Christopher Wells Rippey of the Missouri Arborist Company
Tree Scum Podcast
This is a podcast of the stories of those working in the tree care industry. We are a unique breed of folk who dangle our fleshy bodies in trees to make a buck. We are not paid or considered "skilled" like other working-class trades like plumbers or electricians though our jobs are much more dangerous. Our own industry buries us with constant work while we fear lay off right around the corner. We are judged and paid by how many certifications we have or don't have. We are told we are part of the growing green industry but no matter how important people say we are, we are still just Tree Scum a...
Author
Christopher Wells Rippey of the Missouri Arborist Company
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 3, 2026
Where to listen?
Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soonPodcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts
Episodes
Making raisins in your lunch box and paying $300 home phone bills plus my thoughts on Mennonites and the Fourth of July. 03.07.2026 1:16:30
This episode has a few stories about my buddy Randy who I used to work with in California. Randy was good tree scum and he use to brighten my day. I also talk about Mennonites and the Fourth of July. Trigger warning for boomers and Ameretards; I am not a fan of the Country of America. I love the people/nation of America but the country is a warmongering monster that kinda stinks. If you look mode...
What I keep in my tree assessment tool bag 29.06.2026 59:44
In this episode I talk about what tools I keep in my tree assessment kit. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
What tree work to advertise going into summer, my beef with air conditioners, and the nightmares of a 44 year old man. 11.06.2026 1:11:16
Today we talk about how my stupid air conditioner broke and the tiny thing they replaced it with, what work you can sell going into summer (Oak Wilt, Dutch Elm Disease, summer pests, and something else I can’t remember), I also talk about a horrific dream I had and why I think it is good that I have bad dreams. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Bodily injuries, herbicide damage, and the good and bad of one of my old bosses. 02.06.2026 1:07:46
Today we talk about all the recent herbicide damage I have seen here in middle Missouri. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Watching a guy kick brush into a chipper but feeling totally safe about it. 20.05.2026 1:17:38
Here is a story about a contact job I got where I misjudged some real Missouri mother fuckers and was pleasantly surprised by their skill and safe work. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
AI is retarded but so are we. 13.05.2026 25:55
AI has broken search engines and is breaking some people’s arborist report when they use it wrong. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Everything is broken. 04.05.2026 57:48
The whole world United States are seeing what it is like to be tree scum. Nothing works correctly, everything breaks, and you “must” keep moving forward. It’s so exhausting, I am down to burn it all to the ground and start over. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Having a staring contest with a pooping homeless chick 26.04.2026 28:25
This episode we talk about the dirtyness of Seattle and how ice cold I am. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
The fall of a tree scum legend 14.04.2026 1:10:31
Here is a story of one of the coolest dudes I have ever worked with in tree care. This is the rise and fall of a pure tree scum champion. Never leave a man behind and never snitch, especially on your friends. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Spitting Oak Wilt info off the top of my dome 31.03.2026 1:00:05
Unlucky podcast number 13. Here is some free information about Oak Wilt which is an oak tree killing fungus. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
The good and bad of volunteerism and why I am shutting off the volunteerism hose. 09.03.2026 41:24
This is me putting my heart out there. I don't know what the future holds but always plan for the worst. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Free fruit tree information 09.03.2026 42:26
Here is a ton of free information about fruit trees. Working with fruit trees is a great thing to do to stay busy in the winter so everyone should aim to be competent at it. Furit trees will also get more popular with our economy tanking so be aware and plan for the future. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Surviving the winter as a tree care company 09.03.2026 52:26
Here is some free information on how I run my business. It should be helpful for those going off on their own and for those trying to organize their business to stay active all year round. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
The Murder of Frank the Liberty Tree. 26.01.2026 1:30:51
I had the pleasure of meeting Frank the Liberty Tree in northeast KC on January 10th, 2025. Frank was a 282-340-year-old bur oak tree that was removed after I volunteered my time and used the most high-tech tree assessment tools available to determine that Frank was structurally stable and had a robust root system. My recommendation to keep Frank went against the recommendations of MDC who did zer...
UPDATE: The Murder of Frank the Liberty Tree 26.01.2026 16:51
This is an update where I react to finding out the monsters in involved with Frank's murder are selling him piece by piece. I had the pleasure of meeting Frank the Liberty Tree in northeast KC on January 10th, 2025. Frank was a 282-340-year-old bur oak tree that was removed after I volunteered my time and used the most high-tech tree assessment tools available to determine that Frank was stru...
My Inability to Quantify Occupancy Ratings 22.01.2026 1:04:55
I know the sound quality on this is not great but at least it is a new episode! If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Tree Scum Dream Team 05.01.2026 39:56
This episode is who I would place on my Dream Team of tree scum. This is a five-person crew that does the work. I will go over who and why people made the cut. I hope this lets people know what I value in a worker and what makes a good environment to work in. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Nich Johnson: The creator of Tree Scum 20.12.2025 59:26
I have to admit; I pirated the phrase Tree Scum off my buddy Nich who owns Salish Tree Care and Consulting in Washington State. In this episode we talk about how he came up with the concept and who this phase applied to. Generally, I apply the term to everyone who does tree work that is a little rough around the edges. I take it as a term that really sums up most of the people who do work in our i...
The most reckless thing I have ever seen in the tree game that didn't end in disaster. 08.12.2025 42:45
On this episode I share a few stories of my early days in tree crew. These stories are from men I consider my friends who are unfortunately not doing tree work anymore due to natural retirement or retirement due to injury. This episode focusses on my homie Serg who did some crazy stuff back in the days but was a man I would trust with my life. Stay healthy my friends! If you look moderately hard,...
Are certifications and qualifications helping the tree care industry or not? 29.10.2025 46:16
In this episode I talk about all the certifications and qualification that i have and whether or not I find them beneficial. I also talk about how certifications fund your local ISA chapter and how these organizations and the big ISA must make new qualifications once older ones hit their market saturation point to continue meeting revenue goals. I also talk about how I would structure credentialli...
Being helpful as a tree consultant, the worst person I have ever met, and report writing 15.10.2025 59:16
The worse person I have ever met is a person who values stuff over anything else. This is also a person who only thinks of themselves and will try to get your kids taken from you because they want a free tree removal. I met this person while working a tree job and in this episode I talk about how a good consultant could have helped this situation out. If you look moderately hard, you will find me.
Practical wisdom of Emerald Ash Borer treatments and what it is like to own a small tree company. 08.10.2025 1:02:48
In this episode I go over what it is like to own a small tree company and the practical details of treating trees of Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Hopefully you can see how stressful running a small company is but also see why the industry is heading to a place where only very small and very large companies will exist. I also go how to identify Emerald Ash Borer infestations, how to make money of...
An Introduction to Tree Scum 01.10.2025 34:53
This is an introduction on what to expect from this podcast, who I am, what I represent and were we go from here. We talk about what it is to work in the tree care industry, and I share how I got into the industry and what my first day on the job was like. Website: www. MissouriArborist.com Facebook, Instagram, YouTube: Missouri Arborist Company Email: Chris@MissouriArborist.com If you look modera...
Similar podcasts
Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.