Emmett Shutts, CTSP and Corey Shepard, CTSP, The Davey Tree Expert Company
Feel the Forces takes a practical, hands-on approach to illustrating the forces placed on a tree during rigging and climbing operations. The first session explores concepts such as force amplification, bending, and forces generated by deviations through interactive demonstrations that introduce basic terms including mass, leverage, tension, compression, and bending. Using co-presenters and audience members as “trees,” presenters demonstrate how a suspended rope bag (mass) affects a platform, represented by a person, in various configurations. This approach helps attendees better understand how forces are transferred through tree parts by allowing participants to physically experience and describe the loads being applied.
Presenters will demonstrate how trees have a greater capacity to resist failure when their parts are placed in compression, a concept referred to as rigging to advantage. This will be contrasted with scenarios that illustrate bending and leverage, known as rigging to disadvantage, helping attendees recognize how rigging choices can significantly affect the forces acting on a tree.
Speaker Bio:
Shepard, Corey, CTSP – The Davey Tree Expert Company
Corey has been practicing arboriculture since 1998 with most of that time as a climbing arborist. He attended and presented at numerous ISA chapter and industry events. You will likely see him volunteering at NATCC and ITCC as he has done for many years following his time as a competitive climber. Corey has worked proudly for the Davey Tree Expert Co. since 2004 as a crew member, crew leader, regional safety specialist, and arborist skills trainer. He has been involved with employee development and training since 2017. Corey has a BS Forestry from UMASS Amherst and is a CTSP. He is happiest climbing trees and spending time with his three ladies; wife of 22 yrs and Amber and Haley his two daughters.
Shutts, Emmett, CTSP – The Davey Tree Expert Company
Being in the industry since 2006 has allowed Emmett to fine tune his abilities as a leader. His teaching strategy that incorporates fun hands-on learning and his ability to connect with diverse groups of people have caused him to rise through the ranks after joining Davey in 2018 from an arborist skill trainer to a manager for arborist skill trainers. In his role, Emmett helps create a training curriculum that enhances the education and development of safety skills within Davey’s field teams. Emmett has a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation from the University of Connecticut and is a Connecticut licensed arborist, Certified Tree Care Safety Professional(CTSP), board member of the Connecticut Tree Protective Association, and enjoys volunteering and competing in tree climbing competitions.