Newbie on the block

Hello fellow Arborists, joined up yesterday and I must say very impressed with the site, so much information, well done.

I have been in Arboriculture/Tree Surgery for 32 years now and 15 years as a AA Contractor (but not anymore). Still love the business but as many of you will know its hard out there. Look forward to talking to you via the site.

Red

Hello fellow Arborists, joined up yesterday and I must say very impressed with the site, so much information, well done.

 

I have been in Arboriculture/Tree Surgery for 32 years now and 15 years as a AA Contractor (but not anymore). Still love the business but as many of you will know its hard out there. Look forward to talking to you via the site.

 

Red

Welcome to the show, Red - you're on in 5 minutes!

Great the spotlight calls, is it as hard as a Black Poplar in the wind and rain?

Are there many lads on here from the Midlands?

Welcome to the madness mate!

Nice to have a newbie who might know a thing or two on board.

Welcome Red, I'm a noob myself, joined in November. Lots of midlanders on here, Leicestershire me. Where you?

Welcome Red: I believe you will be among very good company.

easy-lift guy

Thanks for the welcome, I am based in Stratford upon Avon but work a good radius, especially for one of my contracts (we have travelled just into Wales for them). The natives appear friendly and as I have said before a great site, its good seeing like minded folk pulling together (no pun there by the way). Since I started in 1979 there sure has been a lot of changes in Arboriculture, most for the better though I believe the Health and Safety thing is getting very silly, we are being deprived of our common sense.

welcome Red, please tell some of your stories and put up your pics, past and present on the forum.

If you have been on the go since 1979 you are going to be a very valuable asset to the forum:001_smile:

Is there a term for an experienced 'newbie' -as opposed to a genuine newbie?

Surely there ought to be some way of discriminating between old hands like Red and Grandad and others who have recently started their careers.

I was looking at a picture the other day of me up a dead 65-70 feet Elm tree, with no rope harness or even B.T pole belt ( a lot of tree workers used them then) I had acessed the tree by 3 section ladder and the picture shows me propping my back up against the trunk with my feet jammed against the big limb to be removed, the chain saw was a Stihl slab cutter with bar and chain on it, talk about *****, but I did not know any better then, you should have seen my face when in 1980 I saw my first Honey Brothers catologue, wow, whats all this equipment, and compared to an up to date Catologue it was pretty basic, but it looked like a treasure chest to me. Then in 1988 took my AA test and passed and I'm now I was starting to feel like a proper Tree Surgeon. I would say to all you fella's keep a scrap book of letters you get from customers crediting you doing a good job, and from time to time read over them to see if your still doing good work (though people write less letters these days).

I have to feel sorry for some of you fella's as the 80-90's where good decades for making money, not many tree climbers about then, compare that to today with page after page of contractors in the Yellow Pages, it is tough out there. The thing I will say about doing 90 feet black Poplars without a harness, just the B.T pole belt is that when you do eventually get the equipment you can climb anything. Just the selections of ropes todays and the technology in rope design and strength is great, and the bollards and rigging equipment has made tree work so much easier.

Sorry if I have gone on a bit here. Is it easy to post pictures on this site, whats the method?

If I was to give some advise, it would be look after your tree first before your customer, there not always right, and try to understand the mechanics of a tree, that is understand what it will or will not stand, also it may save your life one day if you plan to rig down heavy peices.