Would you climb this??

[scotspine1]

there's a lot of people posting in this thread who need a major reality check.

 

that tree is a straight fell from ground level - the Pete Donzelli accident - he was natural crotch rigging a previously lightning struck pine with 3 wraps round the trunk of an adjacent tree. No blocks, no lowering device. It was said at the time the stem failed beneath him because

 

A - there were too many wraps meaning the groundsman couldn't let the top run to absorbed the shock load, add to that the sideways loading caused by the wraps being taken on another tree.

 

B - or when the top started to go over.....the butt end of the top piece pushed back the main stem causing the stem to fail before the rigging had even activated so to speak.

 

Alex Shigo carried out an investigation of the Pine sections/stem and said it was an internal weakness that caused the trunk to fail. A sad story indeed.

[Taupotreeman]

You lot are mental.

 

Would you really have climbed that bag of pap knowing the extent of the decay when you could have moved the targets?

 

The thing was, it was climbed without knowing the extent of the decay.

 

 

Out of interest, does anyone know of a case where a tree failed at the base whilst being climbed? Not root plate, I know that's happened.

 

Yep, one here recently. Second hand info so I don't know all the details but I believe it was a helicopter job removing some Coral trees off a cliff face. Climber went up one of the trees to rig up for the chopper lift and the tree snapped clean off at the bottom. The climber was roped in but not stropped so he managed to push himself clear of the stem as it went over. Walked away and carried on working but a lucky boy I would say.

[Taupotreeman]

Whilst I still think a straight fell would have been my chosen route, it would have been an interesting hinge for sure!

 

I think, if you were attempting to fell that, once you had the gob in and had seen how much decay was in it you be re-evaluating your felling method or your underwear choice for the day

[scotspine1]

Out of interest, does anyone know of a case where a tree failed at the base whilst being climbed? Not root plate, I know that's happened.

 

Its happened a lot Mark.

 

A well respected and popular climber from Scotland was climbing and working on a tree in Australia about 2005 when it failed beneath him, he died from his injuries. Another tragic accident.