It was a hell of a ride...

[DR. P. Proteus]

Don't know what book you're reading from, but hasn't been my experience. Aspen is usually a pretty limber forgiving wood, based on the last couple thousand I've climbed. Is it strong wood, no. Is it limber and forgiving, yes, just like any other poplar. Honestly, wondering what your experience is. Secondary tip on anything above 50'?

I gotta say I was just sitting here thinking about how what I said about poplars isn't mainstream knowledge cause yer right, its not in the books.

But I would be hard pressed to climb one like you did because of what I know. And, once again and sadly, have seen.

What we have here is the eastern cottonwood, its a little different but the same, well it grows just like the aspen you have in the picture. Some people even call these eastern cottonwoods aspen. They are small, tall, leggy, stretching for light, very heavy with foliage up top. That in itself warrants sound evaluation with any tree.

I wouldn't touch one of these scrappy poplars til I had shot a rope in it and gave it a feel and tied it off then made sure I had someplace to go if the thing decided to explode when I gave it a nudge it wasn't used to.

You get into a grove of these trees and find they are all holding each other up!

Sometimes people tell me the last climber didn't mess around setting guy ropes, nah, he would just climb em!

But I still set them.

Seriously and sadly you are proof that these trees do what I just said they do whether its written in a book or not.

It should be. All of what I said about this particular scenario involving poplars and also how these particular trees can look solid and be no where even close to being so.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Cottonwood?

There are a few different cottonwoods all in the populus family.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I can say this the meth guys will climb anything any time anywhere. I've seen Em in stuff my 6 year old would turn down

I probably would to so I don't use meth.

 

[KenJax Tree]

I've climbed some pretty sketchy stuff and i'm no meth head

 

[pro94lt]

80ft pine with no bark all limbs gone probably could blow it over they run up it foaming at the mouth.

 

[pro94lt]

Eastern cottonwoods to me are 6 foot diameter 150 foot tall and limbs probably 75 feet long. Not sure I could get a throw line in these monsters in the delta of Arkansas on some historical site. I've never been in Em but their definitely intimidating to me

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

If you would have set a rope to pre-tension against the lean it would have given

Eastern cottonwoods to me are 6 foot diameter 150 foot tall and limbs probably 75 feet long. Not sure I could get a throw line in these monsters in the delta of Arkansas on some historical site. I've never been in Em but their definitely intimidating to me

Yes, you do not have the same scenario when they grow big and spread out, its when they are like as I said.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Big differences berween cottonwoods, poplars, and aspen. Hell, big difference between Alaskan aspen, Colorado aspen, western slope aspen, etc. But the biggest difference is between sound wood and dry rot. I stand by my statement that the tree had a hidden defect that didn't present itself. You're making a hell of a lot of assumptions about the tree, and for that matter, my abilities and experience based on a couple of pics and a few paragraphs.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Big differences berween cottonwoods, poplars, and aspen. Hell, big difference between Alaskan aspen, Colorado aspen, western slope aspen, etc. But the biggest difference is between sound wood and dry rot. I stand by my statement that the tree had a hidden defect that didn't present itself. You're making a hell of a lot of assumptions about the tree, and for that matter, my abilities and experience based on a couple of pics and a few paragraphs.

Yes, every time I see some kind of poplar growing thin tall and leggy I automatically assume the stem could blow out.

Maybe this would be a good time to follow you own advice which you have listed in yer signature?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

So you're basically saying no aspen is safe to climb?

 

[Samlock]

Jolly's picture of the stump clearly looks to me a case of particular decay that is called around here as "white rot". I have actually never seen it in aspen before. All sorts of rot, yes, but aspen doesn't hide it. There's always a crack, fungi, a scar etc. indicating there's something funny inside. Fairbanks is at 64° northern latitude. I'm at 62°, just on the other side. Sub-arctic trees grow slowly... Aspen is a very common species here. It will do this on you if you're not careful:

But still aspen will hold as well as any tree. If I'd secure each aspen, I should secure them all. I'm more suspicious about birches. They have a habit of hiding nasty things inside. Not to mention alders. They're bad of nature.

To clarify things - I'm not a climber, but a logger who climbs when needed.

 

[Toddppm]

Well especially with no notch? Can you send me that sign, bullets marks and all? I'll gladly pay the postage.

 

[Samlock]

Well especially with no notch? Can you send me that sign, bullets marks and all? I'll gladly pay the postage.

There's a notch, but it's closed. A tad too gentle...

I'm kinda used to that sign hanging on my garage wall, you know.

 

[Brush Ape]

From the pictures, I would say if you sounded that tree with an axe on the side away from the lean, it would have sounded more like a ripe pumpkin than a sound trunk.

 

[Toddppm]

OK, OK, I'll send your favorite beer in exchange....

 

[TheJollyLogger]

It sounded fine. Felt fine.

 

[pro94lt]

Well how are you healing up? Did you get paid? Pay for the damage? Eager to get back in the saddle? I still can't get out over you riding down the spar...

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Thinking back to every conversation I ever had about tree like this, goes like, " godamn those little ****ers will kill ya!"

So you're basically saying no aspen is safe to climb?

Uh, like have you been paying attention?

Its the ones just like the one that did you, the little ****ers with big tops , any lean magnifies the situation.

You know how the stuff breaks with just a little saw kerf right?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

It sounded fine. Felt fine.

Yes, deceiving.

But now you know.

Also TRUNK TAPER is a good way to read the wood. The one that did you had none. Always be suspicious of trees that have little or no trunk taper.

 

[Brush Ape]

Add Tulip tree to that list of suspect tree types Dan listed. Also a Poplar? Yup. I rarely trust them slick inner cambium bastards. Like a banana peel.