How high would you climb this tree?

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dblack

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Question for all you other climbers about removals. Sorry the picture is poor I had someone take it while I was driving. If the homeowner asked me to remove that pine, how would I go about getting the top safely on the ground? I know up to the last 20 feet of the trunk, I could limb it with the handsaw and drop the branches in a controlled manner. My question is, what is the safest way to get the top 15 feet of the tree safely on the ground? To me, it looks too skinny and too brittle to climb really high. That is a lot of wood to just cut a notch and drop into the yard(and risk it not going the right way). My only thought is to use the pole pruner to take as many branches off over my head as possible(to minimize weight), then cut the top out of it. Is this something you guys would rig? My question is at what trunk diameter do you guys stop climbing for fear of it getting brittle and breaking out? And what is the plan of action for getting the top 15 feet of the tree safely on the ground without damaging anything or getting hurt. I know with a bucket truck this would be easy. I also know that you can either rig sections of the trunk down or do snap cuts so I am pretty comfortable with that. But how to get the top 15 feet out of the tree safely really has me stumped. Let me know if I can clarify anything. Thanks for the replies in advance. IMG_4787.JPG
 
That was more of a rhetorical question for the OP than a serious question to the forum. Nobody limbs that far up the side of a tree when utilities aren't involved, unless a lineman's belt and a wild thing are. The shed, roof and fence aren't brand new, so I know James wasn't there and didn't slide down and magically break every branch on that side haha.

The "competition" tree was probably fell in one shot, even with weight favoring the other direction , so unless there is too much slope towards the house, to where rolling is a big concern, I don't see why this one couldn't be also.

Limbing and topping that with a Handsaw would suck. And if you don't already have climbing gear and the intent to use it somewhat frequently, you'd be ahead financially subbing that one out. As far as having control while cutting limbs over a few inches with a Handsaw, it seems like they usually hinge down and fall tip first. That's a good way to hit your self or have one bounce into something. That same method reduces some of the shock on a zip line though or on your rigging line if your going to butt tie and lower them though.
 
If I were to speedline the top down, is there a possibility of the upper portion of the tree being too brittle to support the shock of the top falling out and the weight of me when I cut it? Seems like a lot of shock on the trunk...

Reg Coats is the man too I will totally check some of his videos out.
 
This is a pretty straight forward removal but....I'm going to assume that maybe you don't have 100 years of experience (nothing wrong with that) so I'll break it down for you as to how I would do it. I can't say for sure if I would remove all of the lower limbs because I can't see what's below the tree (I probably would and I might leave some stubs...maybe not.) I count maybe 7-8 branches from the bottom. Go up to that point (with your feet at branch 7 or 8), notch the top (rope it) and drop it toward the area with the biggest landing area and the least obstructions on the way down. If it makes you feel safer, rope it the way you normally would and also set a line higher in the top so someone can pull the top over in the direction of the notch. If you're worried about it swinging back at you, set your pulley or fulcrum a little closer to your feet so it swings and falls below you. Be prepared to go for a little ride if you have newbs on the ground. Rinse, repeat...until you can drop the trunk safely. It should go without saying, but if you leave some of the lower branches, you need to account for the possible roll the tree might take when you drop it over. If you're experienced enough that this post insults your opinion of yourself, I apologize...I can only evaluate what I'm reading. If you find this helpful...great. Let us know how it goes. And.....just do it! Don't over-think it. Especially if you have that second line up there. Just do what you know you have to do. You can talk yourself out of a lot of things.
 
Seems like you are more concerned with the structural integrity of the tree more than your skill or ability. That's just not something that can be answered through a picture. There are just too many factors that play into the equation to answer over the internet. Size, health and so many other things factor into how much the tree will hold as far as weight and loading during rigging. That's just what's going through my mind but i have been wrong before.
 
There are ten ways to get this tree on the ground safely. My question was if everything needed to be rigged or dropped by hand what is the sequence of events that would be needed to do that? No I do not have a huge amount of experience, I am learning. I climb once a week or less so I am not a homeowner but just looking for some thoughts... Thanks for the replies.

What is the cause for the accident that happens in this video
 
There are ten ways to get this tree on the ground safely. My question was if everything needed to be rigged or dropped by hand what is the sequence of events that would be needed to do that? No I do not have a huge amount of experience, I am learning. I climb once a week or less so I am not a homeowner but just looking for some thoughts... Thanks for the replies.

What is the cause for the accident that happens in this video

Fairly big top on a skinny pole and the top came to an abrupt stop. sometimes the pole will shake like hell and u need to be ready spiked in hard make the cut drop the saw and brace yourself solid so u don't get whipped around like in the video
 
This is the difference between learning on the job and buying some gear and trying to learn over the internet. By the time a climber trainee does a tree like that, he should have worked the ground on fifty just like it, given his climbet a rid by not letting it run, and already know just what to do when he gets up there.
 
Everyone had to start their learning curve somewhere, whether on-the-job training, theory, trial and error experimentation, whatever.
As a self-taught climber, I have less patience with individuals asking the same sorta questions I asked myself back in '87, because of the good info readily available nowadays via the Internet, training courses, etc.
 
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