RAPID CITY - They're not quite lumberjacks, but they're still OK.

Among the branches of a large Cottonwood tree, Randy Lehmann, John Fortune and Adam Reed hoisted and hauled themselves up and down ropes Friday in Memorial Park in preparation for this week's state tree climbing contest.

See local tree climbers preparing for next week's competition

"It's fun. It's a learning experience," said Lehmann of New Underwood. "You get to see a lot of new techniques that have just come out, things that have just been introduced in the field."

All three men work as tree trimmers and power line clearers for Asplundh, a vegetation management company. Their jobs frequently involve climbing trees to prune and trim branches away from power lines.

"It's mostly all about working outside for me. I can't stand working inside," Reed, a Rapid City resident who has only been a tree trimmer for about two months, said.

"I heard about it through a buddy of mine who used to work for this company, and he recommended me."

The three will compete Wednesday in the state tree climbing contest, an event that is part of the second day of the 22nd annual South Dakota Arborist Association conference at the Pennington County Extension Building at 601 E. Centre St.

Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, the conference will focus on safety in the tree care industry including electrical hazard awareness.

In addition to the state tree climbing competition, the second day of the conference will also include practical training opportunities on pruning and rigging techniques.

Anybody interested in arboriculture, tree care or community forestry is invited to attend - or anybody interested in the spectacle of grown men swinging around in trees like a modern Tarzan.

Lehmann said the tree climbing competition includes five events: throw line, work climb, speed climb and foot lock climb. Contestants are judged on time, technique and style.

The throw line involves accurately tossing a light weighted line over targets strung at three different heights between two trees.

The light lines are used to haul up a heavier support rope, and points are awarded based on each target a competitor hits.

In the work climb, contestants are placed at the top of the tree and must maneuver to several workstations throughout the tree, ringing a bell at each station. Time, style and technique are judged, as well as how a person handles himself or herself in the trees.

The speed climb measures how quickly a contest can climb a rope, and the foot lock event involves a climbing technique involving mostly the legs.

The aerial rescue simulates responding to an actual emergency situation involving an injured co-worker.

A practice dummy is placed high up in the tree, and the climber acts out the entire scenario, including communicating with emergency personnel and supporting the "injured" person.

Lehmann agreed that it's almost like acting.

"That's kind of the way it is. I'm not very good at that one," he said with a laugh. "Unfortunately, it's the highest value station in the competition."

Lehmann said a couple of chainsaws will be given away during the event and the winners will likely get various tree equipment such as carabiners, ascenders, throw lines, ropes and other gadgets that can be used in the field.

Many times, those gadgets are so new they are too expensive for guys such as Lehmann to afford, or they haven't been field tested enough to go into common use, he said.

"A lot of these guys are buying this stuff as soon as it comes out, but we'll get it about 10 years down the line," Lehmann said. "So, it's kind of nice to get out there and see it."

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415, or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com