Lanscapers I hope you don't LEARN your TREES !

[ScottTree]

:bang: :bang: I just removed 4 40 ft scrubby pines dropping sap everywhere, growing into the eves, and all over the house. They were planted in a back yard 8 ft from the house along a fence line. Does this tick off anyone else. I see this often. Landscaper hacks will do a customers yard and just start planting trees they get on sale at homedepot, costco, local nursery etc. They either have no idea what they are planting or could care less about the customer. They plant the tree to close to the house and it becomes a hazard, Plant it next to a patio and it starts bringing up concrete , and here is a personal favorite. They plant next to a pool and it drops needles, sap, fruit, etc etc They have no concept on how to create a living environment , all they know how to do is throw plants in a hole !!!!!! So to all you :newbie: or hack landscapers, TREES GROW UP ! Learn what they are and where they should be planted.

:taped: Maybe I shouldn't hope for this as it would cost us tons of business. But that's my soft spot, I care about my customers.

 

[grizzly2]

I agree with you 100%. There are people out there who only know that you plant the green side up, and that's it. I've talked in circles with "professionals" about planting too close to bldg.'s, other trees, etc. and talked to them about proper planting techniques. That's the best thing we can do, educate them, the public, everyone we can. If the customer knows that 8 feet is too close to plant a pine to the house, then a problem can be diverted. Anyway, good luck.

 

[underwor]

Just got a plan from a "world famous" designer for a new building. Had 3 blue spruce, which do not like the prairie soils all that well anyway, set in an area between building and sidewalk that is 17' square. The spruce we took out of that area was almost 20' across. Never saw the site. Drew the plan from construction blueprints. Must not have looked at the pictures I sent either. Our Landscape Design students to take both Dendrology and arboriculture and I drum it into them for both classes to use plants that will fit and actually live on the site.

 

[grizzly2]

Our Landscape Design students to take both Dendrology and arboriculture and I drum it into them for both classes to use plants that will fit and actually live on the site.

Well, hopefully that will help the futurre generations of arborists not have this problem as much as we do now.

 

[BayouTree]

Yes out of touch landscape designers and architects are a nationwide problem. I see it all the time. Pines planted under power lines and other impractical plans from people who base their designs off of blueprints without ever even considering the site. And they get paid the big bucks as well. The trouble is they belong to a very well respected association with a lot of clout, so they can pretty much do anything and people will buy in. Hopefully ISA certification will one day be as recognized and respected, outside of our own circles, as membership in ASLA.

 

[Canyonbc]

i agree 100 percent...i think its more then landscapers...homeowners the do it them selfers...that dont have a clue what they are doing...

on the bright side...brings in work...which is money, pays for school i like it

 

[clearance]

Pines planted under power lines and other impractical plans from people who base their designs off of blueprints without ever even considering the site. And they get paid the big bucks as well. The trouble is they belong to a very well respected association with a lot of clout, so they can pretty much do anything and people will buy in. Hopefully ISA certification will one day be as recognized and respected, outside of our own circles, as membership in ASLA.

ISA certified arborists in Surrey B.C., working for the municipality of Surrey, had maples planted right beside a three phase 25kv powerline for blocks and blocks. They grew up and would have grown into the lines if the utility hadn't had them trimmed back. Funny thing is these arborists wanted the trees "properly" trimmed by an ISA arborist, so they paid an ISA arborist (who had to be certified by the utlity, nothing to do with the ISA) to trim them, whats even funnier is that the same guy was working for the company that was doing the utilty trimming in that area anyways. So, two things, the ******* planted tall growing trees right beside a high voltage line and they had the taxpayers of Surrey pay for trimming the trees when the utility was doing it for nothing. So like I have said here before, ISA certification is no gaurantee of common sense.

 

[ScottTree]

You should see some of the line clearance butchers around here ! I'd rather give the guy on the side of the road that is holding up the " i'll work for food " sign, an electric chain saw and tell him " go trim those trees " !!!!!

 

[beowulf343]

You should see some of the line clearance butchers around here ! I'd rather give the guy on the side of the road that is holding up the " i'll work for food " sign, an electric chain saw and tell him " go trim those trees " !!!!!

You know-statements like that from guys like you really piss me off!! Have you ever done any line clearance? Do you know what's involved? Imo it's a much more difficult job and requires more skill than a residential trimmer. (And yes, i have done both.) Have you ever had to take down a two foot diameter limb overhanging the primaries and no place to tie in above it-have to climb out the limb and chunk it back without hitting the lines? Have you ever had to lower chunks from a tree next to a pole that has a dozen cable/phone drops running off it-all without ripping down a single drop? Have you ever worked production where you have to get a certain number of spans done every day-was not unusual for us climbers to be up and down 20+ trees a day just to try to get the spans done. You forget that all trimmers have to worry about fences, pools, buildings, etc., but line clearance guys also have to worry about primaries, secondaries, service drops, transformers, cable/phone lines and everything else they hang off poles. And they have to do all this in the yards of often very hostile homeowners-have you ever been ?????ed at several times a day just for doing your job? It sucks!! You have to remember, to a line clearance trimmer, the appearance of the tree is not their main concern-their concern is making sure that the tree will not interfere with the lines and cause the service to stop. Because people seem to get very irate when they have no power. Give the guys a break!

 

[pmuscato]

It's usually not the landscapers it's the Land. Designers/Arch. I say this because I've worked as a Landscape foreman doing installs. You see its what looks good NOW, that sells not what happens 5 years later. Is it right? No but don't expect it to change soon.

