Baumdienst Karle has four Unimog vehicles in service.

Now that the days are getting longer and above all warmer again, the team of Volker Karle from Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler can catch their breath. Because the men from Baumdienst Karle have their high season in the winter months. That is when there are no birds breeding, so tree felling is permitted between October and March.

Compact power packs.

The company has seven employees, and practically all their work involves trees: crown cutting, crown bracing, removing deadwood, felling. The municipality is a grateful client. "If danger looms, we have to get out there quickly in order to expertly remove trees that look like they might fall down", explains Volker Karle. He founded his firm in 1989. He gave up the trade of electrician that he had trained in, in order to devote all of his time to his hobby, arboriculture. For this he needs heavy-duty machinery.

Karle is kitted out with four Unimog vehicles and lots of detachable parts – no tree, no branch that has to go can escape his attention. "It's mainly the compactness of the Unimog that is important to us. We have to drive in parks and cemeteries. We also have a lot of vineyards to navigate here. The Unimog is perfect for them with its width of just 2.20 metres." Volker Karle swears by his four power packs: two U 400, one U 429 and one U 529. All painted in municipal orange RAL 2011, they have to deliver top performance precisely when needed. Such as when the workers are scaling great heights. A Unimog U 400 is equipped with a Hiab crane, on which a work basket is mounted.