How Climbing 50-Foot Trees Is Training Better Urban Foresters
Affiliate Disclosure
Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
You may have noticed that Impactful Ninja is all about providing helpful information to make a positive impact on the world and society. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts.
Most of these links are informational-based for you to check out their primary sources with one click.
But some of these links are so-called "affiliate links" to products that we recommend.
Why do we add these product links?
First and foremost, because we believe that they add value to you. For example, when we wrote a post about the environmental impact of long showers, we came across an EPA recommendation to use WaterSense showerheads. So we linked to where you can find them. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide.
And when there is an affiliate program for these products, we sign up for it. For example, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
What do these affiliate links mean for you?
First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you.
And when you buy something through a link that is not an affiliate link, we won’t receive any commission but we’ll still be happy to have helped you.
What do these affiliate links mean for us?
When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission (at no extra costs to you).
And at this point in time, all money is reinvested in sharing the most helpful content with you. This includes all operating costs for running this site and the content creation itself.
What does this mean for me personally?
You may have noticed by the way Impactful Ninja is operated that money is not the driving factor behind it. It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. However, it's a project in that I invest a lot of time and also quite some money.
Eventually, my dream is to one day turn this passion project into my full-time job and provide even more helpful information. But that's still a long time to go.
Stay impactful,
At Impactful Ninja, we curate positive and impactful news for you. Add Impactful Ninja as a preferred source on Google or sign up for our free newsletter to get these delivered straight to your inbox—just like our expert roundup below!
📰 The quick summary: Forestry students at the University of Tennessee now climb trees up to 50 feet tall as part of their urban forestry curriculum, giving them hands-on skills to better understand and care for city trees.
📈 One key stat: About 80% of the US population lived in urban areas in 2020, which means the health and management of city trees directly affects the vast majority of Americans.
💬 One key quote: “By paying closer attention to trees in their neighborhoods, students begin to see how trees affect shade, safety, comfort, beauty and the overall quality of daily life.”
1️⃣ The big picture: Urban trees play a vital role in keeping cities livable, yet training future tree-care professionals has long relied heavily on classroom learning rather than real hands-on experience. A forestry professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, designed a course called Principles of Urban Forestry to change that, blending traditional coursework with practical tree-climbing sessions. Over the final five weeks of the course, students climb trees on campus, reaching heights of up to 69 feet, where they practice knot-tying, ascending, descending and even walking along thinner branches. The experience gives students a direct feel for tree structure and the specific challenges of caring for trees in dense urban environments. With roughly 80% of Americans living in cities, developing a well-trained and practically skilled urban forestry workforce has never been more important.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Teaching tree care through direct, physical experience in a tree’s canopy gives students a far deeper understanding of urban forestry than lectures or screens alone can provide. Students leave the course with real, transferable skills, including knot-tying and advanced climbing techniques, that prepare them for professional roles in tree care. Even students who go on to non-forestry careers gain a lasting appreciation for why trees matter in cities, which can shape better decision-making in planning, policy and community life. Trees cool neighborhoods, clean the air and improve quality of life for urban residents, so training people who truly understand how to protect and maintain them benefits entire communities. Building this kind of informed, hands-on stewardship culture at the university level helps ensure that cities continue to grow their tree canopy thoughtfully and effectively.
3️⃣ What’s next: As urban forestry programs like this one expand, more universities may adopt hands-on climbing curricula to better prepare the next generation of tree-care professionals. Students who complete the course are encouraged to stay observant of the trees in their own neighborhoods and advocate for equitable tree coverage across all communities. Broader collaboration between city residents, planners, scientists and tree professionals remains key to making sure healthy urban trees benefit everyone.
Read the full story here: The Conversation – Students branch out and climb trees to learn up close how to care for them and why they help cities flourish
