Need advice climbing hemlocks

[2DTop]

My first post.
I'm wondering if you could give me advice about climbing hemlocks. I'm getting involved in the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid war and would like to see what's going on from the top side of the big trees. Generally I'm interested in old growth in wilderness areas which may influence climbing style.

I'm comfortable with DRT and SRT all of which has been in hardwoods. I haven't climbed a conifer since I free climbed as a kid and back then it was like climbing a ladder.

So, let's say I can access the lower limbs by SRT with no problems. Now what? What's the best way to climb up the rest of the way? It seems like doing it on lanyards would work, probably a long double one with a prussik in the middle. (There are some pines around with low branches that I can practice on.) But, once I'm up there I'll want to move around in the canopy so I guess I'll want to be on DRT then. Does this sound right? Or maybe I should use a second rope and go up by regular DRT. What length ropes should I take up into the tree (remember I will have to carry all this stuff a long way.)

The other question I have is about descending. I always just use a Munter hitch on a large carabiner with a friction hitch above it. Anybody have a better suggestion. Thanks

 

[clearance]

Welcome to the site 2D. Where is some spurless guy? Help him out, I havent got the foggiest idea.

 

[alpha115]

One suggestion would be to use a throw bag, to get a friction saver into the main stem then use what ever technique you are accustom to get up there.
Or you can just fall the hem-rot and look at it up close.
In Western Canada these trees are not known to be the most stable of trees so trying do anything fancy could cause a failure.
:greenchainsaw:

 

[clearance]

Welcome to the site Alpha. Yeah, its true, out here we call 'em hemrot. Can be real skanky, even when nice and green. I have cut down "healthy" ones and they were like a pipe, if you can picture it.

 

[alpha115]

Scared myself senseless in more than one of them.
Only have take down the best for good old Bc hydo.

 

[moray]

Are you talking about Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, 2DTop? These are common here in Maine. In the forest they tend to have rather small limbs, except the very old ones or those near a forest edge. I have climbed a lot of them, and they have all been predictable and sound. None of them have a "canopy," just a pointy top. Once you get up in the zone of living branches, the branches are close enough together that free climbing with lanyards is usually easy, and there are almost always abundant places to tie in with a rope to make moving around easier. Boring trees, really.

Getting into the tree is the trick, since the first living limbs can be 40 or 50 feet up, and they might not be very large. I use the throw line or big shot to get over a suitable limb, and then use SRT to go up.

Eastern hemlock is not a strong wood, but I have found it to be predictable and trustworthy, unlike the hemlock others have described out west...

 

[MonkeyDo]

Hems are prone to rot!!!
Grant: what I say is from the west coast ... I think it rains there too.
You absolutely must!; do an assessment of every tree.
I wouldn't depend on the Hem limbs.
I recomend a doulble lan sys.
Let's you pass easily; with the slight prob of dealing with 2 lans.
Give that up to stay alive.

 

[2DTop]

Thanks everyone. The double lanyard sounds like the best way. Yes, I'm talking about Eastern Hemlocks.

 

[outonalimbtrees]

hey 2d, are you cutting the tree or just climbing it?
if cutting, why not just spur it?:biggrinbounce2:

 

[2DTop]

Just climbing. Has to do with HWA survey and treatment.