An Arborist's Blessings
A stunning view of Asheville from the branches of a White Oak, Quercus alba.There are parts of our jobs as arborists that may seem to be extreme. For example beginning the work day at 7:00AM, everyday, OUTSIDE all winter long, or climbing in the biting cold, our fingers exposed for every task whether it is tuning up our machines and vehicles prior to work everyday or tying/untying our safety and rigging ropes. We know that those watching see us at great heights with all the risks involved, but what most don't see are the breathtaking views we see from up there, the early morning skies blistering with color from our pole-barn shop, the crisp clear beauty of forests aloft in winter. It is a different picture by far from the lush, welcoming canopies of spring and summer, however we can see even more sky and branch structure in winter without the thick curtain of leaves. Climbing can be exhilarating, but also peaceful and serene. If we are blessed with sunshine and our schedule allows, we may eat our lunch in the trees we are working in or stay after for a little sunset viewing too!Sun rise this morning from the shop: 
Sunrise yesterday from a pre-work rec-climb near our shop:
The Latte bucket making a steady delivery:
T-shirt weather in January! Climbing does have a way of warming you up:
What tree work looks like when you are also in a tree :)
Smart Fellers Now Providing Health Insurance!
We are so elated to announce that as of January 1st, 2017 we are providing personal healthcare for our employees! Our employees are who makes our business everything that it is and we want our wages and benefits to reflect the appreciation we have for them. We believe in giving back to our employees and have always paid $15.00 per hour minimum as a starting wage and include numerous other perks such as supplying and updating climbing and safety gear. While we have always covered our employees with workers comp while they are at work, we have never before offered them personal policies. Smart Feller employees tend to be gregarious, outdoors types, with higher risk hobbies such as mountain climbing, rock climbing, and recreational tree climbing, to name a few. We believe it is important for their quality of life to be in top heath condition and covered in the case of accidents, as well as it being critical for the longevity of our company and to insure that the quality of work we deliver to our clients stays top notch. A big thanks to our employees! You Fellers rule!Meet our newest team member, Ryan Prentiss, here he is taking a well deserved break on a wicked stump throne!