split ash climb

[Tim Krause]

we cut down a 22" dbh white ash today. about 25' up, the tree split into 2 co-dominate stems with a nasty split V crotch. there was an air gap in the split about 2- 1/2 ' down from the crotch. there was no access for a lift truck, and there was no way fell the tree. so up i went. about 3' above the crotch i used a 10,000 pound ratchet strap to cinch the crotch back together . then about 5' above the strap i used a 1/2' pull rope to pull the stems together for an extra measure. climbed up the straight lead lowered a few smaller branches, then cut the top out . came down on the rope, gingerly walked up the leaning stem, lowered a few branches that were to heavy to cut and toss, then put a pull rope in the top. came back down the stem about 20' and fell it between two birch trees.
has anybody ever used a ratchet strap in this manner before?
is this practice in the ANSI handbook?

 

[jmack]

we cut down a 22" dbh white ash today. about 25' up, the tree split into 2 co-dominate stems with a nasty split V crotch. there was an air gap in the split about 2- 1/2 ' down from the crotch. there was no access for a lift truck, and there was no way fell the tree. so up i went. about 3' above the crotch i used a 10,000 pound ratchet strap to cinch the crotch back together . then about 5' above the strap i used a 1/2' pull rope to pull the stems together for an extra measure. climbed up the straight lead lowered a few smaller branches, then cut the top out . came down on the rope, gingerly walked up the leaning stem, lowered a few branches that were to heavy to cut and toss, then put a pull rope in the top. came back down the stem about 20' and fell it between two birch trees.
has anybody ever used a ratchet strap in this manner before?
is this practice in the ANSI handbook?

what handbook is there by ansi do you have a link?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The ANSI standards are available through Sherrill or over the internet, but I don't think they cover anything as obscure as rating a strap used to pull two halves of a tree together. Although, if you are following all the other ANSI standards, you're in much better shape for a hazardous removal.

It is pretty standard stuff to pull a split crotch back together, whether is temporary to facilitate a removal, or permanent, to repair a tree.

I've heard of the ratchet strap idea before and it seems ok. There is a little concern in the back of my mind about the hooks at the ends of the strap, because they could become un-hooked if things shifted, or some slack occurred in the strap at some point in the operation.

I normally just use a rope and tie a Trucker's Hitch.
If you are good with a throw ball, you can even tie the tree together from the ground. In some cases this might be safer.

 

[Tree Machine]

Here's the ANSI Z-133 link, It would be the manual at the bottom-left.

I read that there must be a visual inspection of the tree before entering, though nothing said specific about what to do in the case of specific defects.

 

[Timberhauler]

In a case like that I would rely on nothing and leave that tree alone.I've got enough other things to do rather than put myself or one of my crew in potential danger.I know there are probably a hundred different things that could be done to make this situation more safe,but the older I get,the less risk I am willing to take.

 

[adam]

ratchet strap

I've seen pics from split tree removal done by Arbormaster dudes ( I think). Tree was single stem dead conifer with nasty split. Straps were used to hold this thing together. They also used floating anchor to lower sections. Whole thing looked like overkill to me and I didn't pay much attention (mistake, sorry). I use Z-rig on 1/2" rope.

 

[Tree Machine]

In a case like that I would rely on nothing and leave that tree alone.

Probably wise, and appreciated. If I know a previous company or two has walked away from the tree, the price automatically goes up. It means it's technical and challenging, possibly gigantic, or it has a major defect, a problem to be addressed. There's a point where a tree is truly an absolute risk to a climber, but more often it's just a tighter playout of problem solving.

Anytime I get called in for a contract climb by another company, that's likely gonna be the deal and I genuinely love those days, in part because I don't have to clean up any of the mess, but mostly because of the level of difficulty. Bread and butter work is certainly the life blood of a tree service, but a really, really challenging tree is nice now and then as its where you learn new things.

Tim's ash is probably nothing out of the ordinary, except for the split defect, which is a problem with a pretty easy solution.

 

[CRN Tree]

I've used a strap in a similar situation before seems to work well. Just have someone on the ground dedicated to watching how it reacts when cutting branches higher then it especially when lowering them.

 

[treeseer]

The wording in ANSI on tree removal is pretty general. Your procedure sounds like it was up to standard.