Timbersports athlete turns to timber for a living

Resident timbersports champion David Green is taking his skills to the streets in a new tree service business, providing fire prevention work, tree limbing and tree removal for the entire Central Oregon area.

Green, who was the Stihl Timbersports Western Collegiate winner for 2009 and 2010, has recently joined forces with his family's environmental clean-up and assessment firm, Green Environmental Management.

Last year he was honored for his achievements by being selected to the Stihl Professional Series circuit in San Luis Obispo, California, in June. His father, Chris Green, has been a respected pioneer in the environmental industry for over 15 years and was excited to add his sons' expertise to his list of services and build the company into a larger, more comprehensive enterprise.

"We're now a full-service company that specializes in eliminating tree hazards of all kinds: dry fuels reduction, hazard management, clearing brush and downed branches in residential and commercial properties," said David. "Dad is like the backbone of the operation. Christian, my brother, is our assistant project director for forest management jobs."

With over six years of experience, Green and his team are now a licensed, bonded and insured company, officially certified by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board.

The Greens' tree unit prides itself on doing a job that leaves a location cleaner and more inviting than before, increasing the property value, beautifying the space and reducing risk due to dangerous tree obstructions or overhangs. Identifying problematic branches and dying limbs requires a keen eye and decisive plan of attack.

"If a property owner is concerned, we'll come in, limb up the land, remove understory vegetation, unwanted or dead brush considered a fire hazard, and create a radius around the house to make a clean, defensible space. While doing so, it makes the property more desirable and pleasing to the eyes, bumping up the value and safety factor of your home or business."

Without the proper training and instruction, tree removal work is a hazardous job to tackle for inexperienced persons. For small assignments, Green does the climbing and cutting himself, but for more complicated jobs he uses a specialist from his stable of experts.

"To be a tree climber takes a special kind of person," he said. "To basically strap yourself onto a tree and trust in two metal gaffs and rise 30 feet or more into the tree is extremely difficult. Not only are you climbing to a height that would kill you if you fall, but once you're up there you're operating a 12-pound chainsaw that can sever your arm in a second if you're not careful."

Green stresses homeowners should never take matter in their own hands, and rely instead on professional crews.

"People think they can just fire up a chainsaw and fall a tree and have it land exactly where they want, and that's rarely the case.

To become a proficient faller, it takes years of experience and observation, taking into account wind speed and direction, type of wood, limb positioning and many other variables that go into the thought process of bringing down a tree.

There are certain tricks and skills you learn in the business to make a tree fall the way you wish when it's not leaning the right way.

With my timbersports competition background and many close relationships I've created, I have a huge group of friends who do some form of forestry work so I have a network of experienced guys who can handle any job, from trimming a tree in a yard to working on complicated thinning projects or fire prevention jobs."

For more information and free consultation, visit Green at www.green-em.com or call 541-241-6959.