New guy needs help

Scott Johnson

I have a tree in my yard to cut (maple). Need to top it out. I bought spurs and saddle and need a quick class on how to safely do this. I do not have much experience with spurs. Also I bought a arborists saw (echo 14"). Any help greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

newguy18

First off welcome,second,topping so it can be removed i hope.Unfortunatley there no way a few posts and a couple videos can prepare you for everythign that can go wrong up there.Just a fair warning after you've removed all the limbs and go to cut the top,as the top breaks off,the tree is going to move alot so brace your self.it will move as you are blocking down too,i strongley recomend haveing a pro do it.If you are hell bent on doing it yourself though buy a book called the fundamentals of general treework first,read it and understand it.It can be found here,A Tree Story: books and videos by Gerald F Beranek. For a beginer a safe way to top it out would be to use the chainsaw to make the notch,then use a handsaw to make the backcut,that way you can SAFELY put one hand on the trunk while cutting with the other,not so with a chainsaw.I also recomen leaving a limb just below where you cut the top out that way you can tie in with your climb line so if something goes wrong and you get hurt,you have a way to the ground.Ialso recomend you watch this video as it shows pretty well what happens when the top comes out,Tall thin spotty gum removal rigged down knotless videod with helcam also recomend you watch all the videos that invlove tree removals,that way you can see first hand,climbers point of view everything that happens,we just make it look really easy,it can be really difficult,and as i said before best left to the pros.

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OutofMytree

Hi Scott. You have come to the right place for advice.

If we are to help you with this job photgraphs are really important. Please take whole tree photographs.

Tree pruning or removing is high risk work. This forum is full of threads where experienced arborists talk about injuries and property damage that they themselves have caused. I would strongly advise having a professional arborist do the work for you. I understand you have spent a lot of money on gear but you life is worth far more. That said, if you insist on doing the job yourself, I recommend the following.

1.Do a chainsaw safety and handling course

2.Do a hands-on arbor climbing course. Not a rock climbing course or an abseilling course or a wall climbing course......arbor climbing. It is quite different.

3.Buy hard hat, climbing gloves, eye and ear protection, saw proof pants or chaps and a good 1st aid kit.

4.Do the job with at least 1 other person who is physically capable of carrying your body weight.

5.Do the job on a clear calm day where you are not pressured for time.

6.Get a good life insurance policy.

If I understand you correctly you want to prune this tree rather than remove it altogether. If this is the case you must NOT use spurs. The wounds inflicted on a living tree by spurs can allow diseases and parasites to enter and ultimately lead to the death of the tree.

If you do want to prune the tree only then mark on the photographs exactly where you would like this to be. I use Microsoft paint for this purpose it works a treat.

I have never worked on a Maple, we see very few of them in this part of the world, but there are very few trees which can be succesfully "topped". Personally, I can count on the fingers of one hand, how many tree species I will pollard. Pollarding is similar to topping but not the same. You will need a North American arborist to advise you exactly what you can and cannot do with a Maple.

Last of all. Welcome. If you listen to the advice you are certain to recieve from the forum members here you will be well ahead of the race. Congratulations on asking for help. Common sense isnt all that common. You used yours today.

OutofMytree

Damn it NG. You beat me!

newguy18

what can i say,i was at his same place almost 2 years ago,i was on another forum and didn't get much help,just bashed and flamed,Ekka was the only one who really helped me.I've learned heaps here so its only right to return the favor to someone else who needs advice.

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Scott Johnson

Thanks for the help guys is appreciate it. I need to remove the whole tree. I am only concerned w/the canopy though. Once removed I can drop the remainder w/no trouble. What I really need is advice on my climbing. I bought some nice buckingham spurs/pads and a nice harness/saddle. I have only climbed a few trees w/these and want to be safe and correct when I do.

OutofMytree

Glad to hear it is a removal. See the recommendations above.

newguy18

Watc these videos,
Gecko climbers vs Caddy Pads

Knotless rigging pine removal

www.treeworld.info/video/tahune.wmv

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Garry Brockley

If you re absoloutely hellbent on doing it yourself then do as the others have sais but TAKE YOUR TIME and BE SAFE at all times if in doubt dont do it find another way. be safe G

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yooper

Scott, depending on if you are a Trool (you live below the Mak. bridge) or a Yooper(you live above the Mak.) I know a few yooper tree guys throuout the upper puninusula that may be willing to help. Dont know to many downstaters though. good luck and be safe if ya do it yourself.

kieren

This really pisses me off arborists train for years to do this kind of work because its dangerous! Most people will pay an electrician to do electrical work cause if you get it wrong your DEAD! Same with tree work. Every week you hear off some one dyeing doing tree work. You should return that gear you bought and pay a professional to do the work for you. The rest of you guys should be ashamed of yourselves not only are you incouraging a novice to do something dangerous you are also undermining our profession!

treeseer

Maples are decurrent and branchy so you would have to retie a lot.

