Line Clearance Tree Trimmers (LCTT) Showcase Their Craft & Skills

We are a different breed; you have to be fearless, but also respect the trees & the power lines.

UC Davis Arboretum, Davis, CA  – On Saturday, June 7^th, 2025, IBEW 1245 Line Clearance Tree Trimmers showcased their skill and passion for their craft at the first ever California Line Clearance Competition in Davis, California. More than 460 people attended.

Sponsored by IBEW 1245, PG&E and several contractors and venders, the competition was held at the UC Davis Arboretum, home to the largest collection oak trees from across the globe.

Twelve teams from PG&E and seven contractors participated in the competition while family, staff, and volunteers looked on. The competition included spar climbing, work climbing, aerial lift, tree felling and speed ascent.  Seasoned Vegetation Operations Inspectors, Vegetation Management Inspectors and Assessors volunteered as judges.

A year-long collaborative planning process between IBEW 1245, PG&E the JATC, several contractors, and UC Davis led to the competition, the first in California.

Celebrating the Craft

“The purpose of today’s event is to recognize the trade and celebrate the unique skills of Journeymen Line Clearance Tree Trimmers,” said Senior Business Representative Francisco “Cisco” Ferreyra, a member of the planning committee and former Line Clearance Tree Trimmer with more than thirteen years in the field before joining IBEW 1245’s staff.

IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean said, “It’s fabulous. Hopefully this is the first of many more. It is great to highlight this part of our industry and the critical work these men and women do to keep the power on and keep people safe. It is one of the most dangerous jobs requiring highly skilled workers.”

Joe Echols, PG&E’s Director of Vegetation Management Programs, whose team was instrumental in organizing the event concurred and encouraged everyone to enjoy the day saying, “Whether you are Contractors, employees, it doesn’t matter; we’re a family.”

A Skill & An Art Form

Crews came early and prepared to tackle each test with determined intensity and pride. Families and many staff and volunteers who had never witnessed what it takes to be a Line Clearance Tree Trimmer watched in awe as crews climbed towering oak trees with agility and often in record time, dexterously maneuvering ropes, pruners, pullies, and power tools.  Ferreyra noted, “It’s both a skill and an artform.”

When asked what attributes are necessary for a successful Line Clearance Tree Trimmer, Ferreyra said, “The work requires concentration, balance, physical and mental strength, good communication skills, competency when it comes to the equipment and safety protocols, and a knowledge of trees.

“We are a different breed,” said Ferreyra. “You have to be fearless, but also respect the trees and the {power} lines,” he said.

The Indispensable Role of Line Clearance Tree Trimmers in the Utility Industry

Line Clearance Tree Trimmers play an instrumental role in the Utility Industry, maintaining vegetation around transmission and distribution lines. They master a wide range of skills and perform a variety of jobs. These include routine maintenance and tree trimming, fire mitigation and grid hardening as well as specialized skills for downing big trees and emergency response.  Crews work in densely populated urban settings and rural and remote areas. They work in challenging and sometimes life-threatening conditions, including storms, fires, and disasters alongside Journeymen Linemen, System Infrastructure Protection Teams (SIPT), Vegetation Management Inspectors (VMIs)  and other first responders.

Mike Harrach, a 7-year IBEW 1245-member, crew foreman and crane operator at Mountain F Enterprise acknowledged the dangers of the trade, saying, “There are trees that take years off your life.  Sometimes you don’t have the equipment; sometimes you are in the backwoods and you’ll have to climb; sometimes you are manually removing a two-hundred-foot monster. “

His crew partner, Journeyman Tree Trimmer Christopher Smith, agreed, adding, “Every day you’re risking your life. … It requires a lot of dedication and pursuance of getting better as a career and as a person.”  Both Harrach and Smith are passionate about the work and the brotherhood.   The pair viewed the competition as an opportunity to “compete, have fun, and hopefully win a podium placement!”  They placed fourth.arrach Ha

Senior Assistant Business Manager Ralph Armstrong stated, “This is nothing short of amazing.  The work our brothers and sisters do is finally receiving the recognition they have always deserved.  What makes this event so great is they get to showcase to their families, friends and all that attended the work they do every day and the passion, pride and commitment they have for this industry.”

Armstrong added, “It also shows how far we’ve come from an industry perspective from just a few years ago.  There’s still a lot of work to do, and we need to keep our foot on the pedal and make our members the envy of the rest of the country.  It’s our time!”

