Two tree climbing masters are gearing up to represent Hong Kong in the International Tree Climbing Championship.
Lam Chor-pau and Kay Cheung will fly to Ohio in the US to compete for the title of World Champion in August 2018.
The duo won the men’s and women’s race in the Hong Kong Tree Climbing Championship, beating 44 competitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and the Mainland in the annual competition held in Shing Mun Country Park last month.
Tree trials
Five preliminary events – aerial rescue, work climb, throwline, belayed speed climb and the ascend event, have competitors racing against the clock to perform a series of tree-care tasks which simulate the working conditions of arborists in the field.
Contenders who place in the top five for men and top three for women, advance to the Masters' Challenge.
Using a rope and saddle in the championship round, competitors have 30 minutes to perform tasks at four work stations in and around the tree, such as tossing wooden limbs onto a target on the ground.
They can design their own route to each of the stations.
Hong Kong Tree Climbing Championship 2017 Chief Judge Tony Ng said the final round requires much more than clocking a fast time.
“The Masters' Challenge is not judged by speed, but focuses instead on the competitor's attention to safety, skills and creativity. If the competitor shows a unique style of climbing, they can be the winner.”
Triumphant traits
In the women’s race, Ms Cheung, 34, gave an outstanding performance, coming out on top for the third year in a row.
“To demonstrate my skills and attention to safety, rope control is vital. I use two ropes to climb up, it is more stable. I also have to carefully plan how to approach each station and finish each task. The whole process should be smooth.”
Mr Lam, 54, who has seven years of tree climbing experience, claimed victory over his younger rivals in the men's race.
Mr Ng said Mr Lam demonstrated a unique style of climbing which made him stand out from other competitors.
“He explained his actions when moving around the trees, letting the audience see and understand what he was doing.
“We do not use brute force to climb trees. Instead we imitate monkeys by swinging when we climb. If you know this skill, moving around a tree will be as easy as moving on the ground.”
Passion turned profession
Tree climbing is not just a hobby for the regional champions.
As Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialists, they climb and work with trees for a living.
Mr Lam’s love for climbing trees as a boy led him to seek out an arbour-related career later in life. After learning how to properly climb trees and prune them, he attained his qualification.
Now he works with trees six hours a day on average. He says he savours the feeling of scaling heights and looking out into the world.
“It feels like I am a bird that flies into the sky and looks back at the earth. All the surrounding flowers and trees become a stunning picture.”
Getting back to nature also drew in Ms Cheung to become an arbour specialist. She worked in an office before deciding to pursue a different career path.
“I have a friend who is an arborist. He often shared joyful aspects about his work with me, for example, different kinds of animals, birds and trees he saw while working. His enthusiasm for his career inspired me to consider changing mine.”
She took part in numerous tree climbing competitions and later became a specialist.
“Hong Kong has many mountains and rivers. Going to different areas allows me to see some spectacular scenery. I love my job.”
There are 102 Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialists in Hong Kong. Ms Cheung is one of five women who hold this qualification.
Certification criteria
In addition to mastering climbing techniques, specialists must also have extensive knowledge about tree planting to assess growth and prune branches correctly.
International Society of Arboriculture Hong Kong Chapter President Mike Leung said positioning and angles are crucial when it comes to pruning.
“In many Hong Kong areas, there is no vehicle access. We cannot use the aerial platform to perform tree pruning and tree felling. We need tree climbers to go up the tree, using the secured tree climbing method, to go up the tree to do the tree pruning. Correct pruning can help trees growth healthily.”
The International Society of Arboriculture holds exams for Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialists every April and October. To take the test, candidates must have a minimum of 18 months of tree climbing experience.
The daily salary of a Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist ranges from $1,000 to $2,000. For a long-term job, the monthly salary varies from $20,000 to $40,000, depending on ability and experience.
