Imagine hanging 80 feet in the air while using a high-powered chainsaw. This is what second-year Institute on Applied Agriculture student Mark Reddinger did this summer. Reddinger, a landscape management major, interned with Bartlett Tree Experts, and has not stopped talking about it since. Reddinger started as a groundsman dragging brush to the chipper, but he quickly moved from the ground to the air.
As a climber, Reddinger hauled himself and his equipment as high as 80 feet in the air to cut branches to properly prune trees. Working with the Finksburg, MD branch of Bartlett, Reddinger said he was excited to spend his days up a tree, typically working 10-hour days. He gained extensive hands-on experience pruning limbs and dropping trees. And, that’s exactly what Reddinger wanted to learn.
He decided to do his internship with Bartlett rather than a landscape company because he wanted more experience specifically with tree care. He wanted to see how a big company like Bartlett operated not only on a commercial scale, but the daily routine of being on a crew.
Reddinger had a great relationship with his boss and would love to work with Bartlett full time after he graduates from the IAA.
