Public Employee Press

Union pushes for Climbers and Pruners hiring
Job seekers out on a limb

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Scrambling up a massive 60-foot oak tree is a feat some 30 candidates performed in Forest Park, Queens, May 8, for the city exam for Climbers and Pruners.

Local 1506 Climber and Pruner Joseph Rocioppi was perched in the boughs to administer the 10-minute Climber's test that sent job seekers literally out on a limb.

"A Climber's life depends on knowing how to secure knots," said John Huber, president of Climbers and Pruners Local 1506. "We look for safety habits, fitness and speed — how fast they can scale the trunk, tie off, walk out onto two different branches and touch ground again, in under 10 minutes."

"For most this test can be daunting; it's like rock climbing," Huber said.

Parks managers interview candidates who prove they are skilled at tying knots and show their work experience and a commercial driver's license before the climb. Of the 30 applicants, the Parks Dept. will hire 12 as provisional employees at about $56,000 a year.

Local 1506 represents city arborists, who are Climbers and Pruners, a hard-to-recruit title that is physically demanding and requires great strength and agility. They are forestry specialists - a 110-member 'Delta Force' of Parks first responders who do gravity-defying climbs using ropes, pulleys, and a harness to keep the city's 3 million trees healthy.

Climber and Pruner Terrence Schild is one of best, and holds the Parks record score of 2:42 minutes on the Parks Climbers test. Local 1508 President Mike Zeno said, "We have 51 climbers and the top three fastest - Schild, Francisco Davila and Joseph Rocioppi - all work out of Queens Forestry." Queens has more trees than any other borough.

The workers maneuver cherry pickers and operate trucks, buzz saws and chippers to safely remove diseased and dead trees that endanger pedestrians on sidewalks or in parks. Climbers and Pruners and their Supervisors protect public safety by inspecting trees, removing limbs and trunks felled by violent storms or crashed onto houses or cars. In 2013, over an eight-week span, 12 New Yorkers - including a pregnant woman visiting Kissena Park - were killed by falling limbs.

Under new protocol, the Parks Supervisors work with community boards for healthier city trees, regularly inspecting their districts, in addition to responding to emergencies.

"It's about safety first for workers and the public," Zeno said. "The candidates come knowing the basics. We look for speed and ability; it helps if they can identify different species of trees. But once they are hired, it's up to us to teach them how to become a Climber and Pruner."