14-Year-Old ( Me ) climbs and drops 2 trees.

[user 188535]

A bucking video comes soon. Please subscribe. I am trying to grow my channel so PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!!!

 

[TheJollyLogger]

What rig were you climbing with?

 

[user 188535]

What rig were you climbing with?

Stihl PS 40. I was climbing srs with a pruisk. It was a Buckingham economy harness. At points it felt like getting kicked in the balls by someone wearing steel toe boots. Just watch the video and subscribe. The following is also pretty sick. I will also be posting a video of me bucking the logs as well as an MS 170 review.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

It was pretty scary to watch, you definitely need to get some better teachers. I rewatched the video, and you were actually climbing Ddrt. Your secondary tie in with that old hank of rope was essentially worthless, as loose as it was, and please clear your escape routes better and USE them! When you dropped that first spar you never even got up, let alone retreated, and on the second one you about tripped over those 2 saws someone left lying in the way.

Good habits are just as easy to learn as bad habits, so make sure whoever is teaching you is doing things the right way.

 

[user 188535]

It was pretty scary to watch, you definitely need to get some better teachers. I rewatched the video, and you were actually climbing Ddrt. Your secondary tie in with that old hank of rope was essentially worthless, as loose as it was, and please clear your escape routes better and USE them! When you dropped that first spar you never even got up, let alone retreated, and on the second one you about tripped over those 2 saws someone left lying in the way.

Good habits are just as easy to learn as bad habits, so make sure whoever is teaching you is doing things the right way.

It was a lanyard. Tripped? I used my escape route. And the teaching could indeed be better. The guy told me to not use wedges. But still it was a damn good time.

 

[Rabid K9]

It was pretty scary to watch, you definitely need to get some better teachers. I rewatched the video, and you were actually climbing Ddrt. Your secondary tie in with that old hank of rope was essentially worthless, as loose as it was, and please clear your escape routes better and USE them! When you dropped that first spar you never even got up, let alone retreated, and on the second one you about tripped over those 2 saws someone left lying in the way.

Good habits are just as easy to learn as bad habits, so make sure whoever is teaching you is doing things the right way.

Yep, my first thoughts.

Golden rule to never stay close to the butt, even with small stems & never take your eyes of everything until all is settled. Even then, take an extra moment to check. Did you see the way that stem kicked up? What is if dislodged a branch in adjoining tree on it's way past, potentially landing back on your head just as your were throwing shaka's at the camera. Keeping eyes on things give you at least a split to react.

That 'lanyard' was also scary. Looked like something would tie the dogs up with.

Some good basics for a 14 year old, but be humble & learn some good habits to keep you alive.

 

[HumBurner]

Yep, my first thoughts.

Golden rule to never stay close to the butt....

To call it a "rule" is misguided. It depends on the tree/circumstance and experience. I stand by my stumps with regularity, for various reasons. I also generally have at least two escape routes.


"Rules" are great for learning the basics, but will get you injured or killed if you hold them as truths.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

To call it a "rule" is misguided. It depends on the tree/circumstance and experience. I stand by my stumps with regularity, for various reasons. I also generally have at least two escape routes.


"Rules" are great for learning the basics, but will get you injured or killed if you hold them as truths.

What reasons are there to stay close to the butt once the tree is comitted?

 

[user 188535]

Yep, my first thoughts.

Golden rule to never stay close to the butt, even with small stems & never take your eyes of everything until all is settled. Even then, take an extra moment to check. Did you see the way that stem kicked up? What is if dislodged a branch in adjoining tree on it's way past, potentially landing back on your head just as your were throwing shaka's at the camera. Keeping eyes on things give you at least a split to react.

That 'lanyard' was also scary. Looked like something would tie the dogs up with.

Some good basics for a 14 year old, but be humble & learn some good habits to keep you alive.

It was a super sketchy lanyard for sure.

 

[user 188535]

Yep, my first thoughts.

Golden rule to never stay close to the butt, even with small stems & never take your eyes of everything until all is settled. Even then, take an extra moment to check. Did you see the way that stem kicked up? What is if dislodged a branch in adjoining tree on it's way past, potentially landing back on your head just as your were throwing shaka's at the camera. Keeping eyes on things give you at least a split to react.

That 'lanyard' was also scary. Looked like something would tie the dogs up with.

Some good basics for a 14 year old, but be humble & learn some good habits to keep you alive.

