possible trip to San Diego area to see friends for xmas. Might be working on their eucalyptus. Anyone have experience climbing these? They don't grow out here in Kansas! Any unusual characteristics to be aware of?
eucalyptus any exp. out there?
- Thread starter ckliff
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SteveBullman
User Formerly known as stephenbullman
we climb a fair few over here, probably not the size of theones you'll be doing though.
very rubbery tree to climb, long whippy stems.
the wood cuts well, breaks off well enough without tearing and holding.
i find it a little awkward to spike them, slip out a lot, though that might just be down to my spikes.
uummm think thats about it.
very rubbery tree to climb, long whippy stems.
the wood cuts well, breaks off well enough without tearing and holding.
i find it a little awkward to spike them, slip out a lot, though that might just be down to my spikes.
uummm think thats about it.
NickfromWI
Addicted to ArboristSite
I live in Oceanside, which is a Eucalyptus haven. A lot of the trees that I see look very lions-tailed, but I'm told that it might just be how they naturally grow.
I don't know why, but I don't mind tying in to real small stuff in these trees.
love
nick
I don't know why, but I don't mind tying in to real small stuff in these trees.
love
nick
Eagle1
ArboristSite Operative
I know Pandas like them.
theres alot of variables with eucys,some will hold till the last second others will flop,if its a smooth barked youll find it fairly easy other than long limbs.if its stringy bark dont bother using 3.25 chain and make sure your chain+ bar are perfect as itll still want cut crooked.if its a stringy and the forks are tight beware its probably a nicoli and very brittle deceiving tree.if there big and poley look out for tombstoneing if your going the flop.send a pic if you want when you get there ill tell you what it iz.
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yea, clue us in on that, Lopa?
its not uncommon for the back half to ''slab up'' split in half violently.you cant fall mountain ash (reglans) back cutting,well you can but!.to log here now you HAVE to have a harvester, usually 45t.ill go up to a coup soon and get some pics,they leave so early thou
Koa Man
Kahuna giganticus
There are more than 300 kinds of eucalyptus. We have 4 that are pretty common here. The lemon euc, mindanao gum, paperbark, and robustus. They have one thing in common, and that is I don't like all of them. I almost died on a lemon euc a few years ago. It was one of the strangest looking trees I have ever seen. It had a straight trunk about 65 ft. tall, and about 40 ft. up, a branch about the same size as the trunk, that grew horizontally for about 30 ft. We was supposed to remove that horizontal branch and lower and thin out the top. I climbed to the top, tied in, and dropped down to the horizontal branch to remove it. The end of the branch was over a fence so I was going out to the end to piece it out. About 20 ft. out I start hearing popping sounds. I then start to see and feel the branch under me start to go. A few seconds later the whole branch just drops off the tree. I get a quick ride back to the trunk and the top bends over about 2 ft. because of the big gouge the dropped branch left behind. I rappel down as quick as I can and call the city agency that we were doing the job for. The inspector comes out, looks at the tree and smashed fence and tells me to take it down. I consider myself very lucky the top did not break. That was probably the scarest experience I have had in tree work.
jmchristopher
ArboristSite Member
I work on the east coast, but have heard old timers tell horror stories about eucs:
the wood is heavy as hell,
there's lots of silica in the bark that eats chains,and,
as noted above, they can behave VERY badly.
Be cautious, or it might turn out to be a longer stay in CA than you planned.
the wood is heavy as hell,
there's lots of silica in the bark that eats chains,and,
as noted above, they can behave VERY badly.
Be cautious, or it might turn out to be a longer stay in CA than you planned.
SteveBullman
User Formerly known as stephenbullman
koa man, which island are you on? i stayed at the king kamekehana hotel on the big island a couple years back and there was a leviathon eucalyptus just up the road, never did ID it.
i have a picture somewhere i'll have to scan it and post.
least i think it was a euc
i have a picture somewhere i'll have to scan it and post.
least i think it was a euc
I think everyone who has done alot of euc work have had simular near toast experiences, check that the trunk is sound, they can completely be rotted out and show very little sign. I dont like them, especially if its a little wet. Myself and 3 others spent a most of a day in one just thining and getting rid of epy's, it was a rather big tree by local standards.
