some advice for a tree removal

[newguy18]

hi my names bill howe and i do not do trees professionally yet and a friend of mine had me trimming a tree for him on monday.i do know a lot about trees and proper pruning and trimming practices but as i was doing it i found it has a cavity on one side oak wilt and it has heart rot. i told him that it was unsafe for his fence and power lines but it is not near his house.it is a good sized tree for this area eight ft diameter 110 ft canopy spread and seventy five foot tall.i already took the limbs out of the power but he wants it pieced out for fire wood and i have never done somting this big before. any advice would be greatly appreciated.my plan is to tie in with my climb line saftey and spurs. and because it is rotton but alive i will be taking pieces about fire wood length so i dont split it out and cause an accident. :chainsawguy: :newbie: :bang:

 

[ddhlakebound]

hi my names bill howe and i do not do trees professionally yet and a friend of mine had me trimming a tree for him on monday.i do know a lot about trees and proper pruning and trimming practices but as i was doing it i found it has a cavity on one side oak wilt and it has heart rot. i told him that it was unsafe for his fence and power lines but it is not near his house.it is a good sized tree for this area eight ft diameter 110 ft canopy spread and seventy five foot tall.i already took the limbs out of the power but he wants it pieced out for fire wood and i have never done somting this big before. any advice would be greatly appreciated.my plan is to tie in with my climb line saftey and spurs. and because it is rotton but alive i will be taking pieces about fire wood length so i dont split it out and cause an accident. :chainsawguy: :newbie: :bang:

PM god and ask him to help.....ur gonna need it.

Not very responsible to trim limbs near power lines without training.

Not very wise to know you don't have the training, and decide to do it anyway.

My advice? Have a pro put it on the ground, and go from there.

 

[Ed Roland]

Call in a professional. This will end badly, otherwise.

:chainsawguy:

 

[newguy18]

i have some experiance

Call in a professional. This will end badly, otherwise.

:chainsawguy:

i have been rec climbing for a year and a half i know how to set wraps and have done three previous tree jobs two were trimming about thirty feet up one in power and the other was a removal a sixty foot tall pine and it was over a house. i can do the work i just havent done any thing that big before and was wanting some advice and was wondering if my plan was safe or not i think it is.:monkey:

 

[Treeman587]

We all have to start somewhere.

i have been rec climbing for a year and a half i know how to set wraps and have done three previous tree jobs two were trimming about thirty feet up one in power and the other was a removal a sixty foot tall pine and it was over a house. i can do the work i just havent done any thing that big before and was wanting some advice and was wondering if my plan was safe or not i think it is.:monkey:

Soo, You know just enough to be dangerous.

Let someone with real experience handle it. In time, you will gain your own. Rec climbing has absolutely nothing to do with removals. Every climber on here has done something stupid, and each is lucky they learned from a mistake that did not kill them.

 

[Ed Roland]

Resistograph the decay. Know for sure you have a tree you can safely climb as well as shock load. Those power lines exacerbate an, already, risky removal.

Consider, hiring someone who does this sort of thing every day of the work week. Make sure they are certified and have insurance. Have them put it "safely" on the ground for you. Very reasonable if they can leave the wood/brush on the ground.

 

[beowulf343]

You asked for advice and you got it (from guys that i'm sure have done more than three tree.) Big difference between rec climbing and climbing to do a job. Hell, three trees? You haven't even begun to experience everything that can go wrong on a takedown (and how quickly things can go wrong!)

Oh, wait a minute, just remembered from past posts that you have done alot of reading on the subject-heck go for it then. You're a rec climber with a ton of book knowledge-what can go wrong? From the pictures in the books, it looks easy, doesn't it?

Hope you're not married with kids.

 

[newguy18]

thanks for the advice

You asked for advice and you got it (from guys that i'm sure have done more than three tree.) Big difference between rec climbing and climbing to do a job. Hell, three trees? You haven't even begun to experience everything that can go wrong on a takedown (and how quickly things can go wrong!)

Oh, wait a minute, just remembered from past posts that you have done alot of reading on the subject-heck go for it then. You're a rec climber with a ton of book knowledge-what can go wrong? From the pictures in the books, it looks easy, doesn't it?

Hope you're not married with kids.

no i am not married or dating for that matter. i want to thank every one for your in put on the matter but i am sticking with my original game plan i can free fall everything but one small limb that is over his fence because i already dealt with the dangerous limb that was in power. i will be sure to post about how the removal wen t after im done with it.

