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Climbing trees in the rain: Dangerous, or just unpleasant?


Dee MacThomas
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18 minutes ago, richyrich said:

Spikes only used on trees that are being removed- not used on trees that are being kept. Damages bark and lets disease in...

Is that the case with all trees, regardless of the thickness of their bark? I wonder if there could be a big Douglas Fir tree or a Chestnut that you could safely dig spikes into.

 

EIther way, I take your point.

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54 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Most outfits will carry on in the rain but it’s not uncommon to pick and choose your jobs. Eucalyptus in particular is no fun at all to climb when wet so I wouldn’t blame them at all for opting for something easier. Danger aside, add in what could potentially go wrong in the way of collateral damage(greenhouses beneath etc)…sometimes it’s just not worth the agro

It really would've been nice to hear this explanation from the two arb crews. From what I heard from the old folks, they just didn't show up/said they can't do it. It is possible that I'm not getting the whole story!

23 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

When I left Bolton in September of 2002 it had rained incessantly for the best part of 9 weeks.

I had to cancel quite a few large reductions/dismantles and concentrate on straight fells and conifer jobs instead, waiting for the weather to break, it didn’t. 
Starting a job in good weather then having torrential rain by mid day is quite normal, I have never called a job off mid way through, but starting a wet Beech, Eucalyptus or Sycamore reduction without gaffs is certainly not my favourite thing to tackle, If I could reschedule, I would.

I like your work ethic. I'd try to do the same.

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It's never occured to me that it would be a problem for us Northerners, but last winter my family had two arborists cancel on separate occasions due to the weather; specifically, the rain.
 
The job was to thin out and raise the crown on our 80 ft Eucalyptus. Two days' work for three lads, they said.
 
I've no idea how heavy it was tipping down, but I know that it was just raining and a bit cold. No wind.
 
So, is it normal for tree work to be called off in wet weather? Is it any more dangerous than in the dry? So long as my saw is not submerged in water and I stay comfortable, I'd say I'm alright.
 
I ended up doing the job myself. It was fun applying my rock climbing skills to tree climbing. Some of my techniques might have raised your eyebrows!

More like they just couldn't be arsed. We work in all weathers, rain.....so what, we just get on with it and go home. End of.
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20 minutes ago, Mesterh said:

Good advice from Mick and Pete. Slower, harder and therefore swap a job with a take down or some easy fells. Clearing up in the rain can be tedious and I've cancelled many a job because you know the customers prize lawn is going to look like a building site by the end of the day.

 

Do your customers seem to have any difficulty accepting this rescheduling at short notice? Of course, you're not going to risk climbing in dangerous conditions, but if the customer's ok with having their lawn grenaded, chop away!

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3 minutes ago, Hodge said:


More like they just couldn't be arsed. We work in all weathers, rain.....so what, we just get on with it and go home. End of.

That's what I was thinking, but these other replies have given me a greater understanding of their possible reasons for non-appearance.

 

I like being out in all weathers.

 

Nice truck, by the way.

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I have had a lot of calls asking if we are still going to do the work due to the weather so I guess most people realise it could be an issue.

Yep, destroyed a lot of lawns in the past but they were warned and didn't care.

I've done a lot of power line clearing in the past, crying off because of rain wasn't an option when a village had been shut off. Being soaked to the skin and freezing cold before 1000  was never a good feeling.

 

 

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