ROLLACOSTA
Addicted to ArboristSite
i worked on one last frieday 'E.gunnii' variety it was full of weak areas/included bark ,im not a fan of these tree's
Koa Man
Kahuna giganticus
stephenbullman said:
I am on Oahu. The hotel you speak of is the King Kamehameha, King Kam for short.....nice place. Next time try some of the bungalows at one of the many 5 star hotels they have at Waikoloa....only runs $2500 to $5600 per night.
Some Hollywood types rent them for a month at a time.
pbtree
Addicted to ArboristSite
It ain't bad firewood!
techdave
ArboristSite Operative
Hi ckliff, make sure to check for signs the tree has been overwatered shallowly. Especially if it is on a slope or near a dropoff. Lots of times people in San Diego metro area shallow water the ground cover or landscaping underneath them. Dont do much for development of strong roots! If soil is moist like it is right now the tree can be very capable of pulling out the roots or tipping. Also if lots of dead limbs underneath and tree is mature and very overgrown looking be careful for breaking limbs like happened in Hawaii. We are coming off 10 years of severe rainfall defecit so some old trees really brittle. I dont climb, but lots of the guys who do call Eucs widowmakers. I never noticed before, but I think whover said smoothbark = less problems was right. Lemon-smelling ones easier on chains than bluegum with coarse reddish bark. If you are in SD and want to see some massive Eucs go to Fletcher hills by Grossmont HS on Murray AVENUE not drive--its NE of school just West of travelodge Drive. Also some big uns on main in Ramona and in Eucalyptus hills in Lakeside.
But heck they are everywhere!!!!!
But heck they are everywhere!!!!!
SteveBullman
User Formerly known as stephenbullman
Koa Man said:I am on Oahu. The hotel you speak of is the King Kamehameha, King Kam for short.....nice place. Next time try some of the bungalows at one of the many 5 star hotels they have at Waikoloa....only runs $2500 to $5600 per night.
stayed on oahu too, at the pacific beach hotel, that was nice too.
got some friends on that island, pam and roger james
Thanks to everyone for the info. Definitely will use much caution. My wife would kill me if I made her a widow. 
Derek
ArboristSite Guru
shame i missed the thread, you will be there by now, a pic would still be handy..
We have just over 800 variteys in Austrailia 603 are more comman than others.
Several of them are proctected speices, E,Nicoli and yellow box , the most comman i deal with, how to and why come down to an "E2" licence, somthing eles i had to get to work with powerlines, the silly thing is there are only breif flowering periods that an E2 holder has to corectly id a nicoli from a red stringy to a messmate..(Yellow box, all year round is easy to id)
I doubt youll be dealing with the stringy bark family, but in case you are the extreamly important thing to remember is to cut the side fiberes, a reg scarf or notch and back cut/ realese cut just wont work, the bark will rip to the gronud , your polestrap/flipline is around the tree, you will go with it, at best you will break a few ribs, at worst , break your back , do it TWICE, go right around the tree 12 inches lower than your back cut, dont be affraid to cut in a lot( depending on the thickness)...they are a hardwood and very straight grained, if they have a lean to them, they will want to barberchair, at height ya got to duck and weave, on the ground you can put in a plunge cut ABOVE your realese cut, this can help prevent, the chairing, only help slow it down that is...
The thing with them is they are the hardest and amoungst the softess in the country..Ironbark is a euc. one of the worlds strongest woods..pretty well do what ya like there
Trillianas on the other hand are so brittle, never tie to a branch, use two pole straps, you can lean on a branch and it can fall straight off the tree, only need a saw to take off the head, NO ONE ever gets a trilly trimmed they have to come out, shocking tree for killing people..there are in the "smoothbark group, a very different green trunk, almost blotchy in apperence . and in drougt conditions get a bucket in dont set foot in it!!..( honest ya just break off the branches with your feet , dont even put the weight of the saw on them..
