NYSA welcomed 30 competitors to Ithaca's Stewart Park on Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20 for the 2026 Tree Climbing Championship. With idyllic day with sunshine and cool breezes, competitors, tech, judges, and others showed their skills and networked with fellow tree care professionals. 

Congratulations to our winners:

• 1st Place Women's Master's - Ashley Morse
  
  
• 1st Place Men's Master's - Dan Barnes (224.67)
• 2nd Place Men's Master's - Jossue Avendano (204.67)
• 3rd Place Men's Master's - Matt Coons (157.67)

BOTH Ashley Morse and Dan Barnes will represent New York at the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) in St. Louis, MO during October 9-11, with some financial support from NYSA. (Image to the right: NYSA TCC Champions Jossue, Dan, Matt, and Ashley.)

You may download a copy of the preliminary results for all competitors HERE.

Mark Moeske (left) was recognized with the Greifenberger Spirit of the Competition Award. Throughout the day, he led the cheers at every event!

This year, the Ithaca Outings Program and Cornell Outdoor Education offered amateur climbers of all ages the opportunity to climb like the pros at Tree Fest, held alongside the TCC on Saturday. Participants learned basic climbing techniques and enjoyed a safe, supported ascent into the trees under the guidance of trained climbing staff. Perhaps some of those young climbers were inspired to pursue a career in arboriculture one day.

Our thanks to all the competitors; Tree Climbing Championship Chairs Josh Galiley, Trevor Hall and Mark Moeske; City of Ithaca Forester Jeanne Grace and her colleagues; and the Ithaca Youth Bureau for their collaboration and support of the event. Of course, we could not do this event without our incredible sponsors! (See below.)