"shakas at the camera" . we actually pruned everything around the trees beforehand. and even if something did fall it would probably be small and get stopped by my helmet before anything bad. But nonetheless, it is better to never need your helmet. None of the other guys were wearing eye, ear, leg, or head protection anyways...

 

[TheJollyLogger]

It was a super sketchy lanyard for sure.

Those are linesman lanyards, designed for climbing utility poles. That whole crew was sketchy and underequipped... not the best to learn from.

 

[user 188535]

What reasons are there to stay close to the butt once the tree is comitted?

I was told to "just cut the damn tree" by my father while I cleared an escape route through all of the branches. So I just cut it.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I was told to "just cut the damn tree" by my father while I cleared an escape route through all of the branches. So I just cut it.

My question was directed to HumBurner... he said there were various reasons to stay at the stump, but never articulated what they were.

 

[HumBurner]

What reasons are there to stay close to the butt once the tree is comitted?

To nip the face-cut when needed.

To steer from the back when timing swinging trees.


Slash-cutting trees, especially in a dense canopy (often throw a round or log to break the hinge if super-sketchy)

Comitting to the hinge doesn't always guarantee making your lay.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

To nip the face-cut when needed.

To steer from the back when timing swinging trees.


Slash-cutting trees, especially in a dense canopy (often throw a round or log to break the hinge if super-sketchy)

Comitting to the hinge doesn't always guarantee making your lay.

Yes, those are all valid reasons to stay at a cut once movement is started, but once the tree is committed to the lay and you can no longer influence it, you still retreat, right?

Keep in mind we are giving advice to a 14 year old kid, I think he should still follow some golden rules at this point.

 

[HumBurner]

Yes, those are all valid reasons to stay at a cut once movement is started, but once the tree is committed to the lay and you can no longer influence it, you still retreat, right?

Keep in mind we are giving advice to a 14 year old kid, I think he should still follow some golden rules at this point.

I agree with your last statement, but it's also important to keep an open mind when working in the woods. Get creative and think outside the box. It's often much safer than going by the books or cards/classes.

That being said, no, often times to spin a tree out of another tree(s) limbs, you have to stay with the cut.

Many slash cuts, especially a near vertical slash over 2'+ length (I DO NOT recommend trying this unless you KNOW your species and the reason for doing such), has you standing directly where the tree will be dropping.

If possible, utilizing escape routes is always preferred, but not also possible to avoid hanging up a tree. Sometimes it doesn't matter as you can walk the tree down with slash cuts or flop it with pies. Other times those are not safe options if things don't go as planned, especially on steep, loose/rocky ground. Sometimes it's easier to just push a tree or lift it and walk it loose; keeps you from being under [worse] widowmakers. But that's an ideal.

 

[user 188535]

Yes, those are all valid reasons to stay at a cut once movement is started, but once the tree is committed to the lay and you can no longer influence it, you still retreat, right?

Keep in mind we are giving advice to a 14 year old kid, I think he should still follow some golden rules at this point.

Yep. I will definitely do this stuff the right way the next time. My dad and the "arborist" were telling me to "just cut the damn tree" when I was trying to clear an escape route and use wedges. Next time I fell I will be cutting firewood in the mountains at a customer's Airbnb where I can cut safely while my dad is helping him do some work on the house. going there annually to work is the best! I will definitely be posting it on my YouTube page.

 

[HumBurner]

Yep. I will definitely do this stuff the right way the next time. My dad and the "arborist" were telling me to "just cut the damn tree" when I was trying to clear an escape route and use wedges. Next time I fell I will be cutting firewood in the mountains at a customer's Airbnb where I can cut safely while my dad is helping him do some work on the house. going there annually to work is the best! I will definitely be posting it on my YouTube page.

Anyone who urges you to "cut the damn tree" versus securing your escape routes is someone to avoid. Even your own family.

 

[fields_mj]

Anyone who urges you to "cut the damn tree" versus securing your escape routes is someone to avoid. Even your own family.

Out of respect, I would phrase it a little differently. If someone (including your own dad) is giving you that advice, they do not have the experience necessary to be teaching someone how to do arborist work. I'm not an arborist, and I'm not going to give advice on your techniques. I HAVE been providing instruction to others on various subjects, mostly industrial in nature, for a quarter of a century. When the job is straight forward, that is the MOST critical time to follow all of the safety rules that you might be inclined to skip. Yes, something could still go wrong, but just as importantly, doing things safely and responsibly is a way of life, not just a set of rules.