Silverbacks, blue gum, red gums gosht gums, slipperys are all names of the smoothbark groups, very prone to termite damage, and ever so hard to tell what the guts is like...Ristographs should be used where possable, ive never seen one BTW..they root where its easy, ,and are amoungst the most prone to storm damage, ie the tree falls over, bugger all tap root, i drive past so many blown over smoothgums . All that tree was standing up by was root expansion/soil compaction, watch them if its been wet for a while or if its slab rock type ground..
A lemon scented gum was the tree i have told of, that i was in when it went over, termites were to blame for that little incident, by all rights i should of died that day, ya live and learn ( just dont look as good naked any more..lol)
A very good freind of mine in VICTORIA has one in his yard!! only small now but to get to sunlight, ya can just about hear them growing...
I could go on for hours, they are about the only thing i feel i know lots about, and with so many round here never enough knolage..I will specialize in removal of large gums in the new year, the money in them is top end of the feild..I hope you get this in time, mabey log in from the house your visiting..
Ill keep my eye out for a pic, might give you somrthing to work with, not just horror stories...TAKE YOUR TIME...and take care Derek..
I have 200 odd shots on AS mostley of cutting eucs, i think the new format lets you see them pretty easy...the same looking tree might be on here allready,,
We have just over 800 variteys in Austrailia 603 are more comman than others.
Several of them are proctected speices, E,Nicoli and yellow box , the most comman i deal with, how to and why come down to an "E2" licence, somthing eles i had to get to work with powerlines, the silly thing is there are only breif flowering periods that an E2 holder has to corectly id a nicoli from a red stringy to a messmate..(Yellow box, all year round is easy to id)
I doubt youll be dealing with the stringy bark family, but in case you are the extreamly important thing to remember is to cut the side fiberes, a reg scarf or notch and back cut/ realese cut just wont work, the bark will rip to the gronud , your polestrap/flipline is around the tree, you will go with it, at best you will break a few ribs, at worst , break your back , do it TWICE, go right around the tree 12 inches lower than your back cut, dont be affraid to cut in a lot( depending on the thickness)...they are a hardwood and very straight grained, if they have a lean to them, they will want to barberchair, at height ya got to duck and weave, on the ground you can put in a plunge cut ABOVE your realese cut, this can help prevent, the chairing, only help slow it down that is...
The thing with them is they are the hardest and amoungst the softess in the country..Ironbark is a euc. one of the worlds strongest woods..pretty well do what ya like there
Trillianas on the other hand are so brittle, never tie to a branch, use two pole straps, you can lean on a branch and it can fall straight off the tree, only need a saw to take off the head, NO ONE ever gets a trilly trimmed they have to come out, shocking tree for killing people..there are in the "smoothbark group, a very different green trunk, almost blotchy in apperence . and in drougt conditions get a bucket in dont set foot in it!!..( honest ya just break off the branches with your feet , dont even put the weight of the saw on them..
Silverbacks, blue gum, red gums gosht gums, slipperys are all names of the smoothbark groups, very prone to termite damage, and ever so hard to tell what the guts is like...Ristographs should be used where possable, ive never seen one BTW..they root where its easy, ,and are amoungst the most prone to storm damage, ie the tree falls over, bugger all tap root, i drive past so many blown over smoothgums . All that tree was standing up by was root expansion/soil compaction, watch them if its been wet for a while or if its slab rock type ground..
A lemon scented gum was the tree i have told of, that i was in when it went over, termites were to blame for that little incident, by all rights i should of died that day, ya live and learn ( just dont look as good naked any more..lol)
A very good freind of mine in VICTORIA has one in his yard!! only small now but to get to sunlight, ya can just about hear them growing...
I could go on for hours, they are about the only thing i feel i know lots about, and with so many round here never enough knolage..I will specialize in removal of large gums in the new year, the money in them is top end of the feild..I hope you get this in time, mabey log in from the house your visiting..
Ill keep my eye out for a pic, might give you somrthing to work with, not just horror stories...TAKE YOUR TIME...and take care Derek..
I have 200 odd shots on AS mostley of cutting eucs, i think the new format lets you see them pretty easy...the same looking tree might be on here allready,,
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