It’s time to put Joe Harris in the hot seat. We were lucky enough to spend some time with Joe recently and were mightily impressed by his passion and knowledge. His training was detailed, clear and delivered with a great sense of humour. We highly recommend attending a training session with Joe if you ever get the opportunity. Over to Joe…
1. I became an Arborist because…
I was an unsuccessful aeronautical engineer. And truck driver. And watermelon picker. And author. And programmer. And fire spinner. And debt collector. And farm worker. You get the idea.
2. My favourite tree is…
Probably Still Sorrow, a Eucalyptus regnans in Tasmania. The largest hardwood in the world. The massive sequoias are amazing as well but much denser and more tangled.
3. I won’t can’t leave home without…
Coffee!
4. The perfect day at work would include…
A late start, then something that was genuinely technically interesting…maybe one of those tricky rigging problems, that when you come up with the solution turns out to be easy and gives you an early finish.
5. The worst part of my job is...
The customers.
6. The best slice of wisdom I can pass on is...
Don’t believe anything you read on the internet (Editors Note: except this of course).
7. If I could hang out in a tree with one person (past/present/living/dead), it would be…
Donald Trump. I have some retired and dangerous equipment I could loan him. And some dubious high points I would be happy to install. Plus I’d like to see how his hair looks after its been in a helmet. And whether he could grip the rope with those tiny hands.
8. The one tree I’d like to climb is…
The money tree.
9. If I wasn’t an arborist I’d be a…
Richer man.
10. True Tale or Tall Tale? Once upon a time I…
…Ran a midnight rooftop postal service between the girls’ and boys’ dorms at boarding school. I was thirteen or fourteen. For fifty pence I would climb across the roof, slide down to stand on the ledge above the window, then deliver whatever had been sent. Strangely, this may have turned out to be the most useful thing I did at school.