The 2019 North American Tree Climbing Championship (NATCC) will be held at Balboa Park in San Diego from Oct. 11-13. The finals of the event are sponsored by Davey Tree Expert Co.

“Tree climbing competitions like the NATCC replicate real-world scenarios where arborists demonstrate peak performance skills and safety techniques,” said Sandra Reid, vice president of corporate communication and strategic planning administration for Davey Tree. “Davey is proud to once again sponsor the Masters’ Challenge, an event that represents the pinnacle of climbing arborists’ dedication to being the best in their field.”

This year, 40 of the top professional tree climbers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico will compete for the title of North American Champion while demonstrating their skills as professional arborists. This event is organized by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and showcases arborists in action and helps educate consumers about proper tree work and safety. The NATCC is free and open to the public.

The competition includes preliminary events to be held Oct. 12 in which competitors demonstrate the skills required to safely work in trees. The competitors with the highest scores during the preliminary events will move on to the finals — the Masters’ Challenge championship round — sponsored by Davey on Oct. 13.

This year, Davey will have two competitors in the event: Alex Julius, an employee development and safety training specialist from Illinois, and Christian Feichtinger, a foreman with Davey’s south Minneapolis residential office.

In addition to the competition, there will be an Arbor Fair and Expo with family-friendly activities, including educational exhibits and interactive demonstrations focused on environmental issues and tree care. Davey will host an Ask the Arborist booth on Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, visitors can find information about a tree inventory of Balboa Park conducted by Davey Resource Group.