any tips?

[jerseydevil]

Yo,
I am interested in tree climbing. I am in good shape, safety minded, and smart. I ofcourse will start small and am willing to listen to experienced climbers. I am 32 and have always climbed trees and other things but until now i did not use rope or equipment. I am at the age where things hurt and while i do have med ins., i don't need to be in traction. Also i have a baby girl who needs a dad. So with that being said, any tips or advice. How about equipment? Ascenders, descenders,best shoes and such.
Thanks JD :angel:

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hey JD, welcome to the site! Just be cool and do a 'lil reading, for awhile!

Check it out!

 

[rahtreelimbs]

See if you can find out from the ISA ( International Society of Arborculture ) when there will be a Tree Climbers Jamboree. Here you can meet a lot of great tree climbers and people in the industry. Also the competitions are fun to watch and there is a lot that can be learned!!!

 

[Stumper]

Invest in a copy of The Treeclimbers Companion by Jeff Jepson That little book will show you how and what you A. need and B. would find really cool to play with.

 

[begleytree]

No one I know of just starts climbing one day. Start off calling a few reputable tree companies in your area, hire on as a groundman, and work your way up,( pun intended)
While a ground dude's life sux, it gives them time to watch what happens from a safe place, before they start cutting their baby teeth on the small stuff.
Good luck
-Ralph

 

[jerseydevil]

Thanks for all the advice. I have been reading The tree climbers companion for a few weeks, and working on some of the knots. As I said, I have always been interested in trees and climbing. I guess my interest was renewed because i now have a property that has plenty of trees that need care. There are several that should not have been allowed to grow where they are. Foe example we have a 300 year old barn and there are limbs growing over it that could do some serious damage if when they finally fall. I will visit the recommended sites and would love to attend jambories and such. I have lots of pics of our property and trees along with some of the maintenance performed to share and plan to set up a webpage. Oh yeah, while I do have some landscaping, and treecare skills, I can't quit my job right now to start a new career since I have a newborn and things are pretty hectic. Although i am tempted to at times.

Thanks again for all of the replies and don't worry, I won't be running out to get killed or maimed anytime soon.
Your friend in PA (formerly of S. Jersey) Jerseydevil :angel:

 

[Tom Dunlap]

After three days and no one has directed him to Tree Climber's International or the Tree Climbers Coalition?

At the risk of getting banned, here goes...

http://tinyurl.com/c28br

http://tinyurl.com/co4h3

 

[jerseydevil]

Hey Y'all,
Thanks again for the replies. Keep em coming. I wanted to add that the trees over the barn are not nearly as old as the barn itself. That is one of the jobs I will probably leave up to an insured pro. The barn situation was just one example of how fast mother nature can reclaim an area. If you look around our property you will see that nobody really did any pruning or planning and left nature to do its thing. There are trees wrapped around each other, trees that are the covered with poison ivy vines which i assume are decades old because the base of the vines are 6- 12 inches round. I could go on and on.
I guess most of you have seen this all before though.
Well I'll be in touch, and thanks again.
Warmest regards, JD :cool
PS I believe a few couples sold this place after relizing how much work was involved in upkeep. The treework alone will be a huge expense. Luckly I can do most of the work myself. I am not just talking trees. I mean painting , landscaping, masonry, pond care, pest control, barn repairs, roof repairs... the work never ends. I am not complaining, I plan to live for a while ...

 

[sharpstikman]

I to am in the same shape , i bought a house on a big farm [200 acres] that has been in the same family for 300 years . I am teaching my self proper tree care , I have the same book, very good info,thanks to the pro's who share there knowledge on this site,it is well used.start low and learn it wright, then go up with it...