Head up the Pacific Northwest to the Kitsap Peninsula and you’ll find the amazing Megan Stoll. Kept very busy with her company, Timberline Tree Care, we were grateful to get a few minutes with the hugely talented Megan.
1. I became an Arborist because…
YOLO!!!!!!! Hahahaha. It’s an industry that needs more women. And I’m all about doing stuff that needs to be done in the interest of gender equalization! And it fits my lifestyle nicely.
2. My favourite tree is…
This year? Quercus robur ‘Concordia’. I want this tree. My favourite tree to cut on is western red cedar (Thuja plicata). I also adore mature Sequoiadendron giganteum. And the neato award goes to deciduous conifers like Larix and Metasequoia.
3. I can’t leave home without…
Taking an hour to myself after waking up. I’m not a morning person, I don’t want to talk to other humans for at least an hour after I wake up. If I have to wake up, talk to people immediately, and leave my house right away…it’s gonna get crazy.
4. The perfect day at work would include…
A couple of fun-size (80ish ft, not too big, not too small) conifer removals, a cable installation and a little deadwood cleanout, a cheery helper, a smooth-running chipper and an overcast day.
5. The worst part of my job is...
Yards full of dog poo. Storm season, when people are sad because trees have landed on their home or cars and now they have big unexpected tree work expense and repairs to do.
6. The best slice of wisdom I can pass on is...
Things break in tree work, constantly. Workers move on, equipment fails, jobs fall through. Be prepared to improvise, don’t sweat the small stuff (I’m bad at this – I freak out when my chippy breaks down) and trust your gut about bad situations. Also, have high standards for who you work with; draw boundaries. And for the ladies – just keep climbing! Clients want you. The world is happy to see women doing tree work. If you can’t find a company who can handle female workers, the clients will want you…start your own! You can do it!
7. If I could hang out in a tree with one person (past/present/living/dead), it would be…
Dave Stice, because duh!!! or Katy Bigelow, because I learn something new every time I work with her. Or if fictional characters count…The Predator could climb trees like a boss!
8. The one tree I’d like to climb is…
Yggdrasil. Or that one epic tree from the cartoon ‘Fern Gully’.
9. If I wasn’t an arborist I’d be a…
Shaman…astronaut…nomadic shepherd….mushroom-picker…dragon-slayer…or maybe a grave digger.
10. True Tale or Tall Tall Tale? Once upon a time I…
…was new in the biz and I made some very poor decisions and a poor cut in a monster alder tree. The 40ft top did kind of a barber-chair peeling thing and slammed me into the trunk of the tree, rearranging my spine significantly. It was not my finest moment. My back has a weird crater in it!!