TREE KINGThe top rung
The Tree King Certification.
Above Groundie, Climber, Crew Lead and Arborist there is one more rung. It is not a test you pass in a room. It is a record you build in the field, one storm, one crane and one big job at a time.
What it takes
This is the list as Lucas has set it so far. The final list, and what the badge means for pay and for the crew, is being written now.
A hurricane
Deployed to at least one hurricane: days of storm work after a hurricane, when whole neighborhoods need help at once.
A $10,000 job
Sold at least one job of $10,000 or more yourself: walked it, priced it, explained it and closed it.
A crane job
Worked at least one crane job: the big removals, where every piece is planned before the first cut.
$1,000,000 in sales
A million dollars in lifetime sales of tree work.
Stitches
One doctor visit for stitches. Every veteran of this trade has a scar and a story.
A fall, and you lived to tell it
Fell out of a tree once, and lived to tell it.
Why a certification of our own
Courses and exams teach the science of trees, and we teach it too, in the Tree King Academy. But some things only the field teaches: working a hurricane, selling and running a big job, rigging a crane pick, and the respect for the work that comes from having been hurt by it.
The scars on the list are stories, not goals. The Academy teaches every crew member to work safely, and nobody earns this badge by taking chances. They earn it by staying in the trade long enough for the stories to happen.
How you get there
Everyone starts on the ground. The ladder goes Groundie, Climber, Crew Lead, Arborist, with lessons on your phone and sign-offs from Lucas in the field. The Tree King Certification sits above all of them.
The trees deserve better.
Want to start climbing?
Tell us your name and number on the hiring page. Lucas calls you himself.