Urban forestry forepeople are often mislabeled and misunderstood as “tree-cutters,” but this evolving societal role is anything but one-dimensional.

Suspended 60 feet overhead, Jake Shocinski analyzes a 5,000-pound portion of an oak tree. No limb removal is the same, and he can’t afford any lapse in attention.

While his crew works feverishly on the ground to funnel large debris through the roaring chipper, urban forestry foreman Shocinski contemplates a variety of decisions yet to be made. Where are the safest places to set the straps? What chainsaw technique ensures the limb won’t swing wild? Is the crane operator in position? And the mental checklist continues. 

Consequences must be considered for each action. As is the case with surgeons, quarterbacks and teachers, forestry foremen confront dire responsibility on the job. 

“Every day as a foreman is different,” Shocinski said, with hard hat-hair matted down following Tuesday’s task. “You never know what your job is until you face it.”

Shocinski’s job is with a general tree-services company. He oversees a variety of crew-configurations as a foreman. Despite the industry’s tremendous growth in gender diversity, less than 20 percent of forepeople are women. Currently, no women occupy white-hat status at Shocinski’s company.  

It was a spectacle the first time I witnessed “crane day.” Gawking neighbors stare from their porch as 225 tons of machinery face one simple objective: remove the humongous tree from its location in approximately 10 gargantuan chunks. Within a day’s work, the once mighty oak was to exist in woodchip form, and the homeowners could once again relax without fear of getting crushed in their sleep.

“The biggest picks can weigh 10,000 pounds,” Shocinski said. “You want to take as much as you can without taking too much.”

Crane day might be the most visually dramatic of Shocinski’s jobs, but it only scratches the surface of what forepeople do. 

Nowadays, many occupations fall into the hands of automation, artificial intelligence or the modern comfort of working from home. However, urban forestry foremen aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They showcase technical expertise, elite athleticism and communicational leadership while navigating potentially life-threatening situations on a daily basis. If their modest pay isn’t dragging them to work, it’s the fulfillment after assisting clients in need, caring for some of our most precious natural resources and the recurring jolt of excitement while dangling from a 70-foot tree, chainsaw in hand. This evolving societal role has little to do with lumberjack stereotypes of old as the industry abandons outdated approaches. 

Learning as you go

Western Minneapolis suburbs are lush with tree-lined cul-de-sacs during summer. Most residential or commercial properties eventually need forestry services. Whether managing pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer invasion, storm damage, stump removal and so on, Shocinski has dealt with it. 

“I’ve learned a lot, cracked stepping stones and accidentally taken crew members for unplanned rides,” Shocinski said with sincerity in reference to briefly catapulting an intern while removing a large branch. “My greatest responsibilities are people management and property care, and it can be difficult to manage. Mistakes will happen.”

Inevitable mishaps are not a reflection of a foreman’s competence. They are one of the hazards of the position. 

The company’s tree and plant health care coordinator, James Steffle has reverence for the specific type of individual that can manage those responsibilities and working conditions. “Foremen have to be elite athletes. They perform limb walks, and they are scientists. They understand funguses, tree physiology, tree identification and they are book smart,” Steffle wasn’t finished. “They have to be high-level communicators, and they must be prepared to work in 90 degree heat as well as -20 degree weather. Oh, and they need to understand hydraulics and general mechanics.”

Despite misconceptions, forestry is not a trade. These men and women attend college, obtaining a wide-spanning education on the natural sciences. 

Josh Lapacz recently stepped into a new role after working multiple years as a foreman. “It’s a lot of juggling, and you throw in curveballs such as malfunctioning equipment or weather,” Lapacz said. “Weather can be big, and fluctuating morale or mood can shift day to day. All of these things are to be considered to keep everyone safe. It can be rewarding to accomplish all that.”

Lapacz worked happily as a foreman, but the position doesn’t tend to be one of permanence. Forepeople typically keep their white-hats for two or three years, but some people keep their title for up to 15 years. 

Typically, foremen accept the natural transition into positions such as “sales arborist” or a variety of less physically demanding jobs once they decide to give up the “foreman” title. However, Lapacz recently settled into a brand new role, “tree care coordinator.” In congruence with the industry’s increasing prioritization of safety, Lapacz is now responsible for meeting production crews on the job site, making sure they are following safety procedures and training them in the field. 

