From Trail Work to Tree Work: One Arborist’s Journey to Protecting Urban Forests

ISA Certified Arborist Jay Judd always had a love for working outdoors, but it wasn’t until he was introduced to the mountain pine beetle that he became aware of the field of arboriculture.

Twenty-four years ago, Judd started in the green industry working for Conservation Corps through AmeriCorps in Flagstaff, Arizona. He would build trails and thin forests for wildfire mitigation throughout northern Arizona. It was in this role that he first learned to use a chainsaw.

While working on a project on Mt. Humphreys, north of Flagstaff, he learned about the effects of mountain pine beetles on trees.

“During mid-winter, we took chair lifts up the Arizona Snowbowl resort and sledded down the mountain, attaching pheromone packs to the evergreens,” Judd says. “These packs attracted the mountain pine beetle to specific trees. The following fall, we returned to cut down those trees, delimbed them, and bucked them into 8-foot sections. We then used a specialized tool to scrape the bark off the trees, killing the larvae beneath.”

It was thanks to this project that he learned what an arborist was.

To read more about Jay's arboriculture career journey, click here. 

For more information, contact the East Denver Davey office.