Using spikes while pruning.

[18 stoner]

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Everyone has an an opinion.

 

Heres mine;

 

I always spike on a pruning. Being a fat lad, its better to give the tree a good spiking rather than stand on every branch and snap it off due to an extreme weight on it:sneaky2:

[18 stoner]

Hahaha that made me chuckle. My wounds have "sealed" over already so I'm Sharpening my gaffs for that side reduction on the beech that 18stoner wants me to do next week.

 

[Tom D]

I once spiked some crappy sitkas to crown lift them in a hurry. I would never wear spikes for pruning because I find them cumbersome and annoying when getting around the tree.

 

It is perfectly true that a few wee spike marks are nothing when compared to the damage that the "pruning" is likely to do anyway.

 

 

If you want a really controversial thread mesterh how about a discussion on the countless "reduction" pics posted on here that are little more than topping.

[Mesterh]

Tbh I didn't start this thread to poke fun at anyone or start a kick off, I was genuinely surprised or should I say shocked to find it quite common and from a lot if the comments fairly acceptable practice. Its just something I dont do and very rarely see.

 

Oh and topping/heavily reducing trees us in no way pointless as long as someone pays and is happy with the work.

[Hodge]

If you are to carry out work in accordance with B.S. 3998 recomendations for tree work, it states that spikes should only be used for take downs or ariel rescue. in my opinion you should not spike a tree no matter how high to the branches or whatever the bark etc, these are excuses. a good climber wont need to use them. if a climber did a job for me and was going to use them for pruning he would be asked not to and if he didnt like that then i wouldnt use him.

[Heads up]

I never have as of yet, but i've seen it done a few times and 50% of those times i would have possibly done the same.

[Frank]

So is their actually people who climb trees without gaffs? How do you do it?

[Frank]

 

Actually no, that was the very first excuse I heard for using spikes. And it didn't wash then.

 

Btw I was only having a laugh putting that pic up, I found it the other day an was dying to use it. I knew you wouldn't take offence.

 

Some good comments from all, keep voting and posting.

 

 

I'll have to post my thoughts and comments later.

I'm gonna set up a new website called ispikeanytree.com.

 

Will you visit?

 

 

I'm only kidding. I don't even use spikes on dismantles. Unless I really have to. They do my head in.

[DrewB]

Use a throwline, srt or footlock to anchor point, leave the spikes in the truck:)

[Mesterh]

Ahh well good to see I'm not in the minority afterall:thumbup1:

 

Although there are good 4 people that need to feel the back of my hand!

 

I suppose the main reason I'm against using spikes is that when In college (I did an NCH(arb)) it was stressed many a time that using spikes on live wood was very poor practice, just as in not doing NTP or just letting branches rip down the trunk etc.

 

Plus the people I have worked with have thought the same.

 

I also remember being told that a tree can deal with damage from NTP a lot better than it can from damage that results from spikes or other wounds to the stem.

 

I think the excuses for using spike are just that, excuses, they arent reasons.

 

It does seem unnecessary in many occasions to use spikes and I think saying that they cause small wounds compared to removing a branch of x diameter is just a cop out.

 

Would it be ok for me to do a few tears and rips, bounce some logs of some branches to be retained then carve my company name and phone number into the stem because I climbed the tree and didnt use spikes?

 

I know its not the crime of the century but in the arb world I think its quite high up there, if not at the top.

 

A vast majority I think is laziness, well from what I have seen in RL(not from listening to others on here) and unnecessary.

 

I would of been interested to run this poll along another that asked if you thought of yourself as an arborist/tree surgeon or a climber/wood cutter.

 

 

 

Thanks for the votes and posts though, well appreciated.

 

I would have explained the above better if it wasnt so late and I hadnt been drinking....much:laugh1: