2004 alumni Melissa Duffy; Photo by: Ron YapleOn Saturday 2 May, 38 tree climbers competed in the New England Regional Tree Climbing competition at Look Park, in Northampton. Of the 38 climbers, 13 were current or former students in the Arboriculture & Community Forestry program in
the Department of Natural Resources Conservation. The  women’s champion was Marcy Gladdys, a graduate from 2007, and Melissa Duffy (2004) took second place.

In the men’s competition, Kyle McCabe, expected to graduate in May 2009, won the aerial rescue event. In the footlock speed climb event, UMass took first (Andrew Putnam ’07), second (Kyle McCabe ’09), and third (Jonathan Royce ’07) place. Dr. Brian Kane noted, "Dennis Ryan and I are very proud of our current and former students. It’s a real testament to their dedication and our program that they’ve excelled as climbers. UMass is a great place to get an education in arboriculture."