Marc
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Everything posted by Marc
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Is it this one (as in the one without the sliding bridge) Its simply called a Cresto Skybelt http://www.treeworker.co.uk/acatalog/Cresto_Climbing_Harnesses_30.html Personally i couldn't bare to buy the same harness twice, then again i've had 3 harnesses in 3 years none have worn out, i just like to experiment and it helps keep the tax bill down.
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Its never worth spending money pruning unless there is a good reason to prune. I hope our chesnuts won't die, i try and tell people to wait and see what the future brings.
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Should you need a licence to be an arborist?
Marc replied to Gregsie's topic in Training & education
I know groundies who can match most top freelance climbers earning, its not the norm though. -
Should you need a licence to be an arborist?
Marc replied to Gregsie's topic in Training & education
Stop twisting my words:sneaky2: My point is if you want to climb going to college will not make you a climber nor will passing an nptc, when i started as a groundie i watched closely all the climbers i worked with and learnt far more from that than any nptc unit! Being a good groundy is not easy either, my position is climber / groundy, we then have a lead climber and more dedicated groundy, we are one unit each knows how to read the other no one person is in charge or above the other and we work exceptionally well together. I've worked for several companies some very effciently run, highly organised, highly trained indviduals, set team leaders but they lack the team dynamic it only take one weak link to let the team down. We are poorly organised and some might say poorly run yet our work rate and quality is second to none, its us a team that makes the company, not the company. -
Should you need a licence to be an arborist?
Marc replied to Gregsie's topic in Training & education
Absoloutly, but how can you teach someone every scenario in a 3 day course? you can't! Thats what annoys me about people saying they are nptc qaulified, no you are not you are only deemed competent to a very basic standard, it takes many years probably a life time of differing scenarios to get truly qaulified. I can honestly say i'm probably no more than 5% there. Anyway its boring talking about nptc -
Also so many variables, if your just chunking down stem or snatching then you don't need all the control of a full hinge as the center of gravity is not all over the place like when you still have a canopy, also type of wood. I agree though with keeping more control and not undermining your hinge, and like the idea of putting the sap cuts well below.
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So are you saying you put your sap cuts a stems diameter below face cut, just curious? Although it know makes sense to me that sap wood cuts should go above back cut and face completly severing the sap wood where the hinge will be, as the tree begins to fold over and break there will be no tearing of the sapwood as you've cut it above, there will be no fibers to tear (I hope that makes sense) No chance of trapped saw no need to get them accuratly inline with back cut no worries etc.
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Another tip pointed out to me by Qtip is to put your sap wood cuts above your back cut, before this was pointed out to me i'd put the sap wood cuts either in line or below my back so as to prevent fiber tear interfering with my strop. The problem is these little sap wood cuts can act like a step cut as your felling sections out and can trap your saw if not accurate enough or below your back cut, especially a problem on big piece's and not a good thing!!. As for sap wood cut preventing barber chairing i kind of think it does, well on big limbs going out horizontal when i put big sap wood cuts it does seem to prevent the fibers spliting along the grain and allow the piece to pop off quicker. Just an observation.
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Intresting is this another product to a cobra brace? or is it basically the same thing in principle? We've set 4ton and i beleieve there is even 8 ton systems out there, generally loose so that the tree still moves and try's to adpat to the defect if you know what i mean. I agree no one can make an accurate assesment of the tree in this thread, I'm deffinetly not an expert yet I am intrested does that mean i shouldn't post my opinions or observations?
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Should you need a licence to be an arborist?
Marc replied to Gregsie's topic in Training & education
NPTC easy to pass hard to fail, what you got to remeber is a few days training and assesment is never going to make you an experienced arborist, its only a foundation of good practice to build upon. I was climbing and using a saw many months before i did most of my nptc (with a little guidance of course), to me that was the best way of doing it that way i did'nt go into my units green and totally inexperienced, i had a vague idea and could get more out of my trainers as i already knew the basics. Everyone has to start on the ground, its foolish to think you can go to college for a few weeks training and become a climber, how long you stay on the ground is all down to how competent you are. If having a license meant i could charge the right amount of money for the job i do then i'm all for it, otherwise to much red tape. -
I'm not an expert on bracing, but usually bracing once the leaves are gone is best, set the brace loose, so that once it has leaves and more weight in the summer its tighter, generally the way i look at it a cobra type brace is only there to prevent extremes of movement not give support! I've seen braces set to tight and it seems to be a negative thing, leading the the tree putting on reactive wood in the wrong places and not in the right ones. Its all about duty of care, you've seen it you know its a potential problem, chesnuts can suffer from summer limb drop, it would be prudent to do something, would it not? Even though it could grow with a defect like this for many years. I'd like to point out i'm not an expert, just my opinions from my very short career as an arborist, would like to know what others think.
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Buy good qaulity rubber palm gloves like some of the Showa ones they last much longer and tend not to peel just wear. They are much grippier than Timberland requiring much less grip force to grab the rope. Now winters kicking in i'll have to invest in some, i usually cut the fingers off to make using hardware easier.
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I've seen and climbed worse, and had been split for a long time. A reduction and brace should be enough to make it safe then monitor it yearly. Its a great tree retain it for as long as possible.
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This is a very hard industry to get started in, in my opinion you have to push yourself and constantly challenge yourself, there is no point doing all the easy stuff for a couple of years and sticking to your comfort zone. Not saying you should go way out of your depth though.
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Meindl are one of the top boots out there, i'm on my second pair of Waldlauffers in 3 years.
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I've seen a lot, even today lifting some mature horse chesnuts over a road, very big heavy limbs with old historic splits. Your tree from what i can see looks in great shape with strong unions, but surely being in a school ground maybe something should be done, like a nice light reduction on that limb only and cobra brace as a duty of care. The Chesnut would probably last years without our interference, but then what would be the point of preventative or safety works?
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Learn something new everyday thanks posting that Tony.
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Why not just say reputable firms of known qaulity! You don't have to be approved to work to a high standard, and being approved does'nt always mean you work to a high standard.
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Experience and good guidance is everything! I knocked some pretty big bits out of leaning crack willow, ash and popular, and have only ever noticed hairline crack forming so i just push the saw through quicker. Sap wood cuts and big sinks is the way.
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A good way of looking at it, glad nothing went seriously wrong and your alright, in my short time as an aborist i've always learnt more quickly from mistakes. we all have had close ones it how we learn from them that counts. It didn't sound that bad, i've had similar happen and i expected it i just kept cutting and made sure my saw was super sharp. From how you described it though, your Foreman was a numpty for putting you in that situation without proper guidance, and the ground crew were equally inexperienced to be pulling on it. I'd refuse to work with groundies who don't know when it appropiate to pull or not or just adjust the way i work by going smaller.
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You just don't have it set right, i can decsend using my thumb and index finger nice and smooth. Was a VT lover but got annoyed with its fickle nature and need for perfect tuning, the knute is a little more forgiving.
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I have the velcro version and have no problms with them. i have given up trying to get them to sit right in the metal eye tho. I had thought about changing to straps when i first got them, this would mean also removing the velcro that goes around the back of the heel which is great as you can fine tune how far forward or back the spike/stirrup is and get them even more comfy.
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Erm why? each part is loler inspected and deemed fit for use, the splice's are done by splice professionals, and the set-up is no more complicated than our climbing systems. As in any part of our climbing systems can fail if not set-up and used appropiately. Beside's advances in climbing techniques will never be made without a little experimentation, otherwise we'd all stil be using natural crotches, prussik loops and really big ladders to access trees.
