Imprisoned trees with HUGE epicormic, to climb or not to climb?

[Steve Bullman]

Thanks Steve, apreceate your opinion. So what about rigging, would you ever consider rigging off Epicormic growth like this?

 

Yes of course, but sensible size stuff appropriate to the conditions of the regrowth.

[WoodMouse]

If that tree is 90' then I need to get me one of those three story sheds like in the picture!

 

not the Ash, the Lyme, those poles just keep going for ever, above three story london houses. Nope, the ash isn't too bad. The Ash, imo is acceptable. The lyme was a joke. I wish i could have got a better shot.

[WoodMouse]

Thanks again all, apreceated responses.

[MattyF]

Just don't rig off the same stem your anchored too ....I try to never do that any way but I would climb those trees you have posted any day of the week and not give it a second thought, they look good trees to work on!

[Gary Prentice]

Well, thats the thing. It's all very well and good while everything holds. But from what i've been told about the formation of epicormic growth, and the way the union forms, that the strength of the union isn't reliable. Yes, 99% of the time you'll probably be ok on a decent piece, but i have heard of people stepping out onto bits that have just come away. Also, i've seen stems recently that are literally twisted and buckled trying to support the growth. Let me see if i can get some pics up to show you. All the guys at G&T's used to talk about it, but it's only since i had a Lv3-Lv4 student come out with me on a few quotes that i was informed what they're being told in college. You should never even anchor into epicormic growth, and doing so would invalidate your insurance because if you had filled out the risk assesment correctly, climbing Epicormic would push the score above a 5 and into dangerous.

 

Honestly, i've done my fare share trying to build my business up, but now that i'm beinging in other people, it's a different thing to ask this from someone else.

 

 

I think your student may have got the wrong end of the stick or mis-understood what he/she has been told. It would follow that every coppice stool is literally waiting to fall over. The stems you're showing have grown to that size, withstood numerous storms and high winds but now are considered so dangerous that they are unsafe to climb!

 

Would I note in a site specific risk assessment that the tree had been topped before? No.

 

Has one of these failed in thirty years of climbing trees? No

 

Is there a higher risk because of this? In your examples, my considered opinion is that the degree of risk is so insignificant, based on what is visible, that no addition measures are necessary. But then again, I don't operate under the rig big or go home attitude anyway.

 

Sorry if this post is coming across as antagonistic.

[daltontrees]

Sound answer, Gary. I wouldn't blink before getting up there. If it's a dismantle, get the spikes on and a swedish strop, spike up and strip it, leavign a few stubs to stop a whoopeee sling anchor sliding down, worst case scenario would eb to ratchet strap then brace a pair of weak co-dominant stems together at 1/2 height, then dismantle as normal. as Gary says, trees have probably withstood a lot and by the time you have the tops rigged off there's no force you could put on them by rigging that could make them fail before you get the whole lot down.

 

A god risk assessment leave the final call to the climber who goes up as far as a weak-looking union. If the climber is experienced, qualified and sensible, it's then quite appropriately his call. When I see weak pollard unions from the ground I am naturally cautious, they look like text-book hazards, but when you see them up close from a harness you generally realise that King Kong could fight off a squadron of aircraft from them and the unions wouldn't be troubled.

 

So, standard climber-knows-best RA clause. Otherwise, go for it, if you don't someone else will.

[daltontrees]

I meant ot add, on Monday I dismantled a Norway Maple 17m high, it had a very very dodgy compression fork at a historic pollard point, but I swung a quarter of the crown off it . when we got the tree on the deck, I dissected the fork and while there was definitely a discontinuity of the wood across the fork I could see from the shape of the rings that the tree had compensated for the weakness in the most effective way. It's in the woodpile but I'll try and fish it out for a photo.

 

Piin t is' it looked bad from the outside from the ground, but the more than compensated.

[Gary Prentice]

. When I see weak pollard unions from the ground I am naturally cautious, they look like text-book hazards, but when you see them up close from a harness you generally realise that King Kong could fight off a squadron of aircraft from them and the unions wouldn't be troubled.

 

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Absolutely brilliant, love that description:lol:

[edwood]

If your doubting the integrity of those limbs just get a subbie climber in. They may look different in the flesh but I can't see their in anyway dangerous

[Stephen Blair]

He he!!

This has to be a wind up!