Husqvarna UK ambassador, Josephine Hedger, has been crowned female European Tree Climbing Champion 2017 after she climbed her way to the top of the podium at this year’s European Tree Climbing Championship (ETCC) 2017.

There was more success for Husqvarna in the male category as H-Team ambassador for Sweden, Johan Pihl, also took home first prize.


Johan Pihl and Josephine Hedger

The event, hosted by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), took place in Deventer, Netherlands last week (23 – 25 June).

Josephine, a professional arborist and H-Team UK member, from the New Forest, took first place in her category beating some tough competition in the process.

She said: “I am over the moon to have been crowned the champion. There was some really tough competition out there and I had to perform at my highest level throughout the weekend, especially during the Masters’ Challenge. The whole event was brilliant and I want to say a big thank you to the ISA for putting on such a fantastic and well organised championships. Finally, huge congratulations to Johan, it’s great to see the H-Team doing so well”.

The Championship consisted of five preliminary rounds which simulate the working conditions of arborists in the field. Each event tested a competitor's ability to professionally, and safely manoeuvre in a tree while performing a series of work-related tasks. The tasks included; Aerial Rescue, Work Climb, Secured Footlock, Belayed Speed Climb, and Throwline.

Once all five tasks had been completed, the top performers qualified for the Masters’ Challenge to see who will be crowned overall champion in both the male and female categories. The Masters’ Challenge aimed to judge the competitor’s overall productivity and skill with a rope and saddle in the tree.

Andrew Lees, UK Category Manager (Machinery) for Husqvarna said, “We’re incredibly proud of Josephine and Johan. The H-Team work very hard training for these events and are always fantastic ambassadors for Husqvarna. It’s great to see that the Husqvarna DNA is firmly embedded in the whole team. We look forward to many more successes in the future.”