Climbing and Trimming for Novice

[humphreyjm]

Hello, I have considerable experience felling trees with chainsaws, but I'm far from being an expert. I've got a fair number of oaks and maples around my yard that I want to trim to let more light in. I don't want to take the trees down completely because I like the way they look. I'm considering learning how to climb trees with ropes to do the work myself, mainly for the challenge this involves. Can anyone suggest a good book(s) on this subject, and let me know if I'm making a big mistake in thinking I can do this myself?

 

[humphreyjm]

Thanks RockyJ. I'll check out those items.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Two pieces of advice:
Stay tied in at all times.
Don't cut your rope.

 

[humphreyjm]

Sound advice. Let me guess, >95% of all accidents are related to those two mistakes? But what about... how do you know a branch is strong enough to climb on? How do you keep a branch from falling on you? What about chainsaw kick-back? I'll be reading about all this before I go up. Thanks.

 

[humphreyjm]

I mentioned kick-back because I am familiar with it and it's causes. I've got a fair amount of experience with chainsaws (mainly a Stihl 046) and milling hardwood lumber with chainsaw mills and as well as a wood-mizer owned by a good friend, although as I've stated I'm not an expert. I would call it a serious hobby though. I'll at least read about how this is done, if only out of interest. In the end I may try the climbing part but leave the trimming out in response to your advice. Would renting a cherry-picker be a reasonable compromise or is this too limited in range? Thanks.

 

[geofore]

cherry picker

Using a cherry picker is a different style of pruning from climbing. Do you want to learn to climb? A hand saw and small trimming saw if you want to climb, the 046 is too big for a beginner in the trees. Start low and slow, don't try the big stuff until you learn to tie yourself in and get the hang of which cuts to make to get the limbs to swing the right direction. The hardest thing I see with homeowners or beginners is teaching them they are safer tied into the tree than standing on a ladder. The big mistake people make with a ladder is they don't tie the ladder or theirself in. The first few trees you prune,start small, use the hand saw and watch what happens when you make the cuts. TreeSpyder writes about this on the climbing forum. If you are going to do this read the climbing fourm from the begining to the present. This won't make you an expert but you will learn a lot of things to look out for. How do you know if a branch will hold you? You don't, you are tied in in case it doesn't. You will get the feel for what will or will not hold in time but you should always be tied in.

 

[humphreyjm]

geofore, thanks for the good advice. I have no intention of ever lugging that 046 up a tree. I've been meaning to get a smaller saw for light work, but even then won't take it up if I can avoid it. I'm in no hurry to start cutting anything but the smallest limbs, so I'll take your advice and read the threads and start slow. Thanks again.

 

[kevinz]

Read "The Tree Cliomber's Companion"

Since your original post asked for book recommendations, I'm suprised that no one's mentioned "The Tree Climber's Companion." This was the first book recommended to me when I asked a similar questions. It gets recommended many times in the Tree Climbing forum.

-Kevin

 

[ok2climb]

Before you start cutting anything you need to read about proper pruning procedures or all your work will be in vain. Not leaving stubs, making flush cuts, alot of thought goes into pruning a tree the right way. You state that you like the way your trees look and you do not want to cut them down, so dont cause them any unnecessary injuries that could lead to decay, fungial invasion or parasitic invasion. All these can lead to a decline and weakening of your trees and put them in seriuos harm. If you really want to keep them for years to come, I would hire a proffesional.