Why not just use a ladder?

Handsaws are much more efficient and easy than chainsaw for small (<8") cuts.

Why cut--Is the tree dead?

OutofMytree

Kieran if you are going to post in a thread it is incumbent upon you to read all the posts. Otherwise you will end up with your foot wedged firmly in your mouth.

In Australia electrical work is governed by law, arborwork on the other hand is covered by standard. Two quite different concepts. As much as I, and most of the other respondents to this post, want Scott to hire a professional arborist, we are aware the chances that he will are slim. After all, he has posted to tell us he purchased some expensive equipment. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

I did not and do not encourage novices to undertake tree work. Nor will I stand by and allow a novice to injure himself when some pertinent advice could have saved his skin.

treeseer

Piffle.

"pertinent" advice can well be taken as encouragement, and round we go.

OutofMytree

"Rolls up sleeves"

Piffle?

I do not care for your tone sir!

Humour aside, I cannot control what others take from my advice. I will still offer it where I deem it "pertinent".

In this instance, what if Scott, in asking the original question, had been flamed by righteous arborists for having the nerve to ask advice on how to cut down a tree. What if then with his back up, he had gone and cut without any further information. What if he had then hurt himself or someone else......

I stand by my original response Treeseer. Did you read it?

Knotahippie

Climbing and cutting isn't easy and working in the tree with a chainsaw is deadly.

There is alot of good lit. about tree work out there but it takes time to study...being trained by a professional is your best bet to staying unbroken.

OutofMytree

Amen.

treeseer

Your response was comprehensive; it gave an idea of the skills involved.

newguy18

I also believe i told him right off the bat to get a pro,if hes hellbent on doing it himself then if he follows our advice he'll at least be safe.I was in his position 2 years ago and got a bunch of saftey sammy's giving me a hard time,so i went out and did it myself without advice.I'm giving him advice so he doesn't do it like i did and learn the hard and really dangerous way.There is no shame in that.

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treevet

Let's see um! Tree, surroundings, tree equipment, your equipment (biceps, beer gut if any, etc.). assistant (pal, mom, dog...?).

.....Piffle.....great....

OutofMytree

You pifflers need sorting out........

treevet

No need to get violent, everyone gets piffled once in a while.

OutofMytree

Last time I got piffled Mr Plod gave me a get-out-of-jail-free-card. Well it was free once I paid the fine.....


++++=

newguy18

at least he picked a tame forum to join.

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treevet

been there.....done that

treeseer

Really? SafeR, maybe.

Safety Sammies, ha, here we call em the PPE Police, way concerned over proper garb for the industrial athlete, but no guidance on tree care.

Piffle! Where did that word come from?

Knotahippie

Maybe he could trade straight across, the gear for the removal.

newguy18

You guys are kinda narrow minded,if i were in his neighborhood i'd be more than happy to teach him[or any one else for the matter]the ropes of tree cimbing.I know,i'm just degrading the industry i'm a bad person.Go ahead heckle em,cuss me out I DON'T CARE.

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ArborealTerror

I just hope you don't teach them for free. Make them groundie for you for a couple of months. That way at least they will have the fitness to climb a tree as well as the opportunity to see some of the dangers. I thought that was how most arborists started up.... unless they gotst themselves a gud edumecation lyk Ekka.

newguy18

Lol,I taught myself for the first year,started out with a second hand pole belt,set of pole gaffs and 50' of rope plus the tree climbers companion.If you go back to my first post in this thread,you'll see I advised profesional assistance,but if he wants to do it offered the best advice i can.I treated him like I wish I was treated almost 2 years ago on another forum where I got more shit than help.Ekka reached out and helped me and I'm grateful for that and treeworld,this is a place where you can ask for advice like Scott is asking for and not get flamed.I think a good arborist recomends a pro do it as we have experiance,but I also believe in helping others as best as we can.As I previously posted,we either help him with advice or he goes it alone,which would you rather see?

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old schooler