does anybody have experience with cutting branches on real tall trees???. I have an electric chan saw. What else I need. How do I secure myself on the tree? Any tricks to learn before I start doing that?
Where do I cut branches? Next to the trunk or in the middle?
Mark- All I know about trimming trees, is what NOT to do. . .DO NOT seat yourself on a limb and them cut the part of that limb nearest the trunk. It WILL have disasterous results;-)
Seriously however, there are a couple of websites out there that may help you. They are as follows:
Myrl Jeffcoat
thanks a lot
Myrl Jeffcoat wrote:
I've seen Elmer Fudd do that, and was just fine afterward. He came back for many cartoons. Stop being such an alarmist.
But, I'll bet he had plenty of down time before any subsequent tunes;-)
Neighbor's house recently sold. Widow moved into extended care home. Owner died a couple of years ago when storm downed tree he was cutting for firewood fell on him and killed him. Then the drug addict I met in the hospital having gangrenous toes removed got started with drugs due to using for pain relief after falling while cutting a tree. Then there was supervisor who almost bled to death when chain saw slipped and cut his femoral artery. Hire a pro.
This is scary. What you are saying is that people do not do it themselves?
Frank wrote:
Not the smart ones.
I've done it before. Get a rope saw (I don't know what else to call it) It's like a chainsaw chain with a rope on each end and a little sandbag on one of the ropes. You throw it over the branch and saw it back and forth with the ropes. Works real slick, and not very expensive.
Don't let the branch fall on you.
Bob
Mark- I'm a grandmother - I don't do trees! I hire them done, and have had mixed result even from that!
I have a few young agile neighbor guys that occassionally do a tree on their own. Some of them do just fine.
I do a lot of things around my house because I have the philosophy that a gal (even an old one) can do anything a guy can do. . .Just as long as strength isn't a barrier. Even the larger jobs can usually be broken down into smaller more manageable compenents. Like I've replaced a wax ring on a toilet by taking the top of the tank off, so iti is in two pieces rather than a more heavier one piece.
But, if I had that electric chain saw of your's, I'd keep it for the smaller stuff, and hire a pro.
Myrl Jeffcoat
I'm with you Oldtimer. . .Given the swiftness of that rotating chainsaw blade, and the instability of the swaying branches, I would never want any part of those acrobatics. I imagine it to be a recipe for disaster.
Myrl Jeffcoat
You don't start your construction career building skyscrapers. You don't start playing the stock market by suddenly becoming a day trader. You don't learn to drive in an 18-wheeler carrying hazardous materials. And you don't start being an arborist by getting a few hints, and then climbing into a tree.
Then again, if you're trying to earn a place on next year's Darwin Awards list, go ahead. Just make sure that if you have any dependants that you have a big life insurance policy that's paid up, and covers doing insanely stupid things.
Thanks a lot for all the advice to all the guys that participate in this discussion. . You are absolutely right. It is very foolish to start learning this type of skill climbing tall trees with a chain saw when medical insurance is so expensive and I do have dependents. Again, I appreciate it very much
There's often more involved than just taking away one branch. A good tree service will look for other things, like limbs that are rubbing against one another. That'll cause "sores" which leave the tree open to disease. Take away a limb or two, and tree may look imbalanced. So, a real expert will know how to do a bit of artistic work on the tree, too.
Some cities and electric/phone companies hire private contractors to do tree trimming. This goes not mean these tree companies are the best, but it MIGHT. If a tree service messes up a homeowner's tree, it can result in some rather large financial liability. So, it's worth a phonecall to your electric company to see who they hire for this work. You can ask friends & neighbors for names, but this isn't the type of work people need very often, so it might take a while to find someone good. If you see work being done, stop and watch, and ask questions. If they sound stupid, walk away. If they can briefly describe what they did and why, you might be onto someone good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
Mark
Home owners do not belong cutting braches on ladders or larger than say 2" in diameter. I suggest that the job is best left to professionals. For your safety and the trees sake.
If you need suggestions on how to select an arborist go here:
John A. Keslick, Jr. Beware of so-called TREE EXPERTS who do not understand TREE BIOLOGY!
I would say especially not from a ladder. All good arborists have and can use a rope and saddle. Ladders move unexpectedly, more so on uneven ground , and the results are often disastrous. A properly secured arborist might swing a bit when something moves (and something _will_ move when a large branch is removed) but won't fall and won't be underneath the falling branch. I'm a DIY'er myself in many cases, but I don't recommend amateur tree pruning.
DISCLAIMER: I am a professional arborist. I stand to benefit from having people follow the above advice. But I also have seen the results of amateur pruning, and feel well qualified to say, most amateurs and their trees will also benefit from following the above advice.
But if you want to learn more about proper pruning practices (either because you are stubborn or you want to develop a list of questions for potential hirees), visit
good luck,
Keith Babberney ISA Certified Arborist #TX_0236AT
I have seen arborists working in trees with ropes and saddles, and it is quite a sight to see. It can be like watching a ballet. And it ought to be obvious to anyone that the guys up in the tree didn't just wake up that morning, and decide they were good enough to do that.
It's not just a trade. It's a professional craft that takes a lot of judgment, skill, knowledge, and practice. Not to mention physical agility. Yet still accidents happen.
I don't think you really need to make that disclaimer any more than a thorasic surgeon needs a disclaimer when discouraging do-it-yourself heart surgery.
But you also touch on another point: Even if the armature do-it-yourselfer manages to complete the job without hurting themselves, that doesn't mean that they did the job right. The tree may be damaged, and be in an even greater need of a professional trimming than it was before the armature hacked away at it.
It's one thing to be an armature gardener. It's quite another thing to be an armature arborist.
I'm not an arborist. But I have the highest level of respect for arborists. You don't need to apologize through a disclaimer for being one. People who don't think they can wake-up one day and do your job are the ones who need to apologize... although some might not do so even as they lay in the hospital with one less arm than when they woke-up that day.
The tree may also end looking just plain ugly, and you can't do anything about it until it's had several years' worth of growth. I've looked at plenty of books which diagram ways of doing cosmetic shaping of various tree types. I've taken those books outside, looked at similar trees, and my first thought has usually been "Go get the phone book". Luckily, years ago, someone recommended a wizard of a tree guy. He walks 1/2 a block away to look at some trees from a distance before touching them.
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