 

[clearance]

You should see some of the line clearance butchers around here ! I'd rather give the guy on the side of the road that is holding up the " i'll work for food " sign, an electric chain saw and tell him " go trim those trees " !!!!!

My sincere wish is that one of these "butchers" takes a Jameson pole pruner and snips the service to your house.

 

[beowulf343]

My sincere wish is that one of these "butchers" takes a Jameson pole pruner and snips the service to your house.

Nah-i wouldn't waste a pole clip on this guy. Had a groundie once accidently snip into a service drop and it blew a chunk out of the blade and the hook-the end of a good pole clip.

 

[lxt]

Beowulf, spoken wonderfully!!!! since when did line clearance guys start using electric polesaws? Scottree, wrong my man!! until you have done it then & only then would you know.

LXT............

 

[BluestemTree]

That is a common enough reaction to what the clearance guys have to do. The priority for the clearance guys is different - and has to be. The entire town here came unglued over the clearance pruning that was done this winter, and the trees do look awful, but it is not the fault of the guys keeping the power on - it is the fault of the folks who planted the trees under the lines. And, sadly most of the trees they have had to drastically top here will probably have to come down and be replaced by trees with suitable growth characteristics.

 

[clearance]

That is a common enough reaction to what the clearance guys have to do. The priority for the clearance guys is different - and has to be. The entire town here came unglued over the clearance pruning that was done this winter, and the trees do look awful, but it is not the fault of the guys keeping the power on - it is the fault of the folks who planted the trees under the lines. And, sadly most of the trees they have had to drastically top here will probably have to come down and be replaced by trees with suitable growth characteristics.

Thank you, here is the truth. What a thankless task it can be, I value very much the few people that were decent to the crew when I did it. Mostly retired people, who I am sure respected guys doing hard and dangerous work, and who smiled and waved at us, and sometimes brought out coffee for us.

 

[ScottTree]

You know what fellas.. Give me a break.... That statement was meant to be nothing more then purely a joke. Please if you will, note the word " SOME ". I know exactly what is involved in line clearance, and wasn't cracking on, and please note this word, " ALL " linesmen. You are just looking to pick a fight, SPIT. As in all professions, you have your GOOD, your AVERAGE, and of course as always YOUR CRAPPY workers. So i guess if i didn't see the ASPLUNDH crew At the local park drinking tall cans by 1 o'clock 3 times a week i wouldn't make this joke. <---- Note not a joke. So if you wish to say that there are not crappy clearance crews and you can't distinguish between the good and the bad and defend them all, well that's a reflection on you. I'm also assuming you've never seen a clearance crew filled with cigerette smoking, hung over, pot smoking, drug using fresh out of jail workers. Or was that your crew ?
Also before you just throw out there " guys like me " don't you think you should know a little about them. I've got 18 years in. Started where i grew up in PA as a groundie doing the big boys, 100 fters. Did two yrs on a large caltrans contract in northern california up in the mountains doing mountain road clearance. And i've been working over 220 drops for yrs. I will not do trees that are up in the primaries thus i have the utmost respect for clearance men !!!!!!!!! You can throw all the blows you want i could give a rats A$$ because i know what rodeos i've been to.

 

[clearance]

B.S. Scottie boy, line clearance guys know better than to mouth off like that, working over 220 drops for years, wow, man I am so impressed, like totally. You mouthed off like some other people here do here, 'cause, as you would know if you were actually a line clearance guy, we get all the abuse, but do the most vital tree jobs of all. With little thanks. Suck it up, be a man and apologize.

 

[ScottTree]

If you didn't note i did apologize, by saying " I have the utmost respect for clearance guys ". And the only reason i brought up 220 is because it was brought up by beowolf. It was not to impress anyone. Please take it for what it was, " A joke " nothing else. And if it was misunderstood by anyone i do apologize. I still stick by the fact that there are mostly good clearance crews, but you do have your bad ones. That you can't dispute. Lets at least keep that real. My rant was brought on from the personal attack on me without knowing anything about my experience. All be it I may have made a joke in bad taste. Just because I don't climb above the primaries doesn't mean i don't know a thing or two. And this is real, clearance guys are STUDS , period ! Your job is extremely dangerous and essential. And i respect you.

 

[clearance]

If you didn't note i did apologize, by saying " I have the utmost respect for clearance guys ". And the only reason i brought up 220 is because it was brought up by beowolf. It was not to impress anyone. Please take it for what it was, " A joke " nothing else. And if it was misunderstood by anyone i do apologize. I still stick by the fact that there are mostly good clearance crews, but you do have your bad ones. That you can't dispute. Lets at least keep that real. My rant was brought on from the personal attack on me without knowing anything about my experience. All be it I may have made a joke in bad taste. Just because I don't climb above the primaries doesn't mean i don't know a thing or two. And this is real, clearance guys are STUDS , period ! Your job is extremely dangerous and essential. And i respect you.

Sorry, I am kind of touchy about it.

 

[beowulf343]

I'd rather give the guy on the side of the road an electric chain saw

You know, i missed that phrase about the electric chainsaw. Maybe scott is the real thing-most treemen i know consider electric chainsaws a joke. or, maybe............
Scott's thinking that since these guys work around power anyway, he can take these electric saws, cut off the plug, split the cord, and attach some alligator clips. When the guys are up in the tree, they can simply clip them into the line and have all the power they need. And he's probably figuring that the bigger the line, the more power he'll have. Heck, when he's doing transmission lines, those saws should have enough power to turn a three foot bar!!

That's a joke scott. Didn't mean to jump on you but like clearance i am touchy about it. But you are right, not all line clearance guys are good, but they all seem to get lumped in with the bad.