William Strunk Jr. and his former student E.B. White have written the greatest guide to English language usage ever known: The Elements of Style. The little book (just 85 pages or so) is a lesson in commanding language so that it most accurately captures and conveys the intent behind the letters, words, sentences and paragraphs. It is ultimately a lecture in artistic efficiency. It’s small, clear and very powerful.

One paragraph in particular I’d like to share is from Chapter 5, which was added to the text by E.B. White in the 1959 reexamination of his teacher’s text:

“Style is an increment in writing. When we speak of Fitzgerald’s style, we don’t mean his command of the relative pronoun, we mean the sound his words make on paper. All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their spirits, their habits, their capacities, and their biases. This is inevitable as well as enjoyable. All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self escaping into the open. No writer long remains incognito” (67).

It is here in White’s discussion of style that the comparison of arboriculture is deeply relatable for me. As a quick experiment, read the last paragraph and replace ‘writer’ with ‘arborist’. In consideration of that edit, White’s projection of the subject could very well be swinging through the crown of a tree, or fracturing the soil of a root crown downtown, revealing whatever it is that shines through in that individual’s certain style of arboriculture. I believe that all arborists express themselves through the trees they care for and the tree care and services they provide. Deep down arboriculture is a daily a revelation. As arborists we continue to learn in direct proportion to the growth of the trees we care for.

The arborist’s style is both the individuality and functionality behind the physical process that tree work is: a truck build, a trailer modified, a harness customized, a tool revolutionized, a speed-line kit, a wooden pole pruning stick, a velcroed-on-visor, an old towable woodmizer, the salesperson with a million-dollar smile, the crew member jokester, a homemade rootplate poker. Our style-the things that we are-is what we ultimately sell as our product. At tree climbing competitions, it’s what we sell to the judges and to the spectators. At lectures or town meetings, we sell that style to the students, commission members and the townspeople. Arboriculture is, at the very core, an approach to style.

As in writing, so it is in arboriculture that there are certain rules and reminders specific to style along the way. Put these things here, use these things here; this works, but this works better. Shall and should. Polyester, nylon and why it matters. Style, as a rule, is not just a matter of expression, it is also a matter of function, clarity, organization, enjoyment, and understanding. Poor style leaves a bitter taste.

Our style can be a source of inspiration to others. In this sense, style is a form of energy that people can both see and feel. Today there is a public platform on every corner; a text, a forum, a website and a channel. Style is en vogue, especially in arboriculture. It is the main element of influence. It’s important to have a standard, so that the mark between good and bad remains clear. After all, arboriculture is valuable.

Here is maybe my favorite characteristic of the theme of style: it must both be constantly learned and constantly practiced. Our style changes as we go and as we grow. It expands. And ultimately, and hopefully, someday it is mastered. Style is an attempt at mastering a daily routine of success. In the business of trees and in the daily routines and processes that arborists operate within, mastery is a goal envied by many, achieved by few. A potential for everyone. Style becomes the process through which we operate and progress towards mastery.

Style is simply what we do well as individuals. Big trees, small trees, plant health care. Others will come to know quickly what you do well. Maybe the challenge is trying to harmonize what you do well and what you want to do well. That’s the rub.

The situations we deal with as arborists can be very overwhelming. In some cases there are big bills, big payrolls and big liability involved. Many arborists, like many writers, ask that ever-looming question: where do I start? Certain contracts can be very physically draining and mentally challenging. Generating enough work to be successful is daunting. Tree work can be intimidating when all things are considered. I think when we look at arboriculture in the way that William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White look at writing, that is, through the elemental scope of style, arborists can develop their own rules, principles and matters of operation in accordance with, of course, industry standards and regulations. It’s important to develop these philosophical guidelines into a daily regimen so that situationally, the overwhelming conglomeration of things on the whole can be broken down into manageable, bite size pieces. Therefore, style guides us, too. And that’s how you eat an elephant.

I’m imagining an allegory of Strunk and White’s classic, maybe call it The Elements of Arboriculture. Unlike other classics of the trade I’d like to explore chapters like ‘Clients As A Portal To Trees’, ‘Matters of Tree Inspection’, ‘Climbing and Crown Archictecture’, ‘Trees as Systems’, and the final chapter ‘A Letter From an Arborist’. I think that ought to cover it. 85 pages, maybe less.

My hopes would be to accomplish three goals: Real. Artistic. Efficiency. That’s what arboriculture is, isn’t it?