.

Competitor Matt ErKelens, who has been involved in tree climbing for only four years, demonstrated skill and ability to take first place in the competition sponsored by the Utah Community Forest Council, Utah chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, and Diamond Tree Service.

ErKelens will compete in the national championships in St. Louis with people from all over the world.

"I'm going to train my butt off and represent the Utah chapter and win a championship," ErKelens said.

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E-mail: lriddle@desnews.com