Sciadopitys

I'll be sure to put "risk of trapping testicles" on my risk assessment on monday morning then, before i begin a climb. hahaha

PS - the slings probably won't slip too much, but if you find they do, just cut a small notch out of the trunk and when you tighten the sling it will fit snuggly into the notch. Prob not text book stuff but i've used it a few times! I know guys in USA who used to use a clove hitch for tying blocks onto stems - they claimed the bend ration of the rope was not as great as in a th and a ch, but i didn't find it that goo tbh, the block seemed to slip out the knot and fall several inches making it further away from the section to be cut - i'll stick to ch and th!

Hahaha, i know what you mean mate - the climbing saddle always made me chuckle! RE; Continuing Education Units (CEU's) : I passed last December, and i went to an Arb conference in PA whilst i was over there, I did some "official" climbing training and then i did the reveiws at the back of the Art and Science of Practical Rigging (F**$kin' great read btw!!) The ISA publication you receive if ur a member "Arborist News" also has a quiz in every issue (also avilable online to members) offering 1CEU per quiz. I have been certified a year, and i already have 31 CEU's, only 30 needed to recertify every 3 years! ISA provide a form where you can get CEU's for any practical training relating to the job so all ur NPTC 's will get you a CEU for every hour of training! First aid training will too, but only once per certification period. The treeworker climber specialist which ISA offer, you need to be a certified arborist, and then you need (i think!!!!) to get another 7.5 CEU's theory and 7.5CEU's climbing training in the 3yr period as well as ur 30 CEU's for the CA. Hope this helps ya! ISA website explains it all - not sure if there are any differences between USA and UK/I ISA procedures - doubt it - its same organisation ultimately so can't be that bloody different. Good luck mate!

YEAH, tell me about it mate. Did mine in NJ. All the guys i worked with over there treat me like an idiot cos i didn't have it so i booked it stright away and passed it with 92%, was happy with that - 16 wrong out of 200. I told them to get over to Uk and get some NPTC's

Ditto. Cow hitch or timberhitch!

CS39 makes sure you are safe using a saw in a tree and teaches you how to remove limbs and make a cut to the branch collar but doesn't really demand any technical climbing and it certainly doesn't teach you to prune trees, CS40 you are expected to be able to climb to the ends of limbs and do reductions cuts. Personally i found CS40 one of the most demanding NPTC courses i did. If you've never used a saw in a tree before or just passed a CS39 10ft. off the ground, should you be let loose doing crown reductions on local authority trees? I am all for the CS40 pruning course. Too many people doing the job badly already - all education is worth having. CS39 eases you into saw use in a tree, then cs40 builds on it. Anyone who is up 2 scratch doesn't have to take the training anyway, just book a test with an NPTC assessor!

What is involved with the European Tree Worker Mike? PS - u based in Oslo?

Oh, i wondered wtf u were talking about earlier, now i get ya mate! Not what i was talking about, but a handy little trick any how! I always set pull lines from the ground with a throwline, tie running bowline on ground and choke it. But with that method u do have to isolate a crotch. With ur method you don't - save some time on dense canopies! I meant the rigging technique in my origional post - anyone else used it??

Saturday 25th April i think it is, mate!

How many of you have done the ISA's Certified Arborist Exam or the Treeworker exam? What are your thoughts?

So no books or anything out there folks?!?!

Lovely artwork Masterblaster! :-)

PS - not sure how you spell Swaybisch, schwabisch, swabisch?? hahaha

I climb with the distel at present. Love it. Very, very short legs on the eye-2-eye split-tail, hate it if they are too long - you go up 18 inches and down 12!! I used to tie VT but now chopped down my friction cord so don't use it anyone - just right for the distel - sometimes try Swabisch for a change, not much difference i find

Its a rigging method where you have numerous pulleys along a limb / stem and the rope runs through one after the other, and the rigging line is tied to the section at the end of the limb. when the section is cut, the numerous pulleys spread the forces along the limb like the theory behind a fishing rod! seen it used once in the States, never tried it - mainly cos i have never needed to. Just wondered who's used it and what they thought.

I like the old Stihl Vs Husky debates! I have always used Stihl and recently got a brand new Husq. 357 XPG and my mate got one too. Both brand new and *!%$ked within a year!!!! One of them seized and the other one piston damaged beyond repair and no compression. Dealers blamed both instances on using Stihl oil instead of Husqvarna oil. Which i personally think is total bull £$%^!!! They said it would cost £400 to repair each one. I told em to stick it and went and bought 3 new Stihl MS341's. Husqvarna - Never again!

I'm there mate! I have 3 free tickets to give away to the next 3 people to post after me! I'll give em to ya at the gate! Ed

Anyone ever used the fishing-pole method? what are your thoughts?

I am at Myerscough too, one day a week doing the MSc in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, loving it, can totally recommend it. Mark Johnston is a great tutor - opening my eyes to lots of new ideas.

I am doing the PTI in January and i have experience doing tree inspections, but my fungi ID is not the best to be honest - can't be good at everything i suppose! What is the fungi ID like in the test? How much do they expect you you know? I need to learn fast - i got a month or so. Help!! Whats the best book to improve my fubgi id guys? Also, what are the exams like? I don't know much about the course - my boss just booked me on it!

I like that retreival trick with the tail of ya rope! nice one!

Which borough is that Monkeyd???

I actually needed this in an emergency the other day for the first time in my career as an arborist - I was doing an aerail inspection of a 90ft. Beech, i was about 15ft. from a good anchor point and i threw my rope for the branch and it managed to clove-hitch itself around the branch somehow!!! I hung all of my 95kg on it and there was no chance it was moving! What are the chances of this happening? And guess what happened next? A f%$*king hail storm within seconds!!! I was up there in nothing but a t-shirt, hahaha I was obviously lanyarded in, but without the basic knowledge i was taught in college (bowline, blakes and figure 8) i would have been stuck up there in the hail. I quickly pulled up my rope and tied in with my spare karabiner and throw for a lower branch this time!! I climbed up with the other end of my rope and released the spilced end and clipped in to my anchor point and carried on in the hail. I just wonder what i would have done without this knowledge, i was doing an inspection alone (i now know why it is important to have a rescue climber with a spare room and kit beneath ya!!) There was no way i could have unclipped the lanyard and free-climbed up to untie the clove hitch, the bark was slippy in the rain and the space between where i was and where the rope was, only had 2 branches! (apart from being very unprofessional practice!!). That basic knowledge saved my bacon!! I use the other end of my rope quite often - if the job requires more than my 4m lanyard! Good basic knowledge i say - i know climbers who don't know how to use the other end of their ropes!!!!!!!

You wanna be aiming for the basic 4 tickets to start with mate - CS30 Chainsaw maintenance and cross cutting, CS31 Small Felling, Aerial rescue (formely CS38) and CS 39 chainsaw from a rope and harness. Digest that lot and get some practice after passing em. Then follow em up with CS40 - pruning and CS41 - dismantling MEWP, chipper and stump grinder very handy too! Good luck! Try Askham Bryan College at York, not too far away from you really, and they used to be quite resonable on price - did a few of my certs. there

I'm in Hull. Anything available count me in. Tel: 07841 538261