Arborist donates services to clear view at The Knob

by Lori R. Cooper

“The higher the better” is one of Ike Olson’s mottos. Olson, owner of Keystone Tree Specialists, has been cutting trees for 53 years. Every year for the last 12 years on Arbor Day, the last Friday of April, Olson donates a day of tree cutting services.

This year the services were donated to the borough of Mount Pocono at The Knob, an expansive overlook at the edge of town.

Having grown up poor, Olson knew education was the key. After being drafted and serving four years in Vietnam he went to Syracuse University on the G.I. Bill and pursued a degree in forestry.

The words of an economics professor inspired him to start his own business. Those words, “Profits are better than salary or wages,” led him to take business courses as well. Olson was one of the first certified arborists in Pennsylvania.

All of his business comes from word of mouth and 99% of the work he does is residential. On Arbor Day he finds a nonprofit organization that could use tree cutting services. In the past he has used the day to help churches and the Boy Scouts.

Five crew members worked on clearing trees at The Knob so that the view is not obstructed.

The crew, including Olson himself, took the entire day to clear this stretch of trees. The trees are left there to naturally decay.

“My love of the work keeps me healthy, I’m a Viking.” said Olson.