Ascend or spike?

[John Paul Sanborn]

Say you have some flood plain black willows in decline, crown dieback, profuse epicormic sprouting and cankers throughout, dead stems in ever clump...

Your task is to remove hazard stems and deadwood over a serpentine driveway along with several failed trees hung up in the trees under contract. Failures are up ~25 ft and on neighboring property.

Thowline is problematic, due to the profuse sprouting (along with it being 15* out) So would you suggest that it is a partial, or staged removal and gaff the remaining stems to get a safe TIP to perform the removals and deadwooding?

 

[tree MDS]

This might sound stupid, but who cares.. try a big ladder (40') and some pole sections with the old trusty "bun" or "monkeyfist". Tie in twice for strenth and safety.

BTW, is there a cooler name for that knot than either of those?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

This might sound stupid, but who cares..

If you don't then go somewhere else

There has been much discussion on spikes, this is one where I gaffed every stem.

Monkeyfist? That would have been funner then the throwball, as for carrying a ladder across a frozen flood plain...

 

[tree MDS]

If you don't then go somewhere else

There has been much discussion on spikes, this is one where I gaffed every stem.

Monkeyfist? That would have been funner then the throwball, as for carrying a ladder across a frozen flood plain...

I'm not sure how to take that.. you never used a few sections to move a rope john?

Not trying to get into it with you ... I really didnt think my post was that ridiculous though - I was being serious.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

With the who cares i thought you were being flippant. Oh well.

I have advanced my rope with a pole saw from time to time, would have been fun to do first crotch was pretty high.

I guess I'm wondering how far the every tree is sacred crowd will go, and am giving another example of where I gaffed a remaining tree.

 

[tree MDS]

No i wasnt being flippant.

The way you described the stems (and knowing you're a big guy) and deadwooding the ends, it sounded like alot of weight on them. I would think you would still want to be tied into another stem, even if spiking.

A 40' ladder and three sections + your reach makes like 60'.

I never spiked a prune personally, just because I was taught its unprofessional looking to leave gaff marks.

Have at it though in those rare cases that surely do occur. Whatever is safest, its just a tree.

Incidentally, I've always read your posts with much respect, as you surely know much more than me.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Use a ladder to get as high as you can then spike out of it. Like you said it could be considered a staged removal and hazardous so spike it.

I spent 5 hours spikeless yesterday taking off a 12" lead that went straight over a house on a grand 40 inch White Oak, perfect spread. Had to double rope every piece to bring it off the house, power and garage. I also leadered a few limbs that were over power service and removed 9 large stubs that the last guy left. I wanted to do it proper and it felt good. This was an awesome tree though, not a bunch of mutilated mutants. Spike high if you must, for asthetics.

Take it for what it's worth JP, probably not much, lol.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You added your post-- you know what to do!
Jeff Lovstrom

 

[Little Monkey]

if you spike the willows they will bleed and have black and real ugly scars
from the spikes within a year, it will also subject the tree to diesese and bug problems, also sometimes lots of unsightly epacormic growth spurts from the wounds depending on the time of year they are spiked,
so , no is the answer, it will be a challenge to climb--bring lots of endless slings for footholds and borrow a ladder if you can --good luck

 

[treesandsurf]

Sounds like an opportunity to use SRT effectively. No need to isolate a single limb and you can run it over several for back up. That being said, I weigh only 150lbs so I don't hesitate to use SRT when necessary.

jp

 

[Blakesmaster]

What does the customer want you to do?

 

[treemandan]

Uh , John? You will not go to hell if you spike a hazardous busted up killer to get the dead tops out of it like you described. Maybe they told you would, but you won't, I promise.

 

[tree MDS]

Now that I look this over perhaps I was being flippant.. sinse i really didnt read it thouroughly, sorry john.

Do I go to AS hell too now?

Oh Lord I cant wait till winters over!

 

[TreeTopKid]

If it makes you feel better I rescued a cat from an extremely skinny 90ft pine there was nothing to throw a line to other than some dead stumps there was only one piece of live in the top and the cat was on it, and there was no other nearby tree to tie into. I had my safety line around a dead stump and there was NO WAY I was trusting that alone even for a cat. So I carefully gaffed my way up. It was in my top ten scary ascents.

I don't think I'm going to hell for this, but if I do I'll shake your hand when I get there John!

 

[squad143]

as for carrying a ladder across a frozen flood plain...

That may save your life if you go through. I've heard of fish hut operators driving on frozen lakes, up in northern Ontario, with a telephone pole through the rear passenger window. That way if the ice breaks under the car, the car does not go to the bottom.

I'd ladder as high as possible, then spike if there was no other option.

 

[TreeTopKid]

That may save your life if you go through. I've heard of fish hut operators driving on frozen lakes, up in northern Ontario, with a telephone pole through the rear passenger window. That way if the ice breaks under the car, the car does not go to the bottom.

I'd ladder as high as possible, then spike if there was no other option.

WOW! Canadian , and hardcore go hand in hand! That just blew my mind. He's accepted he's going to be up to his neck in near freezing water, but be able to climb out of his car. I love that kind of attitude. That's hardcore!

 

[outofmytree]

Every tree is sacred.....

I assume I had to throw that in first so I could say ewwww. Spiking on a pruning job?? I have simply never done it. I was trained by a climber who, after seed collecting for many years, had a number of Post Mortems done on Mountain Ash he had spurred. Without fail, every stick had extensive rot around the punctures made by his gaffs. More wounds are just that, more wounds. If the HO is not prepared to pay for a spikeless prune then I recommend they use another company and walk away.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

That may save your life if you go through.

I'd been on the property many times, so I knew I would be over my boots if I went through. It is down to an oxbow creek and tufts of grass

Uh , John? You will not go to hell if you spike a hazardous busted up killer to get the dead tops out of it like you described. Maybe they told you would, but you won't, I promise.

But can I still wear my "advocatus pro arborum" shirt?

I'm not looking for absolution, just dialog

What does the customer want you to do?

The home owner wanted the hung tops out. I work for the primary contractor, who included the major deadwood and dieing stems over the drive. He has been working the property for years getting the invasives out (which the weeping willows are counted as invasive alien introduced species) He has done a great job, there are basswood and sugar maple coming up all over, along with the ubiquitous A. elm and ashes.

Too bad the nieghbor won't join in, because the lotline is a wall of buckthorn and Tartarian honeysuckle.

That being said, I weigh only 150lbs so I don't hesitate to use SRT when necessary.

I'm 255 without my gear on, I'm leary of SRT unless I have a very sturdy TIP

if you spike the willows they will bleed and have black and real ugly scars from the spikes within a year, it will also subject the tree to diesese and bug problems, also sometimes lots of unsightly epacormic growth

All that is present in every stem now, which is why it is a staged removal. The gaff marks are all on the back side. It could have been climbed another way, but if the stem will be coming out in a few more years, is it fair to the owner to do as little harm as possible?

 

[Blakesmaster]

What I meant, JPS, was if you explain to the HO the issues with spiking and they want you to do it anyway, go for it. After all, it is their tree.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I am the tre speaking

I am the tree and because I have been spiked before in the past, I can handle it-- I am not in a beauty contest-You do what you gotta do, I can take it. OW! It's o.k.
Tree
ps. it wont hurt when you come to remove me.