Evolution of LCTT – From Low Paying Job to Recognition as a highly skilled, trained Work Group

For years, the skill and knowledge required, let alone the dangers Line Clearance Tree Trimmers face went unrecognized. Historically, LCTTs worked in abysmal conditions with low pay and minimal training.   Many had to provide their own trucks to do the work or drive their own cars to far-flung work sites. *

Working with industry partners and the CA-NV Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC), IBEW 1245 fought to build recognition, a training curriculum, standards and a career ladder for the trade as well as enhanced compensation commensurate with the skills brought to the task by these men and women.

In 2019, the Union won the passage of California Senate Bill 247, a watershed moment. Tying wages of Line Clearance Tree Trimmers to the first step Journeyman Lineman Apprentice wages, the bill nearly doubled wages, provided double time for overtime, improved medical benefits and pension for tree trimmers, and won seed money for a certification and training program for Line Clearance Tree Trimmers.

The competition is yet another step in gaining recognition for the extraordinary work these men and women do.

Building the Brotherhood

In addition to the competition, there was food, games and a kids’ zone, culminating in an awards ceremony.  Venders displayed their wares – including state of the art tools of the trade.

Tiffany Clemons, a 7-year IBEW 1245-member, Journeyman Tree Trimmer and certified arborist cheered on her fellow tree trimmers.  She added, “I’m here on a Saturday morning to support our brothers and to represent the IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee. I’m excited to be part of the first year of the competition!” Clemons hopes to compete next year.

Clemons was one of more than sixty-five volunteers who staffed the day, including IBEW 1245 Organizing Stewards IBEW 1245 Women’s Committee members, PG&E Grass Roots members and staff. For many, it was their introduction to line clearance tree trimming.  IBEW 1245 Organizing Steward Danielle Bonds remarked, “This is incredible. I had no idea about the knowledge, skill and strength required to be a Tree Trimmer. I’m in awe of what our brothers and sisters do. We are all in awe. I have even greater respect for that part of our trade. And I definitely want to come back next year!”

Congratulations to the organizers of the day, to all the winners and to everyone who participated in this first competition!

Many thanks to family, friends, volunteers and staff  who came out to support the crews and to make the day a success.

– Eileen Purcell, Sr. Advisor, Photos by John Storey

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  The First Place Winner, Team “Spar Wars” of Mountain F. Enterprise - Nicholas Corer & Ramon Rodriguez

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  First Place Winners "Spar Wars" - Mountain F. Enterprise holding up the first place prize: silver belt buckles

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  IBEW 1245 Sr. Business Representative Francisco “Cisco” Ferreyra and Business Manager Bob Dean Open the Line Clearance Competition at UC Davis Arboretum, June 7, 2025

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  IBEW 1245 Women's Committee volunteers with Business Manager Bob Dean

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  IBEW 1245 Organizing Stewards & Staff volunteering at the Line Clearance Competition

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  The Teams for the first California Line Clearance Competition at UC Davis Arboretum, June 7, 2025

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IBEW 1245 BENCHMARKS

The Evolution of the Line Clearance Tree Trimming Trade*

1960:
First Contract Utility Tree Service Tree Trimmers join IBEW 1245.

1966:
Signatory Contractors 6 Tree Contractors, including Davey Tree & Pacific Tree Expert (later Asplundh), become signatory contractors.  IBEW 1245 wins higher, standardized wages. Pay for working away from home is doubled. Companies begin providing tools.

1992:
Asplundh Strike – IBEW 1245 represented-workers protest unilateral wage cuts, go out on strike and are subsequently locked out by Asplundh management.  After three weeks of no work getting done and a steady drum beat of pressure from IBEW 1245’s political allies, PG&E yanks Asplundh’s contract. Strikers were rehired by the new contractor. (IBEW 1245 Archive)

2012:
Master Contract  After years of building relationships, Tree Contractors agree to align standards in a Master Contract. Members at five of the largest tree companies ratify the new contracts which include  comprehensive family healthcare & enhanced pension.

Keep the Clearance (KTC) Peer to Peer Safety Program starts.

2019:
Senate Bill 247 IBEW 1245 inserts language into Senate Bill 247 which ties wages of Line Clearance Tree Trimmers to the first step journeyman lineman apprentice wages.  The bill passes with near unanimous support,  nearly doubling wages & securing double time for overtime, improved medical benefits and pension, and the institution of a certification and training program.

2021:
Vegetation Management Inspectors become signatory contractors.
IBEW 1245 persuaded PG&E to require all Vegetation Management Inspector (VMI) companies to become signatory contractors, nearly doubling wages and creating a sustainable career path.  PG&E also agrees to hire 150 internal VMI hires.

2025:
PG&E Hires VMIs In House.  Five years ago there were no VMIs at PG&E.  Today, there are more than 450 in-house VMIs.

JATC Training Program for Line Clearance Tree Trimmers

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*source: Wolf, Eric, Fistful of Lightning, Published by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, San Francisco, 2016