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Tree climbing arborists help raise EAB awareness

DENVER — Arborists from across Colorado gathered in Denver’s Washington Park for the 2017 International Society of Arboriculture’s Rocky Mountain Chapter Tree Climbing Competition. Here, these talented professionals showed off the skills they utilize day-to-day caring for trees around the state.

From the speed climb competition to much more technical climbs, arborists put a mix of athletics, tree knowledge and math skills on display — and 9NEWS was there to capture it all.

Illustrating their true team spirit, this year’s participants all donned Be A Smart Ash competition shirts, helping raise awareness about an issue they combat every day in their field, the emerald ash borer (EAB). Now the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history, EAB has devoured ash trees in more than 25 states and caused billions of dollars in damage.

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