KENT, Ohio — When you think of science and math , you probably don’t picture dangling from a rope 30 feet in the air.

But at Davey Tree’s new SEED Campus, short for Science, Employee Education and Development, the classroom doesn’t have desks. There are harnesses, helmets, and an indoor climbing structure where arborists-in-training, and I, learn the ropes, literally.

“We were talking about trees, so we are going to use this as a tree,” said Rick Denbeau with The Davey Tree Expert Company referring to the large structure.

Meet my instructor, Rick Denbeau, arborist skills trainer and rope-system expert. Before I even leave the ground, he checks my gear, making sure I won’t be coming down… unless I actually mean to. Safety is skill number one.

Climbing requires planning – not just eq

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