c/arborists

Stop using ratchet straps on oak limbs, they crush the cambium

Saw a crew in Charlotte kill a 60 year old red oak last week because they cinched a ratchet strap around the branch for a removal and stripped the bark before the bucket even got loaded, so are you all using rope friction hitches or just hoping the wood survives the hardware?

Chestnut blight treatments, three years in and I'm doubting my approach

I've been treating a row of American chestnuts on a customer's property in western Pennsylvania since spring of 2021. Used the standard hypovirulence injection method, the one everyone in the extension office recommends. Spent close to $900 on the kits alone, not counting my time. The trees looked stable for two summers, new growth was decent. But this August, two of the five showed cankers coming back hard, higher up on the trunk than before. The other three are holding, but I'm starting to think we're just buying time, not really saving anything. My old mentor says it's worth it if you get five extra years, the trees can still produce nuts. The customer's other option is cutting them down and planting disease-resistant hybrids, which cost around $150 each. I've gone back and forth all fall. Has anyone else seen hypovirulence fail after the third year, and at what point do you tell the homeowner it's time to pull the plug?

That crane job on 5th street made me quit topping trees forever

Watched a crew butcher a 60 foot oak last Tuesday downtown, they left stubs everywhere and called it a crown reduction. I charged $800 to clean up after them and the homeowner still thought I was expensive, has anyone else seen this crap get worse?

Got told my pruning cuts were "dog legs" and had to look it up

I was cutting dead branches off a big old maple in Minneapolis last spring when the homeowner came out and said I was leaving too many dog legs. I thought she was talking about something on her dog. She explained it means leaving a stub instead of cutting flush to the branch collar. I trimmed those stubs down and the tree looked way cleaner. Has anyone else had a customer call you out on something you didn't even know was a problem?

Hit 500 tree removals without a single major accident

I just wrapped up my 500th removal yesterday in Austin, that big pecan behind an old church. It hit me that I've never had a serious injury or property damage in all those jobs, which feels insane for this line of work. Any other arborists track their numbers like this or do you just count the close calls?

Had a talk with an old timer last week that made me rethink how I prune oaks

PSA: Stop using wound dressing on pruning cuts, heres why I changed my mind

I been an arborist for about 8 years now and I always used wound paint on big oak cuts. But after a storm last spring I had to take down a tree that had a 3 year old treated cut and the rot was way worse inside than the bare cuts nearby. Now I see the research says these dressings actually trap moisture and decay fungi. Anyone else stop using this stuff or do you still swear by it for certain species?

Figured out a rope trick for big branch removals that saved me 20 minutes per tree

I tried tying a running bowline on my lowering line instead of the usual clove hitch and the whole setup came down way faster without jamming, has anyone else switched to a different knot for their rigging?

Old forester told me to water my stumps. I ignored him.

Guy with 40 years experience told me to water my oak stumps to speed rot. Didn't listen. Now I'm digging out solid wood 8 months later. Anyone else waste time ignoring the old guys?

That homeowner who told me deadwood is 'character' on his oak

Two summers ago in Madison, I had a guy refuse to let me prune any dead branches off his 80-foot red oak because he said they gave it 'rustic appeal.' I walked him through the decay risks and showed him the cracks near the house, but he just shrugged. How do you convince someone that leaving deadwood in place is basically inviting a lawsuit?

The week I tried NOT drilling pilot holes on a big oak removal

I was always told you gotta pre-drill everything to avoid splits, especially on big hardwoods. But this old climber I worked with last month in Denver just sunk lag screws straight into a 30-inch oak limb with no pilot hole and it held fine. He swears it's faster and the wood grabs better. Am I being too careful or is skipping the pilot hole asking for trouble on certain trees?

Had a customer yesterday tell me I was 'murdering' her 80 year old oak tree

I was just doing a deadwood prune and thinning the canopy, but she saw me cutting a 3 inch limb and got real upset. I had to stop and explain how proper pruning actually extends a tree's life... anyone else had to talk a homeowner down from a panic like that?

Found a cheap trick for hauling brush out of tight backyards

Last month I was working a job in a cramped city lot in Denver, couldn't get my truck within 50 feet of the pile. Grabbed a cheap plastic tarp from the hardware store and a rope, dragged it out faster than a wheelbarrow.

Debate: Did that $300 battery-powered pruner save you or burn you?

I dropped $300 on a high-end battery pruner last spring for my crew in Austin. First 3 months it was a dream, cut through limbs like butter and no cords. But then the battery started dying after 20 minutes of heavy use, and the repair quote was $150. I'm torn if it was worth it in the long run or if I should've stuck with manual bypass pruners. Has anyone else had a costly power tool that either saved you tons of time or totally let you down after a few jobs?

Heard a city planner talking about tree removal permits at a coffee shop in Denver

I was grabbing a latte near City Park and overheard this guy say they're looking to fast track permits for removing mature trees on private property if the owner claims 'safety concerns'. No inspection needed before approval. That means any homeowner who doesn't want to deal with leaves or roots can just lie and get a 60 year old oak cut down in a week. Has anyone else seen this happening in their town?

Stumbled on a 3-year-old pruning cut I made and couldn't believe the difference

I was back at a job site in Boulder today doing a follow up on a silver maple I worked on back in 2020. The tree had a massive crossing branch that I took off with a proper three cut method, leaving a clean collar cut. At the time I was still figuring out my angle and thought it looked okay but not perfect. Today I saw that same cut had healed over almost completely with just a small donut of bark left. The branch that I left in place had grown strong and the whole crown looked balanced. Compare that to the neighbor's tree where someone just hacked a limb off flush with the trunk and there is a big rotting hollow opening up now. Made me wonder how many other cuts I regretted are actually doing fine. Has anyone else gone back to old work and been surprised by how well it healed?

Spent way too long trying to save a dying maple before I finally gave up

I had this big sugar maple in a client's yard that was losing leaves from the top down, and I spent almost 8 months trying different fertilizers and soil amendments before I finally had an arborist buddy come look at it. Turns out the roots were girdling the trunk from a nursery mistake 15 years ago - nothing I did was ever going to fix it. Has anyone else wasted months on a tree that was doomed from the start?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?