The New Hampshire Arborist Association held its annual tree climbing competition in Hanover, NH on September 28th. Among the competitors were Eliot Beals and Kyle McCabe, current UMass students, as well as Andrew Putnam, who graduated in 2006. Kyle, shown above performing the work climb–in which a climber moves around the tree simulating pruning tasks–placed 1st overall, a great accomplishment. Andrew finished 2nd overall, and, in his first competition, Eliot demonstrated that he will be a contender in future competitions. Dr. Dennis Ryan, who helped judge the competition, described all three climbers as glowing examples of students from the Arboriculture & Community Forestry program.