 

[Ed Roland]

How can you be sure the tree can support you and your equipment above that rot?

You specifically, mentioned two vascular diseases. I suspect you saw wet spongy material within the cavity.

The wood holding the thousands of pounds of crown above is said to be "holding." You tying in, about 200lbs with equip., may exceed the capabilities of that hold wood while you try to piece this thing out.

be smart. be safe.

 

[Treeman587]

Whatever, He's an idiot.

A lot of you new guys and wannabes come on here asking our opinion then shove it back at us. So here goes, YOU ARE A MORON. If you live through it I am sure you will be back on here to brag. If not, WE TOLD YOU SO.

You think I just strapped on some gaffs one day and decided I was a tree climber? I am not a great one by any means, But I can do the job and have enough experience to trust my own judgement. It takes time, and you have to learn from people who have put their time in.

Whatever IDIOT, I am sure you know how to make a top cut so it does not smash your face in. See YA

 

[Treeman587]

Oh and Beowulf, You make a great point.

BTW I climbed three trees yesterday. I climbed three the day before that. And on and on, Not just three in my career.

 

[ropensaddle]

no i am not married or dating for that matter. i want to thank every one for your in put on the matter but i am sticking with my original game plan i can free fall everything but one small limb that is over his fence because i already dealt with the dangerous limb that was in power. i will be sure to post about how the removal wen t after im done with it.

Well I will give you credit for bravery, however you are breaking law trimming near powerlines and can get a salty fine for doing so. That is if you are not electrocuted as many other people that have worked near them have. These people were trained line clearance pros with more experience in their little toe than you exhibit. I won't comment on the moron part but you may be committing suicide I have worked near powerlines over twenty years starting out with training eventually being the trainer and I know you are flirting with disaster.

 

[ddhlakebound]

no i am not married or dating for that matter. i want to thank every one for your in put on the matter but i am sticking with my original game plan i can free fall everything but one small limb that is over his fence because i already dealt with the dangerous limb that was in power. i will be sure to post about how the removal wen t after im done with it.

Heres the plan:
my plan is to tie in with my climb line saftey and spurs. and because it is rotton but alive i will be taking pieces about fire wood length so i dont split it out and cause an accident.

I'm glad you've got it all figured out. Great plan btw....wear my spikes to climb up, tie in with my rope, and cut pieces off it. With attention to detail like that, I'm sure you'll be fine.

When you're reporting how it went, be sure to post some pics, before, during, and after. Especially the one showing us the 8' wide stump.

Be sure to wear LOTS of PPE, and tie in twice while you're cutting. (Maybe three times in your case):monkey:

 

[Mitchell]

Why re-invent the wheel

newguy18

Sounds like you have the balls for it, but that is only a part of the equation.

I did a few simple trees myself and recognized it was more then a "how hard can it be type of job." In retrospect, I came closer then I realized at the time to seriously hurting or killing myself despite 13 years of falling and logging sport climbing.
In response, I worked for free initially for another tree company on the condition they show me the "ropes" of climbing and rigging so I would not get stuck feeding chipper. I also hire other experienced arborists to come to jobs just to be my ground guy and offer advice when I am not comfortable. I am happy to break even on these jobs as I look at it as education and insurance expenses. I also sub out things like resistograph tree assessments but still come to the job for free to learn.
You are here seeking education and information after all, why not hire some one to walk you through it, money? Sounds like your buddy expects to pay for this. There is no substitute for the right tools and knowledge for the job. What will this cost you if it goes south; even a minor mishap should cost you any future business from the neighbours. At least get or pay for an experienced guys on site opinion.

Also recognize that one can with a bit of knowledge truely butcher a tree and not get into to much trouble most of the time... most of the time. Be carefull not to mistake "alls well that ends well" experiences for competence.

Hope you reconsider

 

[Canyonbc]

Mitchell...you gave the guy i think the best advice...

he has balls, you have to give him that. It sounds like the tree is definetly way out of is league..heck i know is out of mine...Oaks can be nasty...espically when diseased like that.

Harping on him is gonna do no good, besides piss him off...get him rialed up out there and possible hurt him self or someone else

Mitchell has the right idea, its gets the best of both worlds...a experinced Arborist with proper knowledge and experince can show/help him, and new guy can help the experinced arborist rig this thing down.

