RC0

Youve always looked a bit fat. Dont try to blame me for it. Yeah thanks, and i know what youre saying. Theres just so much of the same bollox on YouTube now, with the channel or user going for quantity, clickbait images and titles. Same or similar bollox job each time. Doesn't seem sincere somehow. Sadly its becoming normal and lucrative for many. Im never going down that road. Ive even had to start watermarking the footage lately as it people keep taking and posting it as their own. Adding music usually stopped that situation but its not been enough more recently.

Ive always done the tricky ones, went out to Oz on 92, NZ in 99, was a contract climber through and after those periods for over 20 years....but nothing quite of the size of that Ive tackled here. Having said that, these particular jobs dont just land at your feet, you do have to build a rep and be able to back it up before youd ever get asked. For instance, theres nothing on this scale in and around Victoria, yet the region holds by far the highest number of Tree Experts, Industry Leaders, Certified Professionals among other paper titles that are so readily thrown around and self promoted. Yet they are nowhere to be seen on sites like this. When I hear "I could do what you do"...I say, well why haven't you ? I did get actually get a pic one of the lads on site texted me

Thanks mate. Id like to visit one of the annual trade shows again at some point, catch up with old and new faces but I just haven't gotten around to it. No it a long time since i was in my 20s, but am actually doing much harder stuff now than what I did then. So I cant reallly make a physical comparison in how I feel. There was in fact plenty other 20something year old climbers on that site, but this job wasnt for them. The other contractor who was climbing is called Ryan Murphy, mid-late 30s I think. Excellent climber. He had a shi.t of a tree to deal with also.

Hello mate. Theres a lot of fake people people and groups in our job, who've somehow maneuvered themselves into positions of Authority, whether their roles be in teaching, consulting, safety or whatever. Lots of experts on the net too. All spelling out the dos and don'ts. Out here in BC is no exception either. Youll often see them lit up like a Christmas tree in brand new looking, branded clothing each and every time. No rips or stains. Wagging their fingers and making up rules. Its always been a great incentive for me to offer an alternative to these T.wats. while I dont profess to be a teacher, I like to demonstrate, in particular to up and comers that the reality of how things are done on a worksite, for money, under pressure, can be very different than what you were told about in college, or on that refresher course. If by comparison I can just prick enough people's curiosity to question the credentials of these experts and rules, then it was a good thing. Other than that, Ive put up so much content on YouTube, Im just repeating myself. Did you happen to see big stem wobble from December, same site. Its a bit different:

I didnt get to sleep the night before until around 1am, and had to leave my house at 5am to be on site at 7:30....so wasnt a great start to the day. The tree in the video was the second big one that day, the first was lifting at the root plate due to all the rain we've just had. Climbing old growth firs is physically very demanding....especially spurring/fliplining up the first 100ft or so. Wide stems consisting of 6-10inch soggy, crumbling mossy bark. A second growth fir of similar proportions is literally half the battle of climbing old growth. That tree was mentally taxing also, because of the split, the lean, the traffic and signals underneath, and the grim weather prediction. But, I knew id done worse in the past so if I just put one foot in front of the other itd be ok. Looking down from the top, and talking in the vid at the end I knew I had about 220 feet of logs to cut, in probably 15ft sections. Im aware that Ill have to drag the 372 up at about 170ft, and then the 390 at about 100. Murder on the hips towards the end. I got home about 8pm that night. If I sounded a bit despondant it was probably i mix of all those factors. I have been asked in the past to go out the the East coast of the US to speak at some of the ISA seminars, but theres nothing I want to say to them really. And most if the time they dont know when Im being serious and when Im joking. Different culture

I wish. But no. They wanted it cut to 10m. It was hard leaning towards the traffic signals down below, and trying to steer it either side wouldn't smashed lots of other similar tall trees in the process. I looked long and hard at it beforehand and it just wasn't happening

I thought you might be, goodbye

Manchester, Stockport then Macclesfield. Cheers

Imagine if I had to carry the weight of a second 200ft climb line here? Thank God that sillyness hasnt reached Canada yet

