I'm actually not arguing the point of whether or not it's good for the tree, and i've explicitly stated that i don't spike trims. I am arguing the ansi exemptions though. It's what you guys love to throw in our faces whenever this argument comes up, and i've just got to wonder why the exemption for rural row trees if spikes are so harmful. These trees aren't thick barked, they are not a hazard climb, they are able to be safely climbed for the most part without spikes, yet ansi specifically states that spikes are ok to be used along rural rows. I know, you are probably rolling your eyes, thinking i'm beating a dead horse. But the first year of my line clearance career was spent trimming nothing but rural lines, lines in the middle of nowhere. Most people don't realize it, but i'd be willing to bet there are thousands of miles of rural line in this state alone. I've got a good friend who has been trimming along power lines for almost thirty years and has never done it in sight of a house. That's a lot of trees that have ansi's approval to be spiked. My limited experience in rural row is what makes that line jump out at me.
And to take it a step further, why does a "club" that preaches proper trimming techniques stand by guidelines that allows improper trimming techniques for a rather large segment of the tree population? That really is my only question, and i'm not trying to be argumentative or get into semantics, but spiking rural row trees is not a "necessary evil."
To be honest greanbean, you are part of the reason these arguments go so far off the rails. You are so rabidly anti spike that you are not willing to admit they even have a place in the tree industry. Because i use spikes on removals, that makes me lazy? That's a good starting point to trying to find some middle ground.
I'm not trying to criticize someone like treeseer because he feels differently about the spike issue than myself, i'm trying to figure out the arguments behind his choice when i was taught a different way, a way that honestly is still the majority around my part of the country. I'm just stubborn, i've never seen anecdotal evidence of the evils of spiking with my own eyes, and am simply curious about the oddity of that exemption in the ansi guidelines. If spiking is so bad, why is it allowed for a certain group of trees?
Tree racism??
As for your "club", i am a member of the isa, not by choice, however. While they may have good intentions, i don't think they go about it the right way. And it really has become more a marketing tool than anything else. I know isa members who you would consider hacks. Heck, you consider me one of them. But it's easier to pick up work if you are an isa member. They've done a fair job of getting their name out there and what they stand for, not so good a job of weeding out their members. And in my opinion, you aren't a good representative for them either-if you want people to join your cause, don't blast them for doing something they were taught was the right way. That will automatically raise their defenses and make them resistant to your ideas, me being a perfect example.
I don't agree with everything treeseer says, but i do appreciate that he has never flat out called me a hack for using spikes. And i'm willing to listen to him and i even sort of agree with him in the back of my mind-it's just hard for me without physical evidence, i've taken down thousands if not tens of thousands of trees over my career for dozens of reasons. Trees dead from lightning problems, root problems, infestation problems, disease problems, improper cuts, poor growing conditions, and the list goes on. But never a one due to complications caused by being spiked. And i'm not trying to push my argument here, just telling you why it's hard for me to jump on the bandwagon.
However, i don't spike trims, (isa has done a good job with swaying the homeowner's minds), and even though it isn't for the same reasons treeseer doesn't spike, shouldn't it still be considered a win in your book?
However, you seem to want to take it one step further, banning spikes for everything. Come on! In the future when all arborists have been converted to your way of thinking, fine. But at this point, you guys are still trying to convert guys like me, and sometimes conversion takes a little compromise from both sides. I can see where rftreeman is coming from with wanting to spike a tree, i hear something like this from you, and know that since you don't want to compromise, why should i.
