Matthew Nola’s first exposure to the outdoors was on the beaches of Long Island, New York, where he spent his earliest years. When his family moved to Starksboro, Vermont, however, he fell in love with forests – and trees. After a decades-long career in emergency medicine and nursing, Matt founded Woodsman’s Tree Service, which he runs with his wife, Wanda Handel. They live in Corinth, Vermont, with their eight cats, and Matt continues to enjoy hiking, skiing, swimming in lakes and rivers, and following the band Phish.
When I was 8 years old, my family moved to Vermont. My brother and I played outside every chance we had, biking, skiing, swimming, and exploring the woods on the 20 acres my parents purchased in Starksboro. I remember the first time I saw a porcupine in those woods. My uncle and I were trying to find a hidden spring house, and that’s when we saw it. I thought it was some sort of alien object, because I’d never seen a porcupine. I also hunted deer with my father, which was time for us to spend together. And an absolute thrill of mine was going downhill, whether by bike, skis, snow tube, or sled.
Our town’s ambulance service had a junior membership program, and I started volunteering at age 15 and continued into my 20s, after I became a nurse. I was a first responder, and then I became an emergency medical technician. The things that I experienced and witnessed while working as a first responder and later as an EMT somehow hooked me. The adrenaline for one, but also being able to see some really unique things, and the chance to enter into people’s lives when they needed help the most, which is intimate, sacred, and special. Becoming a nurse seemed a way to move further into this realm.
I went to University of Vermont and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2002. From there, I began working in Burlington, at Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, which later became Fletcher Allen and is now University of Vermont Medical Center. I began working in critical care, in a surgical intensive care unit, right out of school. I stayed there for two years, gaining experience, then moved to Virginia and worked at University of Virginia Medical Center in the cardiothoracic and vascular critical care unit. I also worked at University of Maryland Medical Center in their cardiac surgery intensive care unit. In between, I worked at a level one trauma center in Washington, D.C., and was a flight nurse for a short time.
I began to miss home after a while, so I moved to the Upper Valley region in 2008 to work at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to help start a rapid response team for any emergency happening on the campus. I also taught in the life support program, teaching people basic and advanced cardiac life support. I did that for a number of years, but eventually the adrenaline rush got old, and shift work is not easy. I slowly phased out of that environment and ended my nursing career working in same day surgery, in 2021. I was in healthcare for over 20 years, and I witnessed the field change to a point where I no longer wanted to be a part of it.
What led me to tree work, honestly, was my attraction to the power saw. I owned a home in Lebanon, New Hampshire, that needed some trees removed. My dad had given me a Stihl MS 290, which is the Farm Boss chainsaw. I loved it so much that I started cutting all the standing dead trees on the property to use as firewood.
After doing every stupid and dangerous thing there is to do while felling trees, I smartened up and took all four levels of the Game of Logging courses. Gradually, I became better and better and began working for people, doing tree work on the side while I was still working as a nurse. I had no experience running a business, so I took a basic business course at the Space on Main in Bradford, Vermont. Then I bought a used wood chipper and began to put my name out there as a legitimate tree service. I officially registered with the state as Woodsman’s Tree Service, LLC, and obtained insurance. Meanwhile, I slowly transitioned out of healthcare completely.
I know some people think I’m crazy for doing it the way I did, but being in my 40s at the time, I couldn’t afford to work for another company to gain experience. It would not have paid enough, and my wife and I would have suffered financially. I think tree work is very low-paid considering how hard we work and the risks we face every day. My only choice if I wanted to do this was to work for myself from the beginning.
I’ve also taken a climbing course at the New England Tree Climbing School in Danville, Vermont. I’ve learned a lot from experiences on the job, and from more experienced employees that I’ve had and from other arborists in the area whom I work with occasionally. I’m a member of Tree Care Industry Association, and I’m going through their Tree Care Academy, which is online learning for tree work best practices.
We’re a suburban and rural tree company. I work throughout the Upper Valley. My work mostly consists of either pruning or removing trees of all shape and sizes on clients’ property. Frequently, if the tree is in a tight spot, it requires taking it down from either the top-down or precision felling. I like to have it look like nothing ever happened, meaning we do a very thorough cleanup and leave as little debris as possible. We chip the brush and wood and do our best to avoid damage to other trees or turf. Other work we do includes timber stand improvement in the winter months, fruit tree pruning, cutting of invasive woody species, and view cuts.
What I really like about this work is that it’s always different. Every tree is different, really. No two trees are the same. It can be really stressful sometimes. Not so much the physical work, but keeping everything going on the back end. I never realized what it took to run a business until I was actually in it. Sometimes I look back on it and wish I had had more business experience before going into it. But I’m making it work. I have plenty of work. I’m happy.
I really just like being outside. I like working with trees. I like taking care of them. The energy I feel around them is something that’s really special. I think they’re such a valuable resource, something to be valued and taken care of.