You tell em mate. Tell the spineless twats

Well you're still here Patrick, 19 years after your NPTC thingys. So Im assuming you've managed just fine without being re-trained, refreshed or whatever ? The things that may have changed in that time is the average trees are probably smaller and easier, and the equipment and availability of has improved. Other than that, the principles of general tree work are largely the same. I can see the merit in training where something novel and beneficial is being taught. But often is the case that these training companies and individuals are just moving the furniture around in the living room. Ultimately though, its the same furniture in the same room. Smoke and mirrors comes to mind, at your expense. You mentioned also, and this is something Ive heard several times but dont understand....you said " if the industry wants to be taken seriously". Taken seriously by whom ? Thanks. The customer ? I think most find reassurance in reputation and experience of that individual or company. We are all individuals after all. No amount of practical training courses is the equivalent to experience on site, under pressure. Nor does even an equal amount of training in such a varied and subjective field result in an equal outcome between 2 or more competitors. I doubt that telling potential customers that you have to be retrained or refreshed on a job you've already been doing daily for years is going to impress them or that they will take you more or less seriously. Unless its theoretical plant and tree science education, but thats not what this is about. If a handful of people are too mentally lazy or undisciplined to tie knots properly resulting in falling injuries, its their own fault. Nobody elses. Not the hardware or technique. So should knots be banned and replaced by spliced eyes too or instead ? And the massive majority who tie their knots safely every day, which is a simple enough task, be penalized because of the actions of a few ? Because thats whats happening here with this 2 rope nonsense. Although I suppose the enforcement of 2 ropes by all those who conjured up this scheme holds a lot more profitable potential than just banning knots. Dont get me wrong, 2 ropes can be an invaluable option in the right circumstances that everyone can benefit from at times, its been around forever.....but it should remain just an option. Amazing how this stuff always goes on behind closed doors and then only gets announced when its already a done deal. And Im not having that this decision was taken independently by the HSE. Its a collective scheme, a betrayal, yet another one to take money off people.

What Im getting at is this pre set line thing....even if the tree is coming down. Is this being taught as a 'must' now ?

Curious to know, does spur climbing not get tought in the UK these days....whether to simply reach an anchor point or to start cutting from the bottom up ? Anyone

Some people just have more ability than others. Some just shouldn't do tree work at all....I dont see why that so difficult to accept for what it is. Sad to see those who can and do being forcibly dragged down to this level without even having any say in the matter. Makes you wonder what will they think of next. Have many fond memories doing tree work in England, but the job has since been invaded by parasitic individuals and groups off, making up, then changing rules to create work and revenue for themselves. Glad I left.

Dan I was actually thinking 3 ropes. 2 to the tree, and then tie another between you and your colleague incase he trips on his shoelaces. Makes sense to me

A download. Cant remember the name

Tom, there was 2 trees in particular that would've been particularly dangerous to put a saw into. To get some context of scale, the big rotten cedar that I set the explosives part way up was about 160-170 ft tall. At that size they have a tendency to just sink on the saw when you try to make a face cut for starters. Not a good start mate. But still doable. We certainly felled trees as big and as rotten on that job, but the favor of the lean and slope of the landing on this one presented a particularly high risk of cartwheeling a huge length off the edge of the cliff and through the powerlines down below....which would've put 2 entire towns out of electricity. The stem didn't get any sounder or safer for even topping until about 120 feet....and then we'd have still been left with that long section to deal with. The thing with explosives is that it just separates the wood instantly, so the severed section just falls with its weight. There were 2 trees that presented that exact same predicament....the other was a dead Douglas fir, the third explosion in the vid I believe. Really difficult to appreciate the terrain or size of the trees through a gopro. The other trees were not quite as precarious, but they were within the budget to be blasted too, so why not. Being able to eliminate a rotten, dangerous tree in such a way, at no risk to a faller or climber is a pretty good option.

Something different. Might catch on in the UK

Thanks. Yes, a few less wrinkles back then. We did that tree over 2 Saturday mornings, to give the ground crew at the Golf course time to clean up without burying all the brush with big logs. Huge tree, shame it spit up the way it did. They weren't interested in trying to save, so down she came. Too bad.

If you've never seen a madrone, they are a lot like Eucalyptus. Strong, hard wood. Over here often leaning and rotted at the base. Lots of sway for a climber. This was actually 2 leaners intertwined....one resting on the other.

It depends on how heavy the wood is. It can be hard to break the step cut the wider they are. The logs in the vid were 8-10ft or thereabouts. Which is ok, so long as theres no lean to them. Conifers ideally. If you go that big on anything with a slight lean theyll break and fall before you are ready. Try. 5 footer and get the feel if it.

I give that up to be honest, wasnt helping me at all. Feel much better working without breakfast.

Some boots I got over here. Made from ballistic nylon. Super light. Great boots. Dakota is the brand. I answered your second question to Matty F

10 slings at a time, leaving the highest, no 11 attached to stop the rope drifting out. 11 then becomes no1 of the next set. As Im re-setting Dave chips whats down.

A step cut Timon. And as the log starts to tip over, push hard to get the bottom off the stump to stop it rotating