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quercus · 23rd December 2007, 12:20 AM

I can't believe what I'm reading here and I can't believe some of you are pruning with spurs...Even palms...
Palms are also trees in my humble opinion.
Like Shigo said: if it's big enough to fall over and kill you, it's a tree.
All people are created equal, and therefore all trees are created equal. I respect a tree like I would respect another human being. The ability to understand a tree and to respect it, is what makes us arborists. My mentors always tought me, that there are no ugly or beatifull trees. Only healthy and mutilated trees...

-Pruning with gaffs is definitely a no-no on ALL trees. The ability to prune without the use of gaffs is what makes us go trough life as arborists, instead of treebutchers.Who cares if one can see the wounds in the tree or not. Who cares if the wounds in the tree only begin at a certain height? I would know that they are there and wouldn't be able to sleep for a week. If you are not able to prune without them, then don't prune at all. If there wasn't a way to prune without gaffs, I'd find a way and by doing so, I'd distinguish myself as an arborist.

-If a branch of a tree is not thick or strong enough to use as a tie in point, then it probably won't be heavy enough to create serious damage if it were to fall of that tree. Instead of climbing with gaffs I'd create a perimeter around the tree so even if branches fall off, they wouldn't create damage at all.

-If I get a contract for clearing powerlines, then that company must rely on my expertise instead of putting me under pressure. Climbing under pressure is definitely a mistake to begin with. I wouldn't set my principles aside to make a quick euro, for you guys that's a quick dollar. This is also something what makes us arborists, instead of treebutchers. The powerline company must understand this and you have to make them understand, that the wounds whom will definitely occur during pruning with gaffs, are most likely to create more damage in the future. The fact that they hire an arborist to begin with, is proof that they can't do it themselves and therefore need someone with expertise. Why would they hire someone and then say to that person how he is supposed to do his job? Have you ever let a client decide on the techniques or how you are supposed to do your job?

-The fact that one cannot climb fast enough to meet the client's demands or to meet the quote he has given, does not give him the right to mutilate a tree in any way.If we conduct our business this way, we are proving that money comes before knowledge, safety and the health of the tree and that's certainly NOT what an arborist stands for. You have to make them understand that it's gonna be your way or no way. Explain why it simply can't be done with gaffs, and explain the reason why in many cases the tree-problem is getting even bigger even if it may seem that the problem they're having now is solved.

-Ekka, I'm surprised to hear that you, the man who has made a nice video of a perfectly good and safe trunk walk, climb with gaffs to prune on certain trees. Even palms are to be respected in every way possible. People have been climbing big palms without gaffs or specialized equipment for century's, maybe even for thousands of years. Are you now saying that it can't be done, even knowing that the gear we have now is exponentially safer then the gear they had then? I've seen thai-arborists (without gaffs) prune trees without the use of specialized gear. I've seen them succesfully pruning very big branches over glass structures using only one thick rope and the most beatiful spider-legs one can imagine... All that without the use of hooks, slings, grcs's or whatever. Sure, it takes longer, but the result is the same. We have to remind ourselves once in a while that other people all over the world , who might not be so lucky to have all this gear, still are getting the job done... So think about that before you say that a certain job can't be done.

-someone needed an explanation as to what snow ACTUALLY is? Very simple. Snow is only frozen water. There's only one rule regarding to snow.
DON'T EAT YELLOW SNOW!!!

23rd December 2007, 12:20 AM	#82 (permalink)
quercus Mature tree Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: belgium Posts: 421	Re: your take on pruning with spurs on I can't believe what I'm reading here and I can't believe some of you are pruning with spurs...Even palms... Palms are also trees in my humble opinion. Like Shigo said: if it's big enough to fall over and kill you, it's a tree. All people are created equal, and therefore all trees are created equal. I respect a tree like I would respect another human being. The ability to understand a tree and to respect it, is what makes us arborists. My mentors always tought me, that there are no ugly or beatifull trees. Only healthy and mutilated trees... -Pruning with gaffs is definitely a no-no on ALL trees. The ability to prune without the use of gaffs is what makes us go trough life as arborists, instead of treebutchers.Who cares if one can see the wounds in the tree or not. Who cares if the wounds in the tree only begin at a certain height? I would know that they are there and wouldn't be able to sleep for a week. If you are not able to prune without them, then don't prune at all. If there wasn't a way to prune without gaffs, I'd find a way and by doing so, I'd distinguish myself as an arborist. -If a branch of a tree is not thick or strong enough to use as a tie in point, then it probably won't be heavy enough to create serious damage if it were to fall of that tree. Instead of climbing with gaffs I'd create a perimeter around the tree so even if branches fall off, they wouldn't create damage at all. -If I get a contract for clearing powerlines, then that company must rely on my expertise instead of putting me under pressure. Climbing under pressure is definitely a mistake to begin with. I wouldn't set my principles aside to make a quick euro, for you guys that's a quick dollar. This is also something what makes us arborists, instead of treebutchers. The powerline company must understand this and you have to make them understand, that the wounds whom will definitely occur during pruning with gaffs, are most likely to create more damage in the future. The fact that they hire an arborist to begin with, is proof that they can't do it themselves and therefore need someone with expertise. Why would they hire someone and then say to that person how he is supposed to do his job? Have you ever let a client decide on the techniques or how you are supposed to do your job? -The fact that one cannot climb fast enough to meet the client's demands or to meet the quote he has given, does not give him the right to mutilate a tree in any way.If we conduct our business this way, we are proving that money comes before knowledge, safety and the health of the tree and that's certainly NOT what an arborist stands for. You have to make them understand that it's gonna be your way or no way. Explain why it simply can't be done with gaffs, and explain the reason why in many cases the tree-problem is getting even bigger even if it may seem that the problem they're having now is solved. -Ekka, I'm surprised to hear that you, the man who has made a nice video of a perfectly good and safe trunk walk, climb with gaffs to prune on certain trees. Even palms are to be respected in every way possible. People have been climbing big palms without gaffs or specialized equipment for century's, maybe even for thousands of years. Are you now saying that it can't be done, even knowing that the gear we have now is exponentially safer then the gear they had then? I've seen thai-arborists (without gaffs) prune trees without the use of specialized gear. I've seen them succesfully pruning very big branches over glass structures using only one thick rope and the most beatiful spider-legs one can imagine... All that without the use of hooks, slings, grcs's or whatever. Sure, it takes longer, but the result is the same. We have to remind ourselves once in a while that other people all over the world , who might not be so lucky to have all this gear, still are getting the job done... So think about that before you say that a certain job can't be done. -someone needed an explanation as to what snow ACTUALLY is? Very simple. Snow is only frozen water. There's only one rule regarding to snow. DON'T EAT YELLOW SNOW!!!