SAN DIEGO — Swinging through the trees is where Joe Wurzel has found his passion.

What You Need To Know

  • Joe Wurzel is a climbing arborist at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and his special skills of moving through the treetops allow him to take care of all the plants in the park

  • He represented the Western United States in 2024’s International Tree Climbing Championships

  • The San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park recently reached a world-class conservation status for its plants and trees

  • They hope this new milestone will help visitors realize their conservation work goes beyond animals and stretches into the plant world as well

He said he started tree work because he enjoyed being outdoors and loved the physical nature of the trade.

“My favorite part of being a climber is just the movement that you can accomplish when you’re climbing trees,” Wurzel said. “I love that I get to blend advanced climbing techniques with a formal education in arboriculture in order to provide the highest quality of service for the trees in our collection.”

Wurzel is a climbing arborist at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and his special skills of moving through the treetops allow him to take care of all the plants in the park.

“Good climbing helps you care for the trees, in that where good pruning occurs is at the branch tips, so at the periphery of the crown,” Wurzel said. “And if you don’t have the skill set to get out to those branch tips, then you’re not going to be able to care for the tree.”

“Our objective is to prune trees in a manner that will contribute to overall tree health and ensure that the tree develops sound structure over time,” he continued.

“In regard to safety, much of our pruning focuses on end weight reduction as we attempt to eliminate the potential for branch failure, which can be detrimental to the tree itself, our guests and the animals within our care.”

Thanks to the talent of arborists like Wurzel, the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park recently reached a world-class conservation status for its plants and trees.

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The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program awarded the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park a Level IV arboretum status — the highest level of accreditation — thanks to their conservation work protecting trees and shrubs, scientific research and education.

Raj Brown is the director of horticulture at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and says reaching Level IV is incredibly rare. There are only about 50 worldwide, and they are the first in San Diego County. He said they have a collection of historic trees, rare and threatened tree species, as well as working to save trees around the globe.

He hopes this new milestone will help visitors realize their conservation work goes beyond animals and stretches into the plant world as well.

“There are fantastic trees to come enjoy here at the park and at the zoo. There’s also a lot of work that happens behind the scenes and a lot of dedicated individuals like Joe that have a great amount of expertise,” Brown said. “Joe is a humble guy, but he is one of the best climbers in the world.”

Wurzel’s skills are so good that he represented the Western United States in 2024’s International Tree Climbing Championships, where climbers are judged on things like speed, technique and safety.

“I want people to know that arboriculture is a highly skilled trade requiring a great deal of expertise, education and commitment to ongoing training,” he said. “Climbing competitions do a great job of showcasing to the public what a true climbing arborist is capable of and demonstrates our commitment to safe work practices.”

Not only does he love soaring high above the park, but he’s also honored to help elevate the park’s conservation status for years to come.

“The main thing for me is just trying to help contribute to the sustainability of these trees at the park,” Wurzel said. “I want them to be long-term fixtures within our collection and in order to do that, we try to do right by the trees and take care of them the best we can.”