Climbers probably had visions of secateur and Silky pruning when they first heard about the arbor camp at Hackfalls Arboretum in Tinaroto… but nothing could be further from the truth.
The treework carried out by the volunteer arborists over the weekend included digger and GRCS assisted removals and storm damage repair work to a couple of large eucalypts. And there was also plenty of precision pruning and dead-wooding for those with climbing skills and a keen eye and hand.
The arborist volunteers and their families gathered from as far away as Taranaki, Wellington, Rotorua and Auckland to assist the local Gisborne team with the weekends work (and play).
Gisborne farmers would have been happy with the rain each night and the campers seemed oblivious to the wet. Luckily the rain eased each morning to produce a clear day for treecare and climbing workshops.
The ArborCare ladies provided excellent meals including a spit roast with mutton sausages (from animals bred on the arboretum farm) on Saturday evening. The 'camp fire', in the tractor shed, offered a central spot for beer drinking and tree climbing camaraderie out of the weather.
Mark Randall (ArborCare Gisborne) and Rossy Ross Pro Climb must surely be happy with such a fantastic weekend - Hackfalls Arborcamp 2011 will be a hard act to follow.
