IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR

Born and raised in Adelaide, Adam’s heritage pretty much cemented him a spot in a tree. “My papa (grandfather) was a forester in Italy and my father, Vince Cozzitorto, owned Para Trees in Adelaide,” he explained.

Adam has early memories of always climbing trees and even breaking an arm at age seven after falling out of a Pinus radiata pine tree.

From the age of 12 he was helping his dad, learning the ropes and earning some pocket money on the side. After a stint working with smaller flora, the youngest Cozzitorto officially joined the family business.

“I was always going to work in this industry,” Adam said. “It was a natural progression from working in a plant nursery to then work for my dad’s tree business.”

Keeping it in the family, it wasn’t only his old man who coaxed Adam up a tree. “I worked alongside my older brother Jason, who taught me a lot about climbing whilst working for Dad,” he revealed.

Even though he was a chip off the old block, Adam eventually wanted to fly the coop to see what was out there. At the age of 20 he set off on his own adventure.

“I left home with a rope, a pair of spikes and my harness to travel around Australia, honing my craft and experiencing everything Australian,” he remembered. “Back then there weren’t many arborists or climbers up north, so to climb a tree with ropes was a rare thing to see — they were still using ladders. My skills as a climber guaranteed me work anywhere, straight away.”

Now based in Townsville, Adam has experienced all types of jobs, in all types of trees, across the country.

“I’ve worked for so many companies all around Australia during my travels — in Adelaide, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach, Jabiru, Port Hedland, Ingham, Mount Isa, Bowen and the Kimberleys,” he said.

With a natural gift for scaling tall timber and a real passion for the work, Adam was always destined to succeed.

“I specialise in climbing difficult trees,” he said. “That’s what I love — the challenge.”

Adam’s biggest and most rewarding challenge came in 2008 when he decided to start his own business, Skilled Trees.

“All I had was my old ute, climbing gear, chainsaws and passion,” he recalled. “I charged $100 per hour and did this for a year until I had enough money to purchase a truck.”

While contract climbing helped set him up for growth, it also came with challenges.

“The downside of contract climbing is that you get the worst of the worst jobs that other climbers can’t do, or don’t want to do,” he said.

After paying his dues, Adam reinvested back into the business, purchasing more equipment — three trucks, two wood chippers, an EWP, a bobcat and a stump grinder — as his workload increased and he became recognised by clients.

“My big break came when I started doing work for Townsville City Council in 2009,” he said. “My boss at the time, Chris Cole, could see the benefit of my experience and invited us to tender on a Tree Maintenance Contract that had not existed before.”

“We’ve now held this contract for six years, purchased a yard to house all our equipment and have four local boys employed full-time.”

Adam attributes his success to both his work ethic and his family.

“I think the secret to my success is working as hard for my own business as I did for my dad and every other company I’ve worked for,” he said. “I also wouldn’t be where I am today without my wife, who puts in hard yards in the office while looking after our four children.”

Like many driven climbers, Adam enjoys competition climbing and has been competing for more than 15 years.

“In my first competition I was flown from Cairns to New Zealand by my old boss,” he said. “I’ve competed in Adelaide in the SASA, the QAA titles and the Australian titles. I always did well, although my older brother Jason usually beat me. I did win the North Queensland Climbing Championships.”

Adam is a proud member of the Queensland Arboricultural Association and believes it benefits both himself and his business.

“They’re a fantastic organisation and very supportive,” he said. “They make a real difference in educating the public on proper tree work practices and encourage continual learning.”

Continual learning is central to the Skilled Trees ethos. All staff are qualified QAA and AA members, are Quantified Tree Risk Assessment registered users, and regularly attend training to stay current.

“We pride ourselves on continual learning,” Adam said. “Safety is also high on my agenda and instilled in my employees. We’ve had too many losses in this industry — I want my boys going home to their families every night.”

At 43, Adam says there’s still plenty of time to pass on the baton.

“I hope to be climbing until I’m 60,” he concluded. “I don’t see myself retiring — I’d get bored — and I am training the next generation, including all four of my children.”