Abstract: At 11:00 a.m. on September 27, 2017, an employee, who was an arborist, was contracted to trim branches from a black oak tree at a residence. After using a rope and climbing system to climb the tree, he was traversing to a section of the tree that needed trimming and moving his anchor point, when the branch that was supporting him cracked and broke. The employee fell to the ground, fracturing his femur and heel on his right side. He was taken to a nearby medical center where he was treated for his injuries. The incident investigation determined that the managers pre-climb tree analysis did not identify that the tree was drier than expected, which is what he concluded most likely led to the branch breaking.