Michigan Tree Climbing Competition: organiser, three-day schedule, free Arbor Fair and the dates ISA Michigan lists
The Michigan Tree Climbing Competition (MTCC) run by ISA Michigan, the Michigan chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture: the three-day schedule on the 2026 page, two different 2026 date ranges across the chapter's pages, the places named for earlier years, the free public Arbor Fair and the chapter's climber rules.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what ISA Michigan says on its 2024, 2025 and 2026 competition pages. The national and regional events are in the table of championships. The chapter lists its champions on its own pages and keeps a champion history back to 1993, and this page names no climber because it has not read terms that allow reuse of names.
Dates and places the pages give
The chapter's pages do not agree on the 2026 dates. The 2026 competition page gives Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13, 2026, and its body text names no town, though the page's browser title reads Midland MI. The 2025 page, in its list of future events, gives Midland, Michigan, September 18 to 20, 2026. The 2026 page lists 2027 as September 17 to 19, 2027, with the dates marked tentative and the location to be announced. The title of the 2025 page names Midland and the title of the 2024 page names Holland. The chapter also links news videos titled for Holland in 2023 and Belle Isle in 2021 and 2022.
Schedule on the 2026 page
The page says all times are approximate and subject to change.
| Day | What the 2026 page lists |
|---|---|
| Friday, September 11, 2026 | Climber check-in at 12:30 PM and gear inspection from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. A mandatory first-timer meeting at 1:30 PM. The Belayed Speed Climb from 1:30 PM or 2:15 PM, depending on whether the public or climber schedule is read, as the first of the competitive events. A ceremonial tree planting at 5:30 PM. |
| Saturday, September 12, 2026 | Four competitive events running at once from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM. An Arbor Fair and a Kids Climb from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. A World Record Ascent Event from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM and preliminary awards at the park. |
| Sunday, September 13, 2026 | The Masters' Challenge from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, as the final round, and final awards at noon. |
The public schedule and the climber schedule list the Saturday events differently. The public schedule names the Ascent, and the climber schedule names the Belayed Speed Climb, as one of the four.
Public, climbers and prizes
The chapter says the event is free to the public and that everyone may want to bring picnic baskets because there may be no food outlets in the park. Climbers and volunteers receive a complimentary lunch, and family lunch tickets can be bought during registration. The Arbor Fair offers tree and arboriculture vendors, and the Kids Climb is supervised.
The climber section says winners represent ISA Michigan at the North American Tree Climbing Championship and the International Tree Climbing Championship. It links the 2026 rule book, a gear inspection form and a participant waiver that is accepted during online registration. The pages show a prize package for the champion, and give no climber fee.
Results
The 2024 page lists the placed climbers for that year, and the chapter keeps photo albums and a champion history. See the 2026 competition page for them.