Best of luck to you though new guy...i would serious look up or put up a post on the site about climbers in your area who would be intrested in helping you

 

[pbtree]

:newbie: with a know it all attitude - Wowsers...opcorn:

 

[treeseer]

it has a cavity on one side oak wilt and it has heart rot. i told him that it was unsafe for his fence and power lines

Sounds like you told him this based on very little inspection or knowledge. Condemning a tree after noticing a hole is doing no favor to your friend or yourself, unless you are so desparate for work that you have to make stuff up. Either learn to assess tree risk competently, or don't do it.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to calculate and clearly communicate to the owners the risk associated with their tree, and what they can do about it. “Risk” means danger, the possibility of suffering loss. The reality is, everything carries risk. A “defect” has been defined as a visible sign that a tree has the potential to fail. However, since every tree has the potential to fail, the questions of how visible, and how much potential, remain. Any harmless feature of a tree that looks unfamiliar to the inexperienced observer can be called a defect that creates a “hazard tree”, defined as a tree with an unacceptable level of risk to a target. The question is, what can be done about it? All risks can be lowered (abated, mitigated, lessened), but when arboricultural options are not carefully considered and clearly communicated, the owners cannot make an informed decision. Quickly labeling “defects” and “hazards” can lead to the needless removal of valuable trees, when more conservative actions may have been more reasonable.

 

[newguy18]

you got it all wrong

Sounds like you told him this based on very little inspection or knowledge. Condemning a tree after noticing a hole is doing no favor to your friend or yourself, unless you are so desparate for work that you have to make stuff up. Either learn to assess tree risk competently, or don't do it.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to calculate and clearly communicate to the owners the risk associated with their tree, and what they can do about it. “Risk” means danger, the possibility of suffering loss. The reality is, everything carries risk. A “defect” has been defined as a visible sign that a tree has the potential to fail. However, since every tree has the potential to fail, the questions of how visible, and how much potential, remain. Any harmless feature of a tree that looks unfamiliar to the inexperienced observer can be called a defect that creates a “hazard tree”, defined as a tree with an unacceptable level of risk to a target. The question is, what can be done about it? All risks can be lowered (abated, mitigated, lessened), but when arboricultural options are not carefully considered and clearly communicated, the owners cannot make an informed decision. Quickly labeling “defects” and “hazards” can lead to the needless removal of valuable trees, when more conservative actions may have been more reasonable.

ok for one i told him it did pose a risk.two he suggested that i remove it .three i know that i can remove it if i go slow and take it nice and easy i know many of you think i should call a pro to do it but that is not an option on the other hand i could ask a pro to watch me and help if it goes south, which it wont.i look at it this way you cant learn with out some experiance you can only get experiance by doing the work.i know from reading and what little tree work i have done that it is much harder to do it than to read about it and any one who says other wise is a complete and total idiot.all i wanted was some advice from some who worked a tree that rotton and if they had some pointers if i wanted to hear stay on the ground kid i would have asked for such.i have read and respect everyones opion i will post about it after the job in detail but sorry no pics my computer wont handle it. bill howe:newbie: :chainsawguy: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[ddhlakebound]

ok for one i told him it did pose a risk.two he suggested that i remove it .three i know that i can remove it if i go slow and take it nice and easy i know many of you think i should call a pro to do it but that is not an option on the other hand i could ask a pro to watch me and help if it goes south, which it wont.i look at it this way you cant learn with out some experiance you can only get experiance by doing the work.i know from reading and what little tree work i have done that it is much harder to do it than to read about it and any one who says other wise is a complete and total idiot.all i wanted was some advice from some who worked a tree that rotton and if they had some pointers if i wanted to hear stay on the ground kid i would have asked for such.i have read and respect everyones opin i will post about it after the job in detail but sorry no pics my computer wont handle it. bill howe:newbie: :chainsawguy: :hmm3grin2orange:

WoW!!!.......sure is easy for you to tell the certified master arborist that he's got it all wrong.

Would you mind detailing what methods you used to determine wether or not the tree posed a level of risk which made it necessary for removal, and on top of that, safe for climbing removal?

Its targets are a powerline and a fence? It can be trimmed to be weighted away from the powerline, and fences are much easier to replace than ancient oak trees.

Why am I even talkin tho......I'm sure that you know better than anyone else here, thats why you're here askin for opinions, right?

 

[Ed Roland]

complete and total idiot.all i wanted was some advice from some who worked a tree that rotton and if they had some pointers if i wanted to hear stay on the ground kid i would have asked for such. bill howe:newbie: :chainsawguy: :hmm3grin2orange:

this is a farse. Troll, even.