Welcome to Forty Oaks!!! Thanks for visiting the site. A little about us….
I have been climbing trees for over 10 years, professionally, but don’t discount the many many years of practice as a little boy!! I have watched my father, THE BEST, climb trees my entire life. Big E, as he is so fondly known as, ( Eric Heavenor), has been a Utility Arborist for 40 years. I was lucky enough to apprentice under him and learn the fine line between old-school and new-school.
Before becoming a Utility Arborist, lacrosse was my passion. My Dad was also integral in that realm. Minor lacrosse led into an NCAA scholarship (Limestone College in South Carolina) which led to being drafted to play in the NLL (National Lacrosse League). I played alongside some of the most elite athletes in North America and won an NLL Championship in 2009. I proudly wore the #40, so the company name should make sense now!!
I retired from the NLL in 2013 to be home with my family and to dedicate myself to my Arborist career. I also have a lot of children, which takes dedication!!
We are new to this whole blogging business….but definitely not new to the tree business……there are some really cool stories to be shared in our line of work. Much of our work involves trimming, pruning, thinning, topping, dead-wooding, line clearing…..mostly routine work. But then there are those jobs that involve a high degree of athleticism, mathematical analysis, mechanical systems (pulleys, knots, rigging, friction) and pure adrenaline. Over the past 10 or so years, I have climbed and removed some of the most challenging trees on and around Vancouver Island, piece by piece, section by section, hour by hour (14 hours up one particular tree 150 feet tall and 7 feet 8 inches through the base!).
It is no picnic up there…….I have been urinated on by raccoons, stung so many times in the face at once by hornets that my face swelled to an unrecognizable lump, had spiders the size of tea cups crawl across my face and had crows dive-bomb my head. But I have also rescued cats, saved birds’ nests….I even built a Blue Heron habitat perch in Beacon Hill Park (that I am pretty sure only crows and seagulls live in). Every day is different, challenging in its own way and always keeps me on my toes, or spurs.
Stay tuned fir more stories that yew can be sure will knot disappoint….#40-out.
