Rinck Zevenberg has been climbing trees regularly for almost half a century and now that he is 67 years old, he can stop. But he doesn’t worry about that.
“No, I don’t feel like retiring yet,” he says. “I still enjoy my work as a tree surgeon too much for that. And I can still handle the climbing.”
Even in Latvia
He lives in Wedde. From there he drives to all kinds of places in Groningen and much further afield to prune, to heal wounds in trees, and to do other ‘green work’. “I also do that abroad, even in Latvia,” he says. “That was a nice adventure. I owe all of this largely to my grandmother.”
She lived in Valthermond, where he also grew up. Grandma had a large herb garden where he could often be found. “I visited her every Sunday. She told me all kinds of things about plants and trees and animals and that’s how I learned to love nature. I decided to attend the Agricultural College and then went to the Forestry School in Velp.”
Tree person
There he greatly enriched his knowledge about trees and became a tree person. “I was lucky that I could use that knowledge at the well-known tree care company Copijn. There I was trained as a tree surgeon, when I was about 20 years old.”
Thus began his life as a physician and tree climber. He worked for Copijn for several years and then got a job at Staatsbosbeheer. “I then earned my living at various government bodies and was involved in land consolidation in East Groningen. In all those years I continued to climb trees and prune or heal them. Ex officio or as a hobby. Climbing remained a common thread. I had now come to live in Wedde with my wife and three children.”
Full-time tree surgeon
Fifteen years ago he became a full-time tree surgeon again. “After a reorganization at the province of Groningen, I left the government and started my own business. A decision that I have never regretted and that gave me a lot of very nice jobs.”
Jobs that take him to all kinds of villages and towns in the North and further afield. “I have my tools and climbing gear with me, which consists of ropes and cables. I prune in gardens and forests, on behalf of private individuals and organizations.
Changing climate
Spring and summer are busy periods. With the changing climate and heavy storms in autumn and winter, it is often very busy. “After such a storm, many orders come in. To remove branches that have been partially blown off and to carry out other repair work. And what also fills my order portfolio are legal flora and fauna regulations. For example, if people want a gazebo in their garden, the consequences for flora and fauna must first be investigated. I am often asked to conduct such research.”
He climbed up as a tree doctor many hundreds of times and almost always did it well. “But I also fell a few times. Just a few years ago. But I never suffered permanent damage from it. If a tree is very high, I hire an aerial work platform, otherwise it becomes very difficult.”
lime is my favorite tree
If you ask him about a very special job, he mentions it in Latvia. “I got it from a Dutchman who lives there. I had to prune a 750 year old oak tree. The thickest tree I ever worked on, it could hold nine people around it.” His favorite tree is the linden. “It is easy to climb, easy to prune and also symbolizes love, what more could you want?”
Zevenberg plans to climb many more lindens and other trees. “I am now retired, but as I said, I still enjoy this work too much. I want to hire younger people to help, if a tree is twenty meters or higher. I think that help is nice and, above all, safe.”