c/arborists

12

walker.andrew•2d ago

Hit 200 tree removals without a single hospital visit today

Was tabulating my jobs for the year and realized I crossed 200 removals with zero ER trips. That caught me off guard because I had a close call back in February with a widowmaker branch that missed my shoulder by maybe 6 inches. Made me think about all the little habits that add up - always checking the wind, never getting lazy with my climbing gear inspections, keeping a clear escape route. I work mostly in the suburbs around Columbus so it's a lot of tight backyards and power line close calls. Anyone else track their accident-free streak or am I just weird about this?

9

fiona_johnson82•2d ago

Chainsaw decision 15 years ago: Stihl vs Husqvarna

Back in 2009 I had to pick between a Stihl MS 261 and a Husqvarna 550 XP for my tree work in Portland. I went with the Stihl because the dealer was closer. Honestly it's been solid but I still wonder if the Husky would've been lighter on my arms after a long day of removals. Any of you guys switch brands and regret it?

21

ward.fiona•3d ago

Tried a new saw chain on a storm cleanup job and learned a hard lesson fast

Last month I was doing a huge storm cleanup after that windstorm knocked down a bunch of oaks in the neighborhood. I had just bought one of those new low-kickback chains for my Stihl 261 thinking it would be safer for climbing. First big cut on a limb that was hung up and the chain just bogged down and started smoking. Ended up having to hand file it mid-job to even get through the rest of the tree. What I learned is those chains are meant for smaller stuff and maybe homeowners but not for production work. The drag was way too high and cost me at least 45 minutes extra on a job I quoted for 3 hours. Has anyone else had a bad experience switching to a safety chain on bigger diameter wood?

12

faithf77•3d ago

TIL a 3-inch pruning cut can rot a whole oak if you don't seal it right

Last month in Austin, I left a big limb wound untreated on a live oak and now the cavity is already weeping sap and fungus. Has anyone else had a tree go downhill fast after a bad cut?

16

the_sandra•4d ago

Old timer told me to sharpen my chain after every tank of gas

Used to think he was being dramatic. Brushed it off for months. Finally tried it last week and my cuts are way cleaner and my saw doesn't buck as much. Anyone else do this or just me?

11

riley860•4d ago

Spent 4 hours trying to chip a stump with a dull chain yesterday

I had this big elm stump in a backyard in Denver that I figured would take maybe 30 minutes to grind down. Turns out my chain was so dull it was practically bouncing off the wood. I ended up driving to Ace Hardware to get a new chain and finished the job in 20 minutes flat. Has anyone else dealt with a hidden rock that wrecks your chain mid-job?

20

janaw11•6d ago

Been climbing since 2004, rope techniques sure changed a lot

Back when I started we were all on 3-strand flip lines and buckingham saddles. Last month a kid from the new crew showed up with one of those mechanical ascenders and a specialized hybrid saddle. Took me a minute to figure out how he was zipping up the tree so fast. Three years ago I finally switched over to a double-rope system after watching a guy limb-walk a big red oak near Madison. It felt like cheating at first but I barely feel the wear on my back now. Anyone else feel like the old gear was more forgiving on branch walks though?

18

lilyb27•6d ago

Changed my stance on using a handsaw for big limbs

I always used a chainsaw for everything, even branches I could have cut by hand. Then a guy I work with in Portland told me to just try a Silky Zubat on a 6 inch limb... said I was wasting time firing up the saw for stuff that size. After one cut I realized he was right - way less cleanup, no noise, and my arms don't get as tired at the end of the day. Anyone else stick to hand tools more now than they used to?

19

oliverbailey•6d ago

Crown reduction vs topping - got into it with an old timer near St. Louis last spring

Guy told me "a crown reduction just makes the tree look like it's been butchered anyway" and stormed off while I was trying to explain the difference. Has anyone else run into clients or other arborists who just refuse to see the value in proper reduction cuts?

17

violafox•6d ago

Rant: Stop topping trees and calling it pruning

I keep seeing this in my neighborhood down in Austin where people hack off the tops of their live oaks and think they're doing maintenance. It's not pruning, it's butchering the tree and leaving it vulnerable to decay and weak regrowth (which is dangerous). How do you guys handle clients who insist on topping when you know it's the wrong move?

15

riley860•7d ago

Dormant pruning vs summer pruning for oak wilt prevention near Austin...

I've been going back and forth on this after a buddy in Round Rock lost 3 oaks last season to oak wilt. My old mentor swore by pruning only in the dead of winter, but I've seen guys up in Dallas cut in July with no issues. Maybe it's about the paint or the timing being less critical than we think? What's your experience with specific months and wound sealers?

1

ryan952•7d ago

Climbing techniques I learned from an old timer vs today's gear...

I got trained by a guy who climbed with a Blake's hitch and a steel core lanyard for 30 years. He showed me how to set a friction saver with just a pole and a throwball, no fancy mechanical ascender needed. Has anyone else noticed we rely too much on gadgets now instead of just knowing your rope?

27

jason752•7d ago

I guess I'm the only one who doesn't use a throwline for every climb

I was up in a 70 foot red oak in Omaha last Tuesday, setting my line the old way with a weight bag. A guy from the crew below kept yelling at me to use a throwline for the TIP, said I was wasting time. Then my bag got hung up on a dead branch, and the whole thing came crashing down through a client's flower bed. Cost me $50 to replace the plants and I lost an hour. I still think throwlines are overkill for simple trees, but has anyone else had a weight bag disaster like that?

