Should I bother

[tree MDS]

Unless someone is lying about thier age I cant think who you are??

 

[treemandan]

Get the vintage picture up Dan, no excuses. Get a shot of the horse girl too if you can swing it.

Is that tree 8' DBH? Get a shot of that too. Tell her to come out because you are doing a documentary on the tree and it's historical value........thats how you do it.

Pics are in the pic forum. Yup, good thinking too. I once worked the door at few bars. I made good money charging 2 bucks to get in. Thing was that there really wasn't a cover charge at all.
I do like this idea. A plus plus.

 

[treemandan]

Unless someone is lying about thier age I cant think who you are??

Now what?

 

[tree MDS]

Now what?

I guess I dont worry about it its mystery...oohh, lol. 3 posts sinse 2005.. huh?

 

[rbor1974]

believe in your ability

I deal with perserving trees all the time. Part of selling is doing what the customer wants even if it not ethical. you are an arborist so have faith in your ability

 

[Nailsbeats]

I think the ghost is trying to tell you to just top it already.................

 

[tree MDS]

I think the ghost is trying to tell you to just top it already.................

Thats right nails - a hatracking so severe that there wont be a crow in town that would be seen on it, lol.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Thats right nails - a hatracking so severe that there wont be a crow in town that would be seen on it, lol.

Now that's what I'm sayin, just trust your skills, lol.

 

[tree MDS]

Its like being the vet

Its like being the vet... its not all puppies and vacinations, lol.

 

[Jlarnard]

fun fun.
I too have seen and dealt with many of these types of customers. So far no failures with the hardware. My old boss had the crew do lots of this stuff. Cabled, bolted, fill with cement, etc...
I was taught that the cable was less of a repair and more of a letdown system. If you can't fix the tree then you can still prevent it from taking out a building. But be realistic about the capacity of the cable, and attachment points. In order to cable repair (actually heal it) a tree it needs to be pretty young, in the case of mature trees all you can do is try to prevent a disaster.
Now I said no failures in hardware as of yet, but.....
I have seen one lead just bust the other lead, and the cable was the worst thing in that situation. My boss didn't get sued to my knowledge. That was in da U.P. I never even hear or see cabling and bracing in the area I live in now.
Actually that type of job was always my favorite, perhaps because it was something different. But heck anybody want to hire a cabling man and has the tools, let me know. Work is just stagnant here, snowbirds are getting later and later every year.

 

[turnkey4099]

repeating what others said. Either remove it or don't touch it.

Harry K

 

[Blakesmaster]

Too bad it's not a silver maple. I'd show ya how to fix that one.

 

[tree MDS]

repeating what others said. Either remove it or don't touch it.

Harry K

Yeah, I'm gonna call her later. Blakes - good one, lol. To quote oldirty " that silver maple got its a$$ handed to it", lol.

 

[tree MDS]

paul have faith in your partime crew

Matt, your boy Shawn was the one that reccomended saving that POS. Maybe we'll meet sometime... good one though, took me awhile to figure out who you could be. Personally I dont like the idea of massive amounts of weight being supported by wires and rotting out more and more year after year as people are gardening under it etc. Matt, did you know shawn's nickname around here is "Butterball"? He likes that. Use it for me would you please.

 

[tree MDS]

I guess I can put this one to rest for awhile. I just called the lady and had a nice disscussion with her about the POS in her yard. I told her I would have to recommend removal due to the fact that the tree has already started to fail. She still doesn't seem to understand that its that bad, she said she doesn't see alot of dead twigs falling from it or anything. She asked me how much to remove it and I said I really didn't look at it that way at the time and would have to stop back and look again. She said she is going to talk to her husband and get back to me. We'll see. Oh I also urged her to get other opinions on the tree - I can only imagine what the hack she calls next will tell her. I'll update and get pics if she calls back. Thanks MDS.

 

[treeseer]

Personally I dont like the idea of massive amounts of weight being supported by wires and rotting out more and more year after year as people are gardening under it etc.

With experience you will learn to accept cabling. It's understandable for inexperienced arborists to call for the removal of every challenging tree, but it is not necessary for liability or any other reason. See November TCI mag. When clients ask me for a guarantee I give them this:

11. “The materials and workmanship involved in the cabling system are guaranteed to be free of substantial defects. The Extra High Strength (EHS) cable shall comply with ASTM A475, Standard Specification for Zinc-Coated Steel Wire Strand, so it resists corrosion and can last 30 years or more. The fasteners shall be manufactured of stainless steel to resist corrosion. The design and installation of the system is guaranteed to comply with the ANSI A300 (Part 3) -2006 Standard Practices for Supplemental Support Systems and the 2007 edition of the ISA Best Management Practices for Tree Support. The tree and the support system should be inspected every year.” (For most trees, calling for inspection every three or five years may be more appropriate. )

Many cities and many arborists are concerned about the specter of liability associated with installing support systems in trees. Their fear is that, by admitting that a defect exists, owners and workers can be blamed for anything that happens to a tree. However, according to the USDA’s Urban Tree Risk Management Guide, “Choosing not to install a cabling and bracing system because of a fear of liability is not a good decision.”1 Also, pruning alone can be interpreted by insurance companies as admitting a defect exists. We can’t hide from liability, so there is no use running from it. This article will describe two cases that show that municipal tree risk can be abated by cabling, but first consider the recent experience of Pete Morris, City Arborist for Laurinburg, NC:

“In every previous case, after the adjusters look over my notes and the incident, they find that the City provided reasonable care for the tree and thus were not liable. This past summer, a large limb fell from an older oak, damaging a house and a vehicle. The owner watched from his wheelchair as I assessed the situation. There was no decay, so it seemed to be a case of summer limb drop. The insurance company decided that the need for previous pruning alone should have put us on alert the tree was hazardous and should have been removed or at least given special attention. I guess what has us concerned is most of our older trees have been pruned and cut on for all kinds of reasons...storm damage, disease, decay, etc. We'll have to see how things go from here.” So in this adjuster’s opinion, pruning admits liability, and every urban tree is hazardous!
A disclaimer is a useful tool because it limits liability by describing the limitations faced by consultants and other contractors. Item 10 below is adapted from the disclaimer in the Guide for Plant Appraisal:

“10. Unless expressed otherwise: 1) information contained in this report covers only those items that were examined and reflects the condition of those items at the time of inspection; and 2) the inspection is limited to visual examination of accessible items without climbing, dissection, excavation, probing, or coring. There is no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, that problems or deficiencies of the plants or property in question may not arise in the future.”
When cabling was proposed for a cracked sweetgum tree in another municipality, the Public Works Director asked if the contractor would provide a guarantee. While it is common sense that trees cannot be guaranteed against failure, it seemed reasonable to guarantee what could be controlled. Item 11 is that contractor’s guarantee, which was also attached to the disclaimer with the Thoburn Oak report: