Canary Island Date Palm

[Shaun Bowler]

One of my clients has a mature Palm that I have been taking care of for 15 years.
There are a few frawns that come into contact with secondaries, and are cleared by Asplund annually. The utility company has contacted the HO multiple times in the last few years stating there intension to remove this tree. I confront the Utility Arborist about the City's preservation ordinance, as well as the HOA. There are lots of trees in this area that interfere with wire more than this tree. My question is do palm trees pose more of a problem to wires than other trees? I am a CA, CTW& Cert. line clearance, and have never read anything about this.

 

[vharrison2]

Shaun, I can't see where a palm would interfere with the wires anymore than a hardwood.

 

[Ekka]

Well I think they do, sorry VH.

The reason is once a tree is cut properly, branch removed etc or trnk grows up and clears the wire problem solved and no coming back.

But with the palm frond after frond droops down to contact the wires. You cut that one off then a few months later another one does it. Palms around street wires are more maintenance than trees. also the liklihood of a "blow in" where the frond gets blown around by the wind is a lot higher than the with trees, so more maint again and cutting.

The energy co's here have found it a longer cycle if the dont fully remove the frond, they cut it half way or so, it sticks out like a dead stub. This way it takes longer for that one to die and fall off and the new one to come ... but it's ugly.

Also, you have the final problem, palms dont chip well and that particular species has spikes ... long dangerous ones.

So, in a nut shell, they're more maintenance.

 

[Koa Man]

Just kill it and be done with it. Sorry, but very few things in the tree business makes me happier than to kill a palm.

 

[Ekka]

Just kill it and be done with it. Sorry, but very few things in the tree business makes me happier than to kill a palm.

I think you're worse than me!:biggrinbounce2:

 

[vharrison2]

Ah, I see your point Ekka.

 

[pbtree]

Just kill it and be done with it. Sorry, but very few things in the tree business makes me happier than to kill a palm.

Amen brother - I never met a palm that I did not hate with a passion...

 

[vharrison2]

Why ya'll be hating palms? Trimming palms makes up about 89% of the trimming we do here. If we cut them all down, we would be out of business, and the tourists would not have any stupid questions to ask. ie: is that a coconut?:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Ekka]

I hate them because ...

They corrode your gear

They stink

They have spikes that can be toxic

They blunt your chain

Stupid bugs and crud live in them

They're risky to work on as you are always cutting close to ropes and fingers

Ya got no branches to stand on

Some are itchy

They're hard to cut as they get compression and clamp your saw

You have to stab the livin **** out of some as the bark is so tough ... and you skid out

They clog and block the chipper

No-one wants the chip and it contaminates existing load

.... anyone else like to add to the list?

 

[Koa Man]

Why ya'll be hating palms? Trimming palms makes up about 89% of the trimming we do here.

I think palm trimming is about 25% of my work. I don't think I could take much more than that. 89% would be way too much for me.

 

[Grizzly]

Amen brother - I never met a palm that I did not hate with a passion...

palms are messy, dangerous for the linemen and is a sore view for the eye when it dies. Pluse if you let them go, it's harder to do our job. There are many people that are not willing to pay big bucks to have their palms done every year or even taken down. The dump cost on palm is $35 a ton, but i make my money by getting 60 a ton for anything going to the dump.

 

[Grizzly]

I hate them because ...

They corrode your gear

They stink

They have spikes that can be toxic

They blunt your chain

Stupid bugs and crud live in them

They're risky to work on as you are always cutting close to ropes and fingers

Ya got no branches to stand on

Some are itchy

They're hard to cut as they get compression and clamp your saw

You have to stab the livin **** out of some as the bark is so tough ... and you skid out

They clog and block the chipper

No-one wants the chip and it contaminates existing load

.... anyone else like to add to the list?

If you drop your saw it's dust.

the thorns are long sharp and hard

if it falls, your going with it

if you hit a rotten spot with your spiks, your screwed

when you run out of gas at the top of the tree, you need to climb down to reload and climb back up and reposition yourself.

rats and their nests

the owner thinks their safe if a frawn didn't lant there yet. (under you DZ;

there must be an easier way to take palms down faster

Why haven't they made a chainsaw for palm trees yet.

after your done and collect your check.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

there must be an easier way to take palms down faster

Why haven't they made a chainsaw for palm trees yet.

Interesting thought. I suppose they clog because they are so fibrous? And probably hard on chains because they hold dirt?

I'll bet the one who invents a chain that will do a significantly better job on palms will make a small fortune.

 

[Ekka]

I'll bet the one who invents a chain that will do a significantly better job on palms will make a small fortune.

I've never tried a tungsten carbide chain coz of the cost but I reckon that's what'll work.

I like your list Grizzly, there are a few I dont mind but like usual all the crap ones are the popular ones coz they're CHEAP TO BUY!

Also, all palms fruit, even Alex's, Kentias etc. Often that's the primary reason for removal as the fruit is too high up to cut off and like marbles on the ground.

Most palms dont have a height ceiling, they get so damn tall it's crazy, they keep going, and that's when I refer to them as telegraph poles. It's not like you can buy a variety that only grows 5m tall; they're either dwarf at like 1m to 2m tall or flamin telegraph poles ... nothing in between.

Now you might argue that point. But, the way around this ht problem is buying palms that are slow growers. Here are some.

Canary Island
Kentia
Bottle
Spindle
Majestic

So the landscapers put them in but they will get tall eventually. And unlike a big ole grand tree ... a big ole grand palm is boring and ugly, just a telegraph pole usually with **** on top as no-one wants to go up there to cut the crap off for $20.

And there's a few no-one would dare go up anyway, too skinny.

 

[Grizzly]

How should you charge if the palm is 150ft. tall that has a little bit of junk on top and what is the safest way to get up there and down. (dispite the palm frawns have mean old spikes on them):help:

 

[Koa Man]

What kind of palm is that? I didn't think any palm would reach 150 ft. in height. Hilo, Hawaii has the 2 tallest coconut palms in the Northern Hemisphere at 110 ft. of trunk. The tallest coconut I have climbed had 85 ft. of trunk. We measure it by marking the rope that we rappel down with.

 

[Grizzly]

A washingtonian palm. they have been in whittier for ever. i am wondering when they'll fall, snap or die. I know no one in their right mind would want to climb up there w/ a chainsaw.
I'll take a pic and post it later.

 

[Palm learner]

I bid removing 5 of these and trimming 2 but didn't end up doing them .. One of them was crooked as **** & starting to overhang a barn and there was tons of nice landscaping in the drop zone , plus the guy was bluffing about some flying old man that supposedly swung tree to tree (then why call me ?)