26

wright.michael•8d ago

TIL that root flare exposure saved a 60 year old oak I thought was dying

Had a big old oak in a client's yard in Springfield that was dropping leaves and looked rough for two seasons straight. A fellow arborist convinced me to dig down and expose the root flare, and I found girdling roots from a bad planting job decades ago. Has anyone else seen a tree bounce back hard just from clearing out the flare?}

18

schmidt.willow•8d ago

Had a homeowner call me out for not checking soil pH before planting a maple last spring

I've been planting trees for 8 years and never once tested the dirt first, figured it was fine if the hole was deep enough. This lady in Boise showed me her test kit and the pH was off by like 2 points, explained why my maples kept yellowing after a season. Anyone else skip this step and have it bite them later?

13

henderson.mason•22d ago

My new Groundie snapped a $200 climbing line on his first day

I took on a new ground guy last Tuesday in Portland and handed him my good Yale 11mm line to run for a takedown. He got it tangled on a branch stub and instead of calling up to me, he yanked it hard against a sharp edge until it parted mid-cut. The limb hit a shed and I had to eat the cost out of pocket. Has anyone else had luck training new guys on line care without them getting defensive?

23

miabennett•22d ago

Overheard a guy at the lumberyard say his climbing line was 7 years old

I asked him when he last replaced it and he said 'what for' and honestly I had to bite my tongue so hard because that rope is basically a death wish, has anyone else run into someone who treats their gear like it's indestructible?

23

the_beth•24d ago

Thought a stump removal would take 2 hours... I was SO wrong

I took on a big silver maple stump in someone's backyard last Wednesday. Figured I'd have it ground out and be gone before lunch. But the roots had wrapped around an old sprinkler line AND a buried cable marker. Took me 6 hours total to get it all cleared and safe. Has anyone else run into hidden utility lines or pipes that made a simple job drag out way longer than it should?

14

kelly61•26d ago

Paid $150 for a deep root fertilizer treatment... still not sure if it was worth it

Last spring I had a company come out and do deep root fertilizing on my big red oak. They drilled holes around the drip line and injected some liquid mix down about 8 inches. Cost me $150 for one tree. The oak seemed greener through summer... but I can't tell if that's just because we got a lot of rain. My neighbor says I should have just spread regular granular fertilizer on the lawn instead. Anyone else tried deep root feeding and noticed a real difference compared to just top dressing?

31

emmasmith•26d ago

Crown reduction vs. topping - had a chat with a old timer that got me second guessing

I was talking to a retired arborist named Joe at the lumberyard last Tuesday, and he went off on how crown reductions are just fancy topping if you cut too many laterals. He said he's seen too many trees bounce back with weak growth even after a proper reduction. So is it really better for the tree, or are we just making ourselves feel better about the cuts we make?

9

nora184•29d ago

Had a weird moment at the local arboretum yesterday

I was walking through the Morton Arboretum near Chicago, checking out their oak collection, and it hit me how many of those trees are probably older than the whole city itself. One of their bur oaks is supposedly over 300 years old, just standing there while we pave everything around it. Made me wonder if any of you guys ever get that feeling like we're just temporary caretakers for these things. Have you ever worked on a tree that you knew was alive before your great grandparents were born?

21

ward.fiona•1mo ago

Got into it with a crew lead at a job site in Denver over topping vs thinning a big cottonwood

I said thinning was safer for the tree long term, he swore topping was faster and the customer would never know the difference, so which side are you on when the clock is ticking and the branch load is sketchy?

12

the_charlie•1mo ago

Rant: That time my climbing line snapped 40 feet up on a job in Austin

I was up in a live oak back in July, doing a deadwood removal for a regular client out near Zilker Park. The tree had some pretty sketchy limbs, but I'd checked my gear that morning like always. About halfway through the job, I went to put some weight on my climbing line to reposition and it just gave way with a loud pop. I dropped maybe 10 feet before my friction hitch caught on a stub, but man that second felt like forever. Ended up dangling there for a solid 20 minutes while my groundie ran to the truck for my spare rope. The line was only about 6 months old, but I guess it had some hidden damage near the eye splice from rubbing on rough bark. Has anyone else had a rope fail on them like that or found a good way to spot internal wear before it goes bad?

26

the_joseph•1mo ago

Tried stump grinding with an older machine last week and got a weird result

The grinding wheel kicked up a bunch of wet clay instead of wood chips, and it jammed the belt twice before I figured out the stump was rotten inside. Has anyone else run into hidden rot that throws the grind off like that?

23

jakef66•1mo ago

That $200 pole pruner I was sure would be junk... actually saved my back

I've been burned by cheap gear before, but my old fiberglass pole pruner finally cracked after 10 years. Picked up a carbon fiber one from a brand I'd never heard of, figured I'd return it in a week. First job was trimming a 35-foot maple in someone's backyard, and the thing barely weighed anything. After about 4 hours of steady cutting, I wasn't sore at all the next morning - that never happens. I still don't trust it on a full removal, but for routine crown cleaning it's been solid. Has anyone else tried switching materials on their poles and noticed a real difference?