The OTCC brings together arborists & industry members in this fun, competitive event.
The OTCC is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend: watch arborists showcase their skills, visit a tradeshow featuring our favourite vendors and anyone can try out tree climbing at the “Fun Climb” station under the guidance of a professional arborist.

The 35th Annual OTCC will be held in Lake Ontario Park (920 King St W, Kingston, ON K7M 8H3) Sept 19-20, 2025.
Join us to watch competitors, learn about trees, visit an industry trade show, cheer on our Ontario winners, or even try out climbing using professional equipment! It’s free to attend and we hope to see you there!

See the 2025 OTCC Climber Registration List here
(we will update this when there are any changes)

The OTCC is a great opportunity to showcase your products and services to hundreds of arborists! The OTCC includes an outdoor two-day trade show where you can display large equipment, set up a booth, and meet with industry members. You can sponsor event stations, and have your logo on signs, on the website, and on volunteer t-shirts. See details here – we'd love to see you there!

Want to be part of the incredible team that makes the OTCC happen? Volunteer for the event! Meet great people, give back to the industry, have fun, and earn CEUs! Volunteer for the OTCC here!

Individual Event Schedule
Climbers will be assigned to groups after roll call.

For OTCC Spectators: Interested in watching the OTCC? It's free to attend, bring a lawn/folding chair, show up at the park and check it out! Bring a lunch, and there are washrooms and portapotties on site at the park. See a map above – including available parking.

Ascent Event-Ontario Record Attempt: Want to watch our climbers attempt to break the Ascent Event Ontario record? Just show up at the OTCC Saturday afternoon (it's free to attend), bring a lawn/folding chair and watch! The attempt will take place Saturday around 12:35pm (after preliminaries and before the Masters). See the current records below. How will the Ascent Ontario Record Attempt work? The top 3 males and top 3 females from the 2025 OTCC preliminary Ascent Event will be offered the option to attempt. Each climber will have one attempt only. Only those 6 climbers will be offered the opportunity

Educational Workshops: Workshops are free to attend and pre-registration is not required – just be at the park at the session times above. Sessions will be held outdoors (bring your own lawn chair/folding chair). All are welcome – whether you're an interested member of the public, or an arborist collecting your CEU credits. See workshop descriptions here.

Arbor Challenge: The OTCC isn't just for climbers! Assemble your team of five and compete in ground-based challenges including the Chain Change, Tree Pull, Hot Saw and Rake Master! The 2nd Annual Arbor Challenge will be held Saturday Sept 20 at 11:00AM. Register your team online, bring your PPE, and wear your team colours: see challenge details and register (for free) here.

Information for Climbers/Competitors: In 2025 we added 9 competitor spots for 54 spots total. Climbers must be members of ISA Ontario, in good standing, prior to OTCC registration. Non-Ontario residents can compete in preliminary events but cannot compete in the Masters. For the 2025 OTCC: non-Ontario residents will be offered spots after Ontario climbers. We have updated this for 2025 due to the high number of Ontario climbers on the waitlist.

• Climbers must be present at the park for mandatory roll call, gear check and climber orientation at all of the following times: Thursday 4:00PM, Friday 8:00AM and Saturday 8:00AM (make sure you're there on time! If you're not there when we call your name, you'll lose your chance to compete and we don't want that!) 
• At the start of the event we will announce the number of climbers who will compete in the 2025 Masters (the number depends on the number of male and female climbers competing in each division – as per  ITCC rule 8.2.4)
• See the climber and volunteer information package here
• See ISA’s information on: Gear inspection; Gear check video; Current ITCC Rules; and Equipment Specifications including approved mechanical devices

OTCC Committee Chair:

Ken Gillies
[email protected]

Head Judge:

Jess van Vliet
[email protected] 

Head Tech:

Peter de Vries
[email protected]

Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors!

Masters' Sponsor: Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada Limited

Host City: City of Kingston

Allan Fyfe Equipment Ltd.

Arborist Growth Partners

The Arborist Store

Cardinal Equipment

Eloquip Ltd.

Nors Construction Canada ST

Sherwood Maintenance Group

Clogger

Virtual Forums: We've hosted virtual forums to discuss the event – thank you to everyone who participated: your input helps continue to make the OTCC better and better!

• May 17 2023 Virtual Forum: Watch the recording here
• Nov 15 2023 Virtual Forum: Watch the recording here
  
• June 18 2024 Virtual Forum: Watch the recording here
• April 16 2025 Virtual Forum: Watch the recording here

Ontario’s Ascent Event Records were established at the 2024 OTCC:
Serena Soucy – Ontario Women’s Ascent record: 17.87 seconds
Chris Sallows – Ontario Men’s Ascent record: 8.80 seconds

Is your municipality interested in hosting an OTCC?
The OTCC event is a great way to showcase your municipality, your local park, and to bring the community together for an incredible event! See requirements to host an OTCC event here. And contact us for more information