A new safety future

Lapacz is happy to alleviate the time crunch element as he spends four days in the field each week helping in the field. With this presence, the foreperson is not entirely responsible for on-site training which liberates them to prioritize other responsibilities.

Tempo and work-flow are important as high level tree care services don’t exist without profit. For this reason, efficient forepeople must strike a balance between production, safety, environmental care and service quality.

23% of on site injuries occur while felling trees. However, one must be aware at all times on the site. Nobody is to remove their hard hat, high-visibility vest or safety glasses with the exception of lunch break. Large operations such as crane day have many moving parts. Sometimes it’s impossible to oversee interns loading the chipper while preoccupied at the top of a tree. Even when more than one foreman is assigned to the job, things can become overwhelming. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employees to be trained and familiarized with potentially hazardous machinery. Lapacz’s presence ensures each new employee the opportunity to learn at a favorable pace before they are thrown into the fire. 

Much of what Lapacz does is leadership development. Scraped yet sturdy forearms imply Lapacz’s hard-earned ethos in the field. “It makes you a problem solver and a leader by default,” he said. “One of the biggest parts of being a leader and foreman is to inspire those you are working with.”

Leadership in the field

Becoming a foreperson doesn’t necessarily mean irregular physical prowess.

Standing in forestry boots and a hard hat, Shocinski, for example, measures in the vicinity of 5 feet 6 inches tall. “Anyone can become a foreman,” Shocinski said. “When I first started at the company, I was skinny, scrawny and had trouble lifting brush, and now I’m a foreman. I knew I wanted that white hard hat one day.” 

It is true that anyone can become a foreperson, but 95.3% of forepeople in the United States (not forestry specific) are men. 

Chloe Behounek graduated from the University of Minnesota’s renowned forestry program in 2022, and she has always been drawn to conservation. “Sometimes we are cutting down trees, but often we are benefiting the environment,” she said. Her first impression of urban forestry has been positive, and she is excited to be a part of the industry’s influx of female workers. 

“Of course, there is technically a hierarchy on the job site,” Behounek said. “I’ve found that foremen always made it a big deal to put themselves as equals and treat crew members with respect.”

Work crews tend to be tight-knit in this industry. “You almost have to bond with your crews. Sometimes you are in a high-risk scenario where you need to trust that person,” Lapacz said. “They might be holding that rope for you or chain-sawing that branch. Everybody on the crew must have each other’s backs, not just the crew leader.”

On the site

Last summer, I worked as an urban forestry intern. Initially drawn to the world of plant health care and natural resource conservation, I was mesmerized by the acrobatic efforts on display. The convergence between physicality, intellect and courage struck a chord. 

When entering a job site, workers scatter and take on their individual responsibilities in harmony with their crew-mate’s contributions. The foreman is largely responsible for delegation duties in addition to their climbing endeavor. Only through experience and creativity can someone like Shocinski conjure efficiency in the field to remove a tree that has fallen on a house, for instance, or to proactively secure hazardous limbs.

On rare occasions, multiple foremen team up to accomplish tasks. Both Shocinski and Lapacz have fond memories of these work conditions. “Everyone knows exactly what needs to be done, and hours can go by without need for communication,” Lapacz said. “It’s always exciting to work like that.”

The description of these white-hat-only jobs reminded me of jazz-quartet imagery. The improvisational flow-state can only be achieved through mutual experience and trust. 

“These jobs occur if there has been storm damage, or the task is complicated,” Shocinski said. “It’s extremely valuable to be able to do things without being told.”

To the vast majority of us who take trees for granted, those who fell them will never really connect. Many have witnessed those DIY tree-removal disaster videos on youtube, and modern foreman want nothing to do with naive misconceptions of their meticulous service. Often labeled as none more than tree-cutters, foresters are intentional and considerate with each action.

“Most people outside the industry think you are a tree-cutter,” Lapacz added. “The depth of your responsibilities is difficult to describe. We do a lot more than homeowners with a ladder and chainsaw.”Trees are one of earth’s most important, dynamic and diminished natural resources, and forestry workers are drawn to the industry for a reason. Under the hard hat is much more than someone cutting one down. “You are a professional leader,” Lapacz said. “It’s very stressful, but it feels very rewarding at the end of a successful day.”