A Glimpse of Louisiana Under the Canopy

Dave Marley Dixon

Ms. Lei Lani Michel

English 1001

Profile

Franklin Williams’ job is to artistically and safely reshape the skyline. Franklin has been a tree serviceman in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana community for six years now and plans to continue servicing for years to come. If you closely observe Franklin, the connection with him and the outside world is obvious. He stands fairly tall with a rugged weathered face and a confident daunting outer appearance. The way he moves about with a slouch suggests that he has seen many years of manual labor while in Louisiana’s lush canopy. Upon starting the interview I eagerly asked Franklin how hurricane Katrina and Rita affected his small business. He replied, “I honestly, despite all the profits, do not like making money off of other people’s misfortune."

Franklin Williams was born and raised in New York State as a child, and when he was nineteen he moved with his family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He always loved the forest and had a “special connection to the land” wherever he moved. He studied Forestry at Louisiana State University for one year. “During that one year I decided that LSU was not for me, much less any other university for that matter. Education was not helping me get to where I wanted to be,” Franklin said.

Franklin then went to Arkansas and worked for Qualitree, which was a tree planting company. “During that one year I planted 20,000 pines, and I quickly realized it was still not quite what I wanted to do.” Qualitree then transferred him to San Francisco, California still planting trees when he subsequently found himself at a party and was offered a new job. The company was called Arbor Vitae. “This was a creative name because in Latin it means Tree of Life, and it appeals to the educated class,” he said reflectively. His job now was not to plant but to climb and trim or completely cut down trees. Unfortunately, during this time, Franklin was not making enough money and his marriage with his wife crumbled apart. On top of that, Arbor Vitae was bought out by a big lumbering corporation. “I didn’t like this because I had to always answer and respond to this person I didn’t know called the ‘boss.’ I guess I like being more in control of what I am doing.”

Franklin then decided to move back to Louisiana and start his own private tree service: Arbor Vitae. He laughed as he admitted to stealing the same name of his former company. “It was such a great name; it speaks for itself.” Slowly but surely he purchased the necessary equipment for his private company. First, he bought a large dump truck and most importantly he purchased a wood chipper. Over the years from 2002 to 2004, Franklin advertised his company in the Yellow Pages to try to establish a close connection with the Baton Rouge residents of the zip code 70808.

Underneath Franklin there are two people that assist him in cutting and hauling the wood. “I’m a control freak,” he explained. “It’s a mixed blessing but I feel more efficient when in control.” These people come and go over the course of the year, except for this one guy who has been with Franklin for 3 years. “He has a substance abuse problem and has made a few minor mistakes on the job but overall he is a good worker,” responded Franklin when I asked him to elaborate on the situation.

When I asked him about the large amounts of business that comes with hurricanes he said, “I honestly, despite all the profits, do not like making money off of other people’s misfortune.” This showed that deep inside this man’s main goal was based on the intent to help people. Whenever a hurricane forms in the gulf, regardless of its course, people call him constantly in fear of the nearest tree potentially falling on their house. I asked “Do you at least get excited even when the hurricanes do not pose a threat to your area?” He responded “I have seen what they can do to property and it hurts me every time I think about it.” “During Hurricane Katrina in September of 2005 my business received the most calls it has ever received. The phone was off the hook for six months, seven days a week.” He said with a frown, and explained that he did not normally have to work everyday in a week and was at first resistant to the change. During this time, some of the rules of small business were changed by the Department of Wildlife because of the desperate demand of the community. These small changes included the disposal methods of the chopped up wood. Instead of having to dump all the wood off at a designated spot at the levee, Arbor Vitae would just have to drag it to the street corner where the city would handle it from there. This joint partnership with the city allowed Franklin’s team to complete around ten jobs a day.

To end my interview for my LSU English class I asked Franklin a basic question. “What type of tree is your favorite?” He responded happily, “I would have to say American Beach because of the smell, look, and texture. When you realize these key details you know you are doing something that you like.” I agreed, and smiled at a man who could appreciate these intricate characteristics after the devastating era of Hurricane Katrina.