Ian McDermott

SummaryIan McDermott joins Dwayne and Tony for a wide-ranging conversation about trees, arboriculture history, education, humor, and the human side of working in and around forests. The episode moves from his personal path into tree work to bigger reflections on safety, training, and how trees shape culture, religion, and community.Timestamps00:00 - Welcome to the Human Forestry Podcast and introduction of Ian McDermott01:11 - Retirement on the Isle of Man and returning to work02:34 - First connections to trees through childhood woods and The Forest Ranger03:44 - Olive harvesting in Crete and ancient trees04:24 - Muir Woods and the emotional power of giant trees04:54 - Growing up around Wally Woods and playing in the woods07:03 - Isle of Man heritage, Viking identity, and tree symbolism08:27 - Yggdrasil and trees of life in religion09:05 - Wind, storms, and the loss of trees on the Isle of Man10:07 - Traditional olive harvest methods and Ian’s affinity for olive trees12:14 - From teaching ambition to park department work and horticulture training14:02 - Early arboriculture education, branch walking, and old gear16:43 - The first arboriculture book and how pruning ideas have changed18:00 - Old pruning experiments, tree wounds, and cauterizing cuts19:57 - Fire seasons, arson, and the role of forest management21:02 - Tree paint, wound dressing, and old job-site habits25:35 - Shigo, flush cuts, and why old traditions were challenged27:33 - Working with Alex Shigo and Judy and the impact of his teaching28:12 - The decline of arboriculture education in the UK31:21 - Teaching as stimulation, edutainment, and keeping energy up33:33 - Humor, religion, and the perspective joke about a penguin and a nun36:42 - Trees in major religions and Ian’s Christmas talk on the subject40:48 - From tree work into crew management and the ISA connection42:14 - The famous “it’s a dog turd” misdiagnosis at a TRACK panel event45:38 - Overthinking tree work and missing the simplest solution46:39 - Taking time to observe the whole site before acting47:40 - Mindfulness, response, and the human condition in tree work49:03 - Aging, physical changes, and the darker jokes that come with experience53:45 - Managing municipal tree crews and the importance of safety54:14 - The Arbormaster tour and the spread of new equipment ideas55:37 - Micro pulleys, slack tenders, and the purple pulley moment58:08 - Port-a-wrap history, fair leads, and the loss of context59:24 - Hitch climber systems and the evolution of climbing hardware62:46 - The 1998 Birmingham conference and the first ISA event outside North America63:57 - Fatality statistics, neighboring jobs, and why data can mislead66:34 - One small mistake can end a career in arboriculture67:36 - Aging climbers, lost strength, and changing perspective68:08 - Body thrusting, footlocking, and the risk of losing basic technique71:20 - Joe Hedger’s first footlock and breaking the world record72:49 - Pete Donzelli, barefoot practice, and climbing balance73:55 - German climbers and the early competition era in the UK75:35 - The challenge of keeping up with all the changes in arboriculture77:37 - Ian’s answer on the human forest and why volunteers matter most78:22 - Birmingham Tree People and the idea that trees and people cannot be separated80:08 - Town planning, canopy cover, and making cities livable81:04 - Trees as a solution to air pollution and urban well-being82:38 - Signed copies of Shigo’s books and the pithy points tradition85:27 - Pithy point 666 and humic acids slowing decomposition in soils86:23 - Tree pithy picture point 9 and autumn canopy color86:51 - Trees, shade, and humans seeing so many shades of green87:52 - The chemistry of chlorophyll and the link between people and trees88:23 - Closing reflections on humor, conversation, Thanks to our monthly supporters Brian Maxson Tim Bushnell Catelyst11 Trees&lps Dylan Tobe Peter LaRue Scott Andrew Hordyk Michael Tain Dwayne Sr. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★