Meet the arborists who care for CU Boulder’s nearly 6,000 trees

BOULDER, Colo. — Arborist, Eric Jaskuta, hucked a bean bag towards a branch in a Locust at University of Colorado Boulder. A string trailed the weighted sack that Jaskuta uses to pull his climbing rope  into the tree. 

It was late October, and Jaskuta, alongside fellow arborists Vince Aquino and Claude Masson, planned to cut a series of dead branches that dangled over the Broadway bike path. 

Arborists’ first priority is hazard mitigation, said Jaskuta. 

The team of three cares for about 5,400 trees on campus. Although Colorado boasts relatively few native trees, arborists grow 105 different species on campus with the aid of irrigation. 

Arborist Vince Aquino said the team plays a crucial part in beautifying the campus and, in turn, attracting prospective students. 

“We’ve been shown studies that a lot of students, once they're zeroing in on the schools, often will make a decision within minutes of setting foot on a campus,” said arborist Vince Aquino. “I'm not saying trees are the most important part, but I'm sure our urban forest plays a role in that.” 

CU Boulder spends roughly $5 million per year on grounds maintenance, said Aquino, who started working at University of Colorado as a part-time groundskeeper in 1997.

He became a certified arborist and started the university’s arborist program in 2001. 

“He’s probably one of the biggest tree nerds I've ever met,” said Claude Masson, who became an arborist after an apprenticeship with Aquino. 

Every fall and spring, Aquino leads a walking tour that showcases some of the trees on campus. The oldest tree — a cottonwood on Norlin Quad — is more than 140 years old. 

“We're working on them in our own human timelines, but they can be hundreds of years old,” said Masson. “You’re taking care of something that's going to be there long after you're gone.”