Tree from hell

[old CB]

Wow. Rarefish's cherry/vine looks mighty impressive. And Unc, you have my sympathy--I stay away from that plant when possible.

Reminds me of a job I did several years ago. On a county contract aimed at reducing fuel load around homes. Was at this batty old gal's place--her work really didn't fit the county program, but I was trying to be nice--public relations, just do the job and move on.

Her place was full of rock walls and brushpiles. One huge and ancient brushpile she wanted me to pull apart and run thru the chipper. Nope, I said, not touching that. (I never saw such a welcome environment for rattlesnake.) We put a day and a half of work in there, me and my helper growing more disenchanted with the piddly-ass trimming work she wanted us to do, more landscaping than it was tree work. I don't do landscaping.

Then my helper almost stepped on a coiled rattler, not a big one but it was real. The old gal wanted me to kill it, which I wouldn't. I told her it had every right to be there and wasn't hurting anyone.

The old girl pointed up into a tree and asked, "Can you get that twig up there." Which was when my patience ran out.

We went down to the chipper, ran a few sticks through, and I told my helper--Gather the tools. We're out of here.

I told the lady that I'd torqued my back at the chipper. We're done. See ya.

Got an email from her the next day. The county sent a woman out to relocate the rattler for her. She said, "She was the same one who came last year to remove the six-footer from my front doorway."

We'd been in and out of trees, brush, and rock all over her place. Jeez! (She's famous with us, Annie of Lyons.)

 

[unclemoustache]

Well, I got it all down.


Saved the oak, dropped the honeylocust. I kept a bit of the wood for burning, but I really don't have any room for more firewood. Good problem to have!
That was some dense stuff. I'll give a piece to my son to see if it's any good for making knife handles. Looks like it could be some pretty wood.

Poison Ivy wasn't too bad, but some of the older dead vines were up higher in the tree.

I decided to try a little trick I thought up myself, although inspired by others.
Of course I wore long sleeves and all that, but these were my oldest clothes and I threw them out afterward.
My trick was to slather any exposed skin with vaseline - my wrists, neck, cheeks. I figured any urishiol oil that got on me would get on the vaseline first, and then I could wash it all off in the shower.

We'll see if it worked. It usually takes a couple days for any itching to show up.

 

[Multifaceted]

Glad it went well, sounds like a hairy job. I'm fairly low reactive to urushiol oil, but always seem to somehow get it in my face or eyes, which sucks...

 

[rarefish383]

They make stuff called "Ivy Block" that works well. Same principle. I wouldn't use Vaseline, it will just mix together and spread it. Oil and petroleum product compatible.

 

[unclemoustache]

They make stuff called "Ivy Block" that works well. Same principle. I wouldn't use Vaseline, it will just mix together and spread it. Oil and petroleum product compatible.

I dunno- I thought I would fight oil with oil. The urishiol won’t penetrate through the vaseline (that’s my theory anyway) and as long as I don’t rub those areas, it should all shower off together.

 

[TRTermite]

I dunno- I thought I would fight oil with oil. The urishiol won’t penetrate through the vaseline (that’s my theory anyway) and as long as I don’t rub those areas, it should all shower off together.

Logger friend used to go to the docs for PI until his nurse told him to try 90% rubbing alcohol . Hasn't had a problem for over 40 years. I don't know if it works as PI doesn't bother me..

 

[rarefish383]

Logger friend used to go to the docs for PI until his nurse told him to try 90% rubbing alcohol . Hasn't had a problem for over 40 years. I don't know if it works as PI doesn't bother me..

Anything that will cut oil works. The oil in PI is about 10W viscosity. We used to wipe our hands and arms with gas, usually saw mix. Dawn dish soap works just as well, it's made to cut grease on dishes. Most people have about 8 hours to get the oil off their skin. The hard part is the oil is clear so you have to scrub GOOD. UNC should know by now.

 

[TRTermite]

Anything that will cut oil works. The oil in PI is about 10W viscosity. We used to wipe our hands and arms with gas, usually saw mix. Dawn dish soap works just as well, it's made to cut grease on dishes. Most people have about 8 hours to get the oil off their skin. The hard part is the oil is clear so you have to scrub GOOD. UNC should know by now.

MEBBE he needs to have someone check if he be scrubbin' Goot enuff behind his ears

 

[lone wolf]

Got hired to trim out a few hackberries that were scraping a house and scaring the daughters when a neighbor of the customer waved to me. I recognized him as a pastor from our homeschool group so I went over to chat.
To cut it short, he hired me to take out a few branches of a tree in his yard. Turns out to be a honeylocust- with some darn big spikes in it. That is bad enough by all accounts, but it wasn't until I was up in the tree (ladder) that I noticed the poison ivy.
Honey locust wrapped in poison ivy- can it get any worse? Tree of hell- in the yard of a pastor!
That was two days ago and it looks like I escaped the PI, but I did get stabbed a couple times.
Fortunately that job turned into a double tree removal at his sons house. Silver Maple and Mulberry! I get to keep the mulberry and he will deal with the branches. Score!

Worse = dead ,Poison Ivy and thorns!

 

[unclemoustache]

Logger friend used to go to the docs for PI until his nurse told him to try 90% rubbing alcohol . Hasn't had a problem for over 40 years. I don't know if it works as PI doesn't bother me..

Anything that will cut oil works. The oil in PI is about 10W viscosity. We used to wipe our hands and arms with gas, usually saw mix. Dawn dish soap works just as well, it's made to cut grease on dishes. Most people have about 8 hours to get the oil off their skin. The hard part is the oil is clear so you have to scrub GOOD. UNC should know by now.

Yes, many things will help remove the oil, but I've tried many things. Somehow there is always a bit that stays behind.

I want to keep it from getting to me at all. Looks like my vaseline has worked. Not so much as a twinge.

 

[svk]

I know you are running a business so it may not be in the cards. But I like working on PI when it is cold so I am covered in heavier clothes that can be deposited directly into the washing machine.