help!

[ecolojim]

got a bit of a problem

 

boss has asked/told me that I'll be climbing a big horse chestnut tomorrow with him. think it's Doddington road Lincoln to do a 50% reduction on it.

 

This will be my first reduction ever.

 

problem a: I dont like reductions for reductions sake, and 50% sounds like a pretty horrid one!

 

problem b: Im under the impression HC is particularly snappy to climb, so Im going to want a pretty large anchor point?

 

problem c: this is the biggy. where the hell to cut. I cant be asking him where to cut all day long. I know the principles of pruning and where to cut in that respect, but im talking more about preserving the shape of the tree, and knowing that Im going to be cutting pretty thick stuff (gonna look ugly)

 

problem d: he's going to send me up it with an ms170 rear handled saw because he only has one 200t and im still waiting on some parts for my 019t. Might just say I'll do it all by silky power, IMO If im cutting stuff thats too thick for a silky, theres something drastically wrong

 

 

 

what says the board?

[christreeroot]

Stand away from the tree and look at it and imagine where the reduction will be going to, its amazing how you will remember it in the tree, it should almost work naturally for you...

 

If you are concerned about the amount of reduction then imo that is a good omen for you as a future arborist, 50% is way to much esp for a HC, you might as well remove it.... Is your boss decent can you voice your concerns without him being a turd back....

 

Your boss should give you the 200t to use as he is obvisouly way more experienced than yourself. You are right about using your silky and size of parts to be removed again this shows that if you are taking off bigger limbs that is too much...

[kevwrenn]

Hi Jim, cant think where this tree might be, just done some work in Doddington rd myself, but dont remember any big HC other than the two we felled. Is it a domestic job?? Who is it you are working for?? one of the local big 2 or another?? Just interested.

[ecolojim]

thing is, I should only be using a silky anyway since I dont yet have my CS39

 

whether he's conveniently ignoring this or whether his insurance allows for 'supervision' Im not sure.

 

Im sure I could voice concern, and he wouldnt be a turd back, but it probably wouldnt change anything now he's specced 50%

 

I agree, it should be a dismantle job. Its one of those inner city 'tree's too big' jobs I suppose. Tree may well have been there first.

 

Oh well, his company sign on the van

 

thanks for the pointers Chris!

[ecolojim]

Hi Jim, cant think where this tree might be, just done some work in Doddington rd myself, but dont remember any big HC other than the two we felled. Is it a domestic job?? Who is it you are working for?? one of the local big 2 or another?? Just interested.

 

Hi Kev, just racking my brains... think it's at number 30 so by my guess that's somewhere up near newark road end. Domestic job. Its only a small contractor from misterton Im working with tomorrow. Pleased im climbing and not working on the ground though. Brash has to go through a gap in a 7ft conifer hedge and theyve got a 4/5inch bearcat chipper on site.

 

Im gonna laugh so F hard if we get there and its one youve felled!!

[kevwrenn]

sounds like a back garden job to me so we wont have touched it. we do mostly LA work, roadside trees and council housing. had some narrow gaps to drag through in last few weeks. Number 30 must be between triton and newark roads i think. some big houses down there!

[Tommy_B]

What size is the tree? How big is big?? If you aren't happy about doing something, let the boss know!! He might call you a girl at the time, but He'll swear a lot more if you get up there and something goes wrong because you're flustered!!

 

Tell him that you want the 020 as well!!!

 

Just my opinion though!!

 

Good luck mate, Hope it all goes to plan!!!

[Robert_S]

Voice your concerns to him if he is a decent manager/boss he will take your concerns as constructive if not, just dont do it if you dont feel confident, there will be plenty more trees to cut.

What job is he on? swap with him and let him do the 50% CR ( too much )

And yes its his name on the van but its your body that goes in the ground if you make a mistake through lack of confidence/experience.

only my opinion but i would never send someone in the air if they voiced the concerns you posted, unless i was on the job to supervise and give you support to build your experience.

[ecolojim]

Voice your concerns to him if he is a decent manager/boss he will take your concerns as constructive if not, just dont do it if you dont feel confident, there will be plenty more trees to cut.

What job is he on? swap with him and let him do the 50% CR ( too much )

And yes its his name on the van but its your body that goes in the ground if you make a mistake through lack of confidence/experience.

only my opinion but i would never send someone in the air if they voiced the concerns you posted, unless i was on the job to supervise and give you support to build your experience and confidence.

 

I dont think I perhaps explained myself properly. He's going to be in the tree as well, there will be an additional 2 persons on the ground. The Idea presumably being to get the reduction done more efficiently, and Im hoping, theres going to actually be some instruction for me.

 

My concern isnt climbing the tree. I shouldnt have listed the anchor point thing as a problem, I was more looking for confirmation that horse chestnut is a weaker wood and something I should be conscious of.

 

My concern is whether Im doing something bad if I use a saw when Im not qualified or whether it's on him as the boss man. My other concern being that I want to make the cuts in the right places, not re: my safety, but making the tree look no worse than in my opinion it is inevitably going to.

 

I was more looking for people's insight into how to visualise the shape from within, people's opinions on the job itself, my opinion that 50% is too much and anything too big for a silky is too big full stop etc.

 

my main concern, is knowing that I had a hand in hat racking what is probably a very nice tree, and probably just on somebody's whim

[Peter]

 

my main concern, is knowing that I had a hand in hat racking what is probably a very nice tree, and probably just on somebody's whim

 

Welcome to commercial arboriculture.

 

On the plus side, it will probably get felled next year when the owner realises they still dont like it.