How to Hire Climbers Who Won't Leave for the Next Tree Company

Every tree care company owner has the same story. You spent three months finding a climber. They were decent with a saw, willing to learn rigging, and showed up on time most days. You invested in their training, bought them new gear, and built your schedule around their strengths. Eight months later, they’re working for the company across town — for $2 more an hour.

The tree care labor shortage isn’t news. The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) has flagged workforce development as the industry’s top challenge for years running. The problem isn’t just finding climbers — it’s finding climbers who stay. Turnover rates in tree care run 30–50% annually for field positions at many companies, and every departure costs you $5,000–$15,000 in recruiting, training, lost productivity, and schedule disruptions.

The companies that consistently retain their best people aren’t doing anything magical. They’re doing a handful of things differently — and those things compound.

Why Climbers Leave (It’s Usually Not About Money)

When a climber gives notice, the owner’s first assumption is always: “Someone offered them more money.” Sometimes that’s true. But exit interviews and industry surveys — including data from TCIA’s workforce studies — consistently show that pay is the primary reason for leaving only about 25–30% of the time.

The more common reasons:

They don’t see a path forward

A 25-year-old climber who’s been with you for two years looks around and thinks: “What’s next?” If the answer is “keep climbing until my body gives out,” that’s not a career — it’s a countdown.

Tree care companies that retain climbers long-term give them a visible growth path: lead climber → crew leader → estimator/sales → operations → ownership stake. Not every climber wants to run a business, but every good one wants to know they’re building toward something.

The work culture is grinding them down

Tree care is physically demanding, weather-dependent, and high-risk. If the only culture your company offers is “grind harder,” you’ll keep losing people to companies that offer the same work with better communication, more respect, and a sense that the owner actually cares about their wellbeing.

The signs of a grinding culture: no input on scheduling, no say in how the work gets done, equipment that’s held together with zip ties, and an owner who yells when things go wrong instead of problem-solving when things go right.

They feel replaceable

A climber who goes above and beyond on a complicated removal — rigged perfectly, no property damage, customer was thrilled — and gets nothing more than a “nice job” on the ride back is learning that extra effort doesn’t get recognized. After enough reps of that, they stop giving extra effort or they leave for somewhere that notices.

The equipment is bad

This one is underrated. Climbers and ground crew form strong opinions about equipment, and bad gear is a daily friction point that erodes morale. A dull chipper, a truck that breaks down every other week, worn-out rigging ropes, or chainsaws that haven’t been properly maintained — these send a message that the owner doesn’t invest in the tools that keep the crew safe and efficient.

Hiring Better Climbers in the First Place

Retention starts before the first day. Hiring the wrong person and hoping they’ll work out is more expensive than waiting for the right one.

Where to actually find climbers

The standard job boards (Indeed, Craigslist) produce a high volume of applicants and a low percentage of qualified ones. The better channels:

TCIA job board and ISA career center. Applicants here are already in the industry and often hold certifications. The volume is lower but the quality is dramatically higher.
Trade schools and community college forestry/arboriculture programs. Build relationships with instructors. Offer internships or apprenticeships. A student who spends a summer with your company and has a good experience will call you first after graduation.
Word of mouth from your existing crew. Your best climber knows other good climbers. Offer a referral bonus ($500–$1,000 paid after the new hire’s 90-day mark) and you’ve turned your crew into a recruiting pipeline.
Local tree climbing competitions. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) hosts regional climbing competitions. Attend as a sponsor or spectator. The climbers competing are, by definition, skilled and engaged in the profession.
Social media — specifically, your own. Post videos of your crew doing good work. Tag the job type and location. Climbers in your area are watching. A company that looks like it does interesting work with good equipment and a solid crew attracts people who want to be part of that.

What to look for beyond climbing skill

Climbing ability matters, but it’s only one dimension. The climbers who stay long-term tend to share a few traits:

Mechanical aptitude. Can they sharpen a chain? Troubleshoot a chipper? Splice a rope? Climbers who understand their equipment — not just use it — are more self-sufficient and more engaged.
Situational awareness. Can they assess a tree’s structure, identify hazards, and make sound decisions about cut order and rigging without constant supervision? This is what separates a climber from a canopy laborer.
Communication. A climber who can talk to homeowners — explain what they’re doing, answer basic questions, represent your company professionally — is worth significantly more than one who avoids all customer interaction.
Coachability. Every company has its own systems and standards. A climber who insists on doing everything the way their last company did it is going to create friction. Look for people who are confident in their skills but open to your approach.

The working interview

Never hire a climber based solely on a sit-down interview. They’ll tell you what you want to hear. Instead:

Bring them out for a paid working day. Put them on a real job with your crew. Watch how they interact, how they handle the saw, how they communicate with ground crew, and how they respond to direction.
Let your crew weigh in. After the working day, ask your existing crew what they thought. They’ll notice things you won’t — attitude on the ground, how they handle rope, whether they’re safe in the canopy.
Check references from their most recent employer. Not the employer they left on good terms with three years ago. The most recent one. The question to ask: “Would you hire them back?”

What Actually Keeps Climbers Around

Pay them at or above market — then stop relying on pay alone

You need to be competitive on wages. A climber making $22/hour in a market where the going rate is $26/hour is going to leave, period. Check your local market rate annually — ask at TCIA events, look at job postings, talk to suppliers who visit multiple companies.

