While in some areas of the country power companies are hardening their systems against high winds and torrential rains, here on the West Coast we have the additional hazard of fire. Power companies are employing thousands of hands in the effort to prevent fires from igniting, especially from trees contacting power lines. I’ve met tree workers who’ve traveled across the United States to assist in this effort.

The first-place Spar Wars team of Nicholas Dorer, CTSP, and Ramon Rodriguez-Barragan. All photos courtesy of the author.

With so many tree workers in California alone, many have competed in tree-climbing competitions. So a consensus of arborists finally put words into action earlier this year, leading to the first California Line-Clearance Competition (CLCC), which took place June 7, 2025, at the University of California, Davis Arboretum, Davis, California.

The purpose of the event was to showcase some of the many skills used by line-clearance arborists on a daily basis. It also provided a day of fun and camaraderie for competitors, their families and the public.

As with any other tree-climbing competitions, the contestants and their respective companies are comparing climbers’ gear, techniques and climbing styles, which helps to spread knowledge throughout the industry. This is another important aspect of tree-climbing events.

A bucket operator maneuvers through the rectangle to the target.

The events
This event was distinctly different from other tree-climbing competitions. To start with, line-clearance contractors sponsored teams of two contestants per team. The competition was between 12 teams. Part of the scoring of each event was influenced, plus or minus, by the team’s internal communication. Time factored into the scoring in order to assess efficiency. However, the fastest time didn’t necessarily score the highest.

The five events were Work Climb, Aerial Lift, Tree Felling, Negative Rigging and Speed Ascent. There were activities for children as well, including a bounce house and some tree-climbing stations.

Work Climb
The Work Climb included a replaceable “limb” that needed to be hinged upward – to avoid striking the imaginary power line below – and then lowered. Green limbs of the tree just below the station represented the power lines. If any part of the replaceable limb, the rigging or the climber made contact with the green branches that represented power lines, it counted as a line strike, and the team scored zero on that event. The cut limb was lowered and landed in a designated landing zone. The groundie assisted the climber in all the usual ways, sending tools as needed, communicating with the climber and managing the cut limb.

Aerial Lift
The Aerial Lift (bucket event) simulated working conditions of line-clearance arborists in the field. This event tested a team’s ability to professionally and safely maneuver in a tree while performing work-related tasks.

A rectangular opening on a horizontal plane, just a little wider than the bucket, was prepared in the tree using throwlines, and it was then marked with a pink ribbon. After the team properly set up the bucket and the work zone, the bucket operator maneuvered through the rectangle and then straight down to a designated target. If any part of the boom, bucket or operator touched the throwline rectangle, the team scored zero on that event. Again, the groundie assisted the bucket operator in all the usual ways, such as safety watch, communication and setting up and taking down the work zone.

The coveted champion’s silver belt buckle.

The second-place Who’s Buying Lunch team of Juan Manuel Pozos, CTSP, and Blue Warrior Camden Sauceda.

Tree Felling
Tree Felling used identical poles preset in a large half-circle, with a guide pole set in the center. The idea was to showcase a team’s ability to work together and complete a tree-felling scenario. Each team would have 12 minutes to finish cutting down a pole, with control, before being timed out.

Negative Rigging
The Negative Rigging event took place on the same poles, but prior to the Tree Felling event. The event tested a team’s ability to safely assess a rigging scenario where an identified target needed to be protected. The team would remove the top of the pole at a designated height and deposit it into the identified drop zone using a pull rope and a straight pull. Then the team would remove another section, using a friction device, and carefully lower the section into the identified drop zone.

Speed Climb
The Speed Climb tested a team of two climbers’ abilities to climb a predetermined route from the ground to approximately 40 feet up two adjacent trees, with preset climbing systems for safety. Climbers climbed to a preset bell and rang it with their hands. Both climbers then descended to a limb-walk location, where they proceeded outward toward a preset ribbon. When they met, they would lanyard in and touch hands to stop the clock.

All winners
At the end of the day, three teams stood above the rest. In first place was Spar Wars from Mountain F Enterprises (MFE), a 16-year TCIA member company based in Folsom, California. MFE’s Nicholas Dorer, CTSP, and Ramon Rodriguez-Barragan, CTSP, took home the coveted championship silver belt buckles.

In second place was Who’s Buying Lunch from Core Tree Care (CTC), a seven-year TCIA member company based in Corona, Calif. CTC’s Juan Manuel Pozos, CTSP, and Blue Warrior Camden Sauceda were consistently in the top-three scorers of every event, even placing first in the Work Climb.

The third-place Bark Beetles team of Gonzalo Chavez, CTSP, and Rheten Kaiser.

In third place, also from Mountain F Enterprises, was team Bark Beetles. Although MFE’s Gonzalo Chavez, CTSP, and Rheten Kaiser only made the top three in one event, coming in second in the Speed Climb, they performed consistently all day while managing to avoid any serious penalties.
Kudos

Congratulations are in order for the members of all 12 teams who participated in this historic, first-of-its-kind event. All the teams were with California businesses or branch offices working on PG&E contracts. In no particular order, the teams and their sponsors were:

• Spar Wars, MFE
• Bark Beetles, MFE
• Blazing Saddles, Tree Service Unlimited Inc. (TSU), Placerville, Calif.
• Sketchy Cuts Inc., TSU
• Los Imparables, TSU
• Who’s Buying Lunch, CTC
• Tree Mafia, AERI (Asomeo Environmental Restoration Inc.), Sacramento, Calif.
• Crazy Nuts, Arborworks, Oakhurst, Calif.
• Union Chasers, Wright Tree Service, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa
• Tight Knots, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• Bearded Baddies, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
• 48 Hours, PG&E

This event was sponsored with cooperation from California-Nevada Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), based in Riverside Calif.; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Pacific Gas and Electric; and many other corporate sponsors.

Thanks go to the 100 volunteers without whom this event never would have happened. Also, thanks to the 20 sponsors and vendors who came out and contributed lavish prizes to the contestants. It takes a village.

It’s reported that 460 people attended the CLCC this year. Next year, CLCC 2026 will be even better. I hope to see you there.

Danial Kallai is a retired assistant director of Cal-Nev JATC, in charge of implementing a certification program for California line-clearance arborists.