Minnesota Tree Climbing Championship and Festival of Trees: organiser, place, schedule and free public festival
The tree climbing championship of the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA), the Minnesota chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA): the May 2026 place and schedule, the 65 climbers, how the state champions are named, the competitor documents the society lists, and the free Festival of Trees held beside it.
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 the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture says on its championship page, its competitor information page and its Festival of Trees page. The national and regional events are in the table of championships. The society posts men's and women's results as PDFs, and this page names no climber because the results are on its own site.
Where and when
The 2026 Minnesota Tree Climbing Championship was held on May 1 to 3, 2026, at Augsburg Park, 7000 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield, Minnesota. The competitor page warns of limited on-site parking that fills early, especially on Saturday, and links an event map showing gear drop-off areas. The Festival of Trees page says 65 arborists from across the state compete for the 2026 Minnesota title.
Schedule as listed
| Day | What the schedule lists |
|---|---|
| Thursday, April 30, 2026 | Event set-up day for selected volunteers. |
| Friday, May 1, 2026 | Set-up and meetings for judges and technicians. Mandatory competitor check-in, event walkthroughs and gear check from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. |
| Saturday, May 2, 2026 | Competitor and volunteer check-in from 6:00 AM. Preliminary events from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Festival of Trees from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on the championship page and to 2:00 PM on the competitor page. An awards and celebration dinner at 5:00 PM, free for climbers and volunteers, with guest tickets on sale, at a brewery in Edina. |
| Sunday, May 3, 2026 | Masters' Challenge volunteer check-in at 7:00 AM, competitor check-in at 8:00 AM and the competition at 9:00 AM. Start times depend on Saturday's results. |
Events and how the champions are named
The society says climbers compete in five preliminary events: Aerial Rescue, Work Climb, Ascent, Belayed Speed Climb and Throwline. The top three men and women in each event are placed. The men and women with the highest combined scores go to the Masters' Challenge, a single event scored on technique and skill. The highest scorers there are named the male and female Minnesota champions, and the society says they may go on to the International Tree Climbing Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, in October 2026.
Documents for competitors
The competitor page lists a competitor information packet, a gear check form to fill in before Friday's check-in, the society's event code of conduct, its championship policy, the 2026 International Tree Climbing Championship rule book, footlock rules and an approved mechanical device list updated as of April 14, 2026. It says no gear can be bought on site. The pages list what the climber registration fee includes and state no amount.
The Festival of Trees
The Festival of Trees was held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the same park and is free. The festival page lists a fun climb, a scavenger hunt, tree trivia, leaf art and a tree measurement station, and invites visitors to watch the competition between 7 AM and 5 PM.
Results
The society posts a 2026 results PDF for men and one for women. See the Minnesota championship page for them.