New to site and arb have a few questions :)

Nebula

Hi guys,
I think I posted this in wrong forum thread before didn't realise, anyway hope this is the right forum thread for it.

I have just joined this site and am new to the whole arborist world so to speak.
I live in North Coast NSW at Byron Bay.
I am starting my climbing course in two weeks and looking forward to it. I have studied horticulture/landscaping before but not full arb.

I am going to do my cert 3 Arb at tafe early next year when it runs again. I am currently finishing my business degree. In the long term I wish to combine my degree with my adv dip in arb for consultancy work.

Anyhow I have a couple of questions just with any ideas of what I should have to maximise my employment prospects other than what I have stated above.
Obviously I have no experience so want to try get in with a tree firm, I just felt I needed some qualifications before I approached them. I have my green card or white card now and am doing my chem application ticket in a couple of months also my chainsaw ticket.

Anyway thats my background as you can see not much in this area. I am also after a chainsaw, and am thinking of getting a pro saw especially as I am wishing to go into the industry early next year.

I was thinking on the lines of a MS460 magnum for ground work, I am going to need it soon as I am doing some work on a friends property. Is that saw roughly what I should be looking at for the long term, any ideas or other makes models?
Also I saw the guys in the USA can get them a hell of a lot cheaper, even with stihl offering their curent $200 off pro saw deal, have many people purchased through those guys.

Yes I have written an essay appologies, any help in any part would be great,

TheTreeGuru

Hey m8

First of all, anyone can pick up a chainsaw....but that doesnt make them an arborist.
I hope u dont mind heights, wind, possums,spiders, Falling branches heavier than your car, all put together with Rain to taste.

I am in my second year arb, and really enjoying it, but i found there was a make or break point when first learning to climb, standing on a branch as thin as ur wrist in the pouring rain with a chainsaw and theres no backing down, knowing you need to take just one little step, i did it and so have many others, but many others have failed, An Arb apprenticship is not a walk in the park. always remember that trees dont discriminate YOU WILL KILL YOURSELF IF YOU AREE NOT CAREFUL OH&S PPE 100% REQUIRED
Arboriculture has a Skills Shortage - not enough arborist - there is a good reason for this.

Insurance is a must for BIG Tree removels near peoples stuff

As for chainsaw u cannot go past Sthil, for i wont touch any other saw.
Get urself an 020 for climbing $1200, 046 for climbing and ground $1250, u will learn wat saws are good for waht as the trees you fell get bigger.

as for tickets, i have the following and they get me thru:

EWP- Elavated work Platform

Limits of approach - Trees and Powerlines

Chainsaw tkt

First Aid cert 1

hope i helped a little, gdluck

TheTreeGuru

Also look at buying a ute, if you are just starting an old Holden Rodeo or sumthing similar is perfect, i scored mine for $850 no reg, all up $2000 on the road.

Nebula

Cheers for all the info mate, I am now doing a bit of tree work for a friend and enjoying it, I'm not climbing properly yet though.

Climbing along a branch as thin as my wrist in the pissing rain, I think I would have to say no to that job. As Ekka has said on here some guys will try get you to climb all kinds of stupid shit that just isn't safe at all. Those jobs you turn down and move on to the next one.

I have a family who I wish to see when my days work is done, work is important but not that important.

Yeah I think I have narrowed my saw choice down to a 361, a guy I met uses it a lot climbing and thinks there great just that more power for the cut than the 20t, I ad a session on it and liked it a lot.
Therrin and Bruce on here also seemed to think they would be a good saw for me as I want an allrounder so I think that will be the one, as 440s are now non existant.

Then I will go a 66 next I used one the other day ???? they cut easy and felt good aswell not akward or anything as I expected, really nice saw.

I'm gonna hit Therrin up end of the week for a price, after I work out money situation.

TheTreeGuru

i was refering to TAFE where we would climb out on that branch, because thats where they put the targets for assesments.

juztn

i`ve been doin this a few yrs and finishing my certIII this yr. i am struggling to find a decent example of how to put together tree reports... i am basically creating templates for further assignments and uses in the workplace (ie; for customers). At the moment i am doing an assignment based on RTF3032A: Install cable and bracing, and basically tree reports etc
while i have so much info and references; i am lost in how to structure it perfectly!
i do plan to continue onto the diploma but i am finding it completely unmotivating at the moment with this process.
if anyone is a master at these tasks i would be forever grateful to get some tips!
regards juztn

Eric Frei

It's called the non-endorsed component of training, also called gap filling where the skills you dont have, have to be taught, then you have to utilize that information to go about getting real life examples of your own to match the competencies

Methods to obtain are, searching, copying, buddying, mentoring, coaching etc. Even if copying, the report on the tree has to be real, you may copy formats but not diagnosis etc. My advice, give them what they ask for, index, bibliography etc but in the real world a lot of that is "padding" and tossed off as time wasting, money making, tree hugging BS. People are fast and ferverous, meaning they tell you what they want, when they want it, how they want it. They want the specific issues covered "scope" not 15 pages of BS about your ego, your positions in orgs and your value of a tree to the "amenity" valued by some hugger. They want to know WTF is up, and what to do.

They even love bullet point format. You could for example waffle on about absorbing roots and spread for 5 pages, that's a sure way to roll the eyes of the reader, better you just say mulch 5 m out from the trunk 75mm deep.

When you read an engineers report do you want to read 30 pages of BS about standards or just go to the end and read about WTF to do knowing that what is recommended is viable, accepted and to standard. tree people have a long way to go, many are just parrots for some academic books or writers.

I want you to think real carefully about this. Last time you went to the doctor and had an unusual complaint and he diagnosed plus medicated, did he just give you a script and explanation of what is going on or did he cite 15 journals, tell you the chemical composition of the drug and it's inventor plus hand you a bibliography of his reference material? Course he just told you what to do and pay the bill on the way out.

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