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We teach tree climbing to empower

personal growth, scientific research, and conservation in the USA and internationally.

About

Canopy Watch International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in southern Oregon but we work around the world.

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We use advanced, modern equipment and methods to teach people to climb any kind of tree, and to access all parts of a tree, from the highest leaves to the tips of the widest branches, and everything in between.

Partners:

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But the
bigger question
is,

Why do we teach people to climb trees?

The power of trees is best experienced when we climb them. Kathleen Wolf, Ph.D., social scientist.

Climbing trees with Canopy Watch is a transformational experience.

Time slows down, and while we gain a new perspective on the tree as an individual living being, we gain a new perspective on ourselves as stronger, bolder, and more capable in all aspects of our life.

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We also train climbers to conduct scientific research and conserve biodiversity in forest canopies.

The forest canopy is a major site for biodiversity.

There are species of plants and animals that only live in the tops of forests: colorful salamanders, delicate orchids, monkeys, eagles, and so much more.

Photo credit. Gonzalo Ignazi.

The best - and sometimes only - way to study them is to climb. Because few scientists have this skill, we travel the world teaching scientists to climb trees.

Photo caption: Santiago Zuluaga climbing into a Black-and-chestnut Eagle nest for his dissertation research, one week after training with Canopy Watch in Colombia.

The transformative power of climbing trees

Some places can’t be reached by roads, and sometimes the path to personal discovery is laid out not on the ground, but braided by ropes and hanging from a tree. David Anderson began climbing tall trees to study birds of prey in the forest canopy of Honduras. In the limbs of the rainforest’s tallest trees, David made a discovery he never anticipated:

An internal transformation that only occurs when suspended by ropes in tall trees. David is a research and conservation biologist specializing in birds of prey and forest canopies. He has also spent the past 25 years climbing trees for research, exploration, and education. He credits tree-climbing in tropical rainforests with awakening a deeper awareness of himself and a better appreciation for the world and people around him. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Jen,

Public climber, Idaho.

“I left the tree a better person than when I arrived.”
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