street smart stories

treevet

Today, the day after Christmas, my gm and I went down an embankment to remove a 3' dia black cherry, approx. 100' tall, that had uprooted and become wedged in another large tree about 3 years ago. I did not want this job 3 years ago because of the danger factor and since it was in the woods I thought they would forget about and I was right until a few weeks ago.

I gave a quote and developed a plan which involved climbing the tree it was stuck in and bent over and taking some ends off so when I bottom cut the heavily leaning and bowed cherry it would lighten the load on the bowed and leaning walnut it was well stuck in with tight crotches and big wood embedded in them. There was no way bottom cutting the tree was going to eventually get the cherry unstuck from the walnut. No equipment access except the Dingo.

We got there and my second sense changed my mind and I put a wedge in the cherry leaner and then bottom cut it. It held wood until the final threads and when the butt fell maybe 3 feet and stuck in the ground.........well, the cherry shook a little and then the walnut (a live and healthy but bowed) tree just instantaneously uprooted and both of them within seconds slammed to the ground and buried in the semi frozen mud.

I was going to climb that walnut.....If I had done it and shook it with taking some of the stick-out ends off the cherry stuck in it I would have died today. No ifs, ands or buts. I would have died. My gm just looked at me and said..."you were going to climb that, Dave".

Any other stories, I'd love to hear them.

pcarborist

Treevet, it sounds like it could have been a soil failure rather than a tree failure?
Maybe both. Did you examine the roots after the incident? Sounds like you're counting your lucky stars.

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parkcityarborist

treevet

It was def both PC. Plus it had a 10k tree laying on it at an approx 45 degree angle for 3 plus years and was loaded, being bowed, and heaved, and wet soil. The tree that uprooted, cherry, wasn't holding anything except a little on the front.
I had thought about leaving it and climbing the walnut because it was holding a little giving the trunk some stability. Glad I didn't go with that plan. Like I said the cherry was so stuck in the walnut that it wasn't coming out even with bottom cutting.

In a way, esp. because I did not climb, the situation could not have transpired any better. No climbing, no rigging or yanking and no time elapsed. Just one notch on the top of the leaner and a bottom cut and then after that it was all clean up and splitting.

newguy18

Alright i have 2,first one,a good friend and client asked me to remove a limb,about 12" diameter from and very large oak the over hung the suwannee river,limb was almost dead anyway,i walked around the tree and saw that it leaned hard over the river,all the roots facing the river were sticking out and what roots were holding on the backside were completly rotten so i declined to climb it,about 8 weeks ago i went out there,only to find the tree in the river,wonder what would have happened if i climbed it?The second was another case of a badly rotten oak that i had climbed,i had a highline in another tree and had swung over to it so i could top it out,i went to hook my flipline up and the little voice inside said,don't clip in,so i cut the top out without hooking my flipline,and bailed out before the top was pulled over,i turned to look back and the whole tree was going over.

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old schooler

TreeDimensional

Treevet, it proves my point. Experience creates the little voice, you always should listen to it. Glad you didn't get hurt!

treevet

You gotta be on top of your game or you will die. It happens. A good example that was in the news and can be checked is one of the guys that was making the video series "The Art and Science of Practical Rigging" died while he was working a tree that fell over during the period that they were filming the series and they mentioned this in the vid. The monthly accident report in TCI mag ( I believe it is) and the accident reports in some arb sites always have some accidents of this type. No fault except living on the edge and consequently dieing on the edge.

Hey Bill, ...is that river the source of the old song (Way down upon the suwannee River far far away) ?

newguy18

It might be,i'll look into it for you.

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old schooler

newguy18

Yes Dave,the suwannee river was the source for the Steven foster song,he was born and raised in Fort white,about a half hour from me.

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old schooler

treevet

Thanks Bill, Foster, a hometown celebrity?...that's a huge thing!

I (and Bill for that matter) have taken a few tumbles. I have had numerous close calls using some of my 9 lives. Thought it might be of some interest, this article, which is not tree climbing but related. When I have fallen I have felt completely and necessarily in control as much as was allowed by the circumstances and this may help someone some day I hope.....


Well....that did not upload. But anyone want to talk technique?

I am gonna 1. Stay relaxed
2. Watch my landing spot
3. Watch my posture with my shoulders rolled back and down
4. Knees slightly bent and shoulder width apart

5. On contact give some resistance and let body collapse in
sequence then roll forward if the opportunity is there to
dissipate the load of impact.

The first 4 were in the article and number 5 is my own. Might add,....if the fall is over say, 60 feet....7. bend over between your legs and "kiss your ass goodbye "

newguy18

Until i looked into the song,i never heard of him Dave,i can't give technique on falling as all i did on a 3 of my falls out of trees,i landed flat as a pancake on my back.

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old schooler

treevet

Man, that's gotta be painful. Me and another climber were walking from the woods one day up a hill when a roofer fell 4 stories (basement lst floor, 2nd, attic) and landed 10 feet from us flat on his back. He is a parapalegic (sp? can't use all four limbs), and broke his pelvis and multiple ribs.

newguy18

Ouch,guess someone up above was looking out for me on those days.

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old schooler

treefeller

Ive come out of a few, one of which was a poplar that i was in the process of dismantling. The tree had been pollarded in the past and was about 60' The crown started at around 35' whilst in the process of spiking up one of the uprights i noticed that the limb that i was strapped into started swaying, before i could do anything it had given way with me still attatched to it. I spent 8wks inn hospital, with my right arm broken in two places, my collar bone broken, fractured hip,3 broken ribs and damage to my spine.