But once you’re at market rate, additional pay increases have diminishing returns on retention. Going from $24 to $26/hour might prevent someone from leaving. Going from $26 to $28/hour probably won’t keep someone who’s unhappy for other reasons.

The data supports this. Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) consistently finds that after compensation reaches a “fair” threshold, non-monetary factors — growth opportunities, culture, recognition, and work-life balance — become stronger retention drivers than additional pay.

Create a certification and growth ladder

Build a clear progression that ties skill development to compensation and responsibility:

Level 1 — Ground crew / trainee: Basic ground operations, learning knots, operating chipper. Wage: entry rate.
Level 2 — Advanced ground / climber trainee: Running rigging from the ground, beginning aerial work under supervision. Wage: entry + $2–3/hour.
Level 3 — Production climber: Independent climbing and rigging. ISA Certified Arborist. Wage: market rate for climbers.
Level 4 — Lead climber / crew leader: Running the job from the canopy, managing ground crew, customer communication. Wage: market + $3–5/hour.
Level 5 — Estimator / operations: Bidding work, managing multiple crews, quality oversight. Salary: management compensation.

The specific titles and wages are less important than the principle: everyone should know what the next step is and what it takes to get there. When a Level 2 ground worker can see that becoming a Level 3 climber means a $5/hour raise and an ISA certification (which you’ll pay for), they have a reason to invest in their development — and your company.

Invest in their certifications

Pay for ISA Certified Arborist exams, TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional (CTSP) courses, first aid and CPR, and any other industry credentials. Give them paid time off to study and take the exam.

This costs you $500–$1,500 per employee per year. It returns:

A more skilled, safer crew
Higher customer trust (certified arborists command premium pricing)
A retention tool (the climber knows you invested in them — and their certification is more valuable at a company that supports continued education)

Equipment that doesn’t suck

Buy good saws. Maintain your chipper. Replace rigging ropes before they’re questionable. Stock the truck with PPE that fits and isn’t falling apart.

This isn’t generosity — it’s a business decision. Good equipment makes crews faster, safer, and more willing to show up. A climber who spends 20 minutes every morning trying to start a saw that should have been replaced is losing productivity and gaining resentment.

If budget is tight, prioritize climbing gear and saws — those are the tools climbers interact with most directly. A new Stihl MS 462 or 500i costs $1,200–$1,800. It pays for itself in weeks through productivity gains and crew morale.

Give recognition where it’s earned

This doesn’t need to be elaborate. It needs to be specific and timely.

After a well-executed complex removal: “The way you set that redirect on the second lead — that saved us 45 minutes. Nice work.”
Monthly: Pick the job of the month based on difficulty, execution, or customer feedback. Buy the crew lunch or give a small bonus ($50–$100).
Annually: Performance-based bonuses tied to safety record, certifications earned, and customer satisfaction. Even $500–$1,000 at year-end reinforces that you’re paying attention.

The key is specificity. “Good job” is forgettable. “The way you handled the rigging on that leaning hickory on Tuesday — that was textbook” tells the climber you were watching, you understood the difficulty, and you valued their skill.

Build a schedule that acknowledges they have lives

Tree care is demanding. The standard expectation — show up at 6:30 AM, work until the job is done, repeat five or six days a week — burns people out.

Small adjustments make a big difference:

Predictable schedules. When possible, let crew know the next day’s plan before they leave. Uncertainty about where they’ll be and how late they’ll work is a chronic stressor.
Seasonal flexibility. During slower months, offer 4-day weeks. The lost productivity is minimal, and the goodwill is enormous.
Weather days as recovery, not punishment. Rain days happen. Don’t force crews to sit in the shop doing make-work. Let them go home (paid or partially paid) and come back rested.

The Retention Math

Keeping one good climber who would have otherwise left saves you:

Recruiting costs: $1,000–$3,000 (job postings, interviews, working days)
Training costs: $2,000–$5,000 (2–4 weeks of reduced productivity while the new person ramps)
Lost revenue during the gap: $3,000–$8,000 (reduced crew output while you’re shorthanded)
Customer impact: Unquantifiable, but real. Your best customers notice when the good climber disappears and someone less experienced shows up.

Total cost of one turnover: $6,000–$16,000.

Against that, the retention investments — market-rate pay, certification support, decent equipment, recognition, reasonable schedules — cost roughly $2,000–$4,000 per employee per year above the bare minimum.

Spending $3,000 a year to avoid a $10,000 turnover event is a 3:1 return. And it compounds — a climber who stays for 5 years gets better every year, trains new hires, builds customer relationships, and becomes a cornerstone of your operation.

The Company That Keeps Its Climbers

The tree care companies known for retention in any market share a reputation. Other climbers know about them. Trade school instructors recommend them. When they have an opening, they don’t need to post on Indeed — the phone rings.

That reputation doesn’t come from paying the most. It comes from being the company where climbers feel respected, equipped, developed, and valued. It takes years to build and can be lost in a single bad season of management decisions.

The good news: every retention practice described above is within reach of a small tree care company. You don’t need an HR department or a corporate training program. You need to pay fairly, buy decent gear, notice when people do good work, and give them something to grow toward.

The climbers will take care of the rest.