jomoco

What percentage of the general population do you think have what it takes physically and mentally to climb in our industry safely? More, or less, than say law enforcement, military special ops? Ever see cops in uniform that you just know are horribly out of shape and vulnerable. How many newly hired guys have you gone through before finding a keeper generally speaking, a dozen, more? I think only about ten percent of the gen pop's fit enough physically, and less than five percent fit enough mentally and physically. What say ye colleagues of treemen? Jomoco

Lifted a few fronds, and whamo right between the eyes, a mother pigeon beak! I was a bleeding discombobulated mess no doubt, but I finished that palm without any further trauma, or breaks in the action. Jomoco

Hey Mick! Ever done a back flip with your lanyard around the trunk?

Cranes are for wusses!

Eventually I became aware how truly useful ropes n saddles can be!

The 70's when I was fearless of falling...

Here's the Hedges vs Reich link, somewhat condensed. Jomoco

I'm not convinced that Trump's not part of the Globalist scheme to make dang sure Hillary gets elected! He used to kiss her butt for gain quite ardently! I'm leaning toward doing what Bernie should've done, remain true to your principles by jumping ship and joining the Green Party. Anything to bust up the entrenched establishment powers that be, currently selling American livelihoods on the overseas markets for forty cents on the dollar. I enjoyed watching Chris Hedges tear Robert Reich a new one on Democracy Now, very much my sentiments exactly! Jomoco

Updating on the affects of second hand exposure to even minuscule contact? Despite staying outdoors and shedding all my clothing, and bathing in the garage's large laundry sink? I sill managed to spread it, simply by driving my sister's car later that evening. Apparently from the steering wheel, gearshift, and floor pedals. I was wearing my PO sap encrusted boots on the same garage concrete, I later tread upon wearing sandals a bit later. You almost have to be quarantined and scrubbed quite vigorously I guess to work PO without some degree of downstream second or even third hand detrimental affects, that are no joke to the folks that are highly sensitive to it. Add contagious to ornery n grumpy I guess! Jomoco

I've no doubt I'd cry like a baby forced to wear gaffs of that hickory tough era! Jomoco

Testing link to 1945 era high climber vid.... https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1627619680844721&id=1576682142605142&_rdr This is only a test.. Jomoco

Inexperience and silly actions of the folks involved in this vid aside, there's something very peculiar about the break and reaction wood area of that tree. Almost as though despite catastrophic trunk failure, and the top hitting the ground, enough cambium was left intact to keep the tree alive and building reaction wood at the point of failure? Some, if not many tree species are known for that very characteristic IME. Jomoco

The most disheartening and frustrating aspect of this globalization era from a political perspective? The election of Obama in 08, ostensibly as a repudiation of staying the course GWB had put us on to such disastrous effect. But low and behold, Obama was totally down with US job killing FTA's, and the normalization of never ending wars for profit continuing and broadening in scope. God help us if Hillary n Bill take office.... Jomoco

What tree species is that to break 180 and remain so firmly attached? Jomoco

Way to keep it real Ben! First time I've seen a euc jacked over! I don't trust eucs to hinge well or very long myself. Your ending was smashing mate, simply smashing! Jomoco

This is the most reputable report on poison oak n ivy's history, affects n treatments that I've read to date. Interesting that it states many English botanists in history brought it back to England and grew it in their gardens. Poison Oak Jomoco

Nice pics n work Sned. Good luck up there mate. Jomoco

It's the only tree that can carve it's initials, in you..... No, no Manchineel.... Jomoco

I highly suggest watching an old classic movie called Wind Over the Everglades, about the founding of the Audobon Society, and their efforts to stop Flamingo poaching in Florida. One of the stars is Burl Ives, leader of the poaching group, who exacts revenge on snitchers to the Audobon by shackling them to the trunks of the local Manchineel trees. http://youtu.be/Ap3HLvsp8YQ 16th century Carribean natives have been documented for poisoning their arrow tips with Manchineel sap, and successfully killing quite a few Spanish invaders with them! Jomoco

So what's the deal with the dreaded Manikeel tree of Florida Everglades legend? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchineel Used in the slave trade and pirating tales as a form of grisly torture when shackled to it. The only tree I've had hands on experience with that has an adverse affect anybody and everybody who contacts it? Called a Cow Itch tree, whose leafy undersides are dense with fiberglasslike hairs, that'll drive you mad if they fall on you. So it's pruned upwind, with a long pole saw, or forget it! Jomoco

Apparently poison ivy is found throughout Canada, but not above an elevation of 4000 feet. So while relatively common to N. America and Asia, at certain elevations, it would be uncommon to find it in Europe. Yu lucky blokes! Jomoco

Red rashes, that develope into blisters, that take weeks to heal. Campers have been known to inadvertently burn wood entwined with poison oak or ivy, breathe in the smoke, and die as a result being unable to breathe, in fairly short order. Some say tolerance to the affects of Urushiol oil exposure can be built up by ingesting tiny amounts of the leaves over an extended period. Some say that's BS and exposure to it has a cumulative affect, that'll catch up with folks unaffected by it in due time, something born out as true, in the case of my colleagues, who were immune in their youth, but lost that immunity in their 40's. Jomoco

I don't know, however the specific antigen, Urushiol, is common to the Rhus family. So true poison oak or ivy, have the same active ingredient acting as an antigen, not a true poison technically speaking. I believe Rhus species are found worldwide, pretty sure poison ivy's found on both coasts of Canada as well. You tell me, have you encountered true poison ivy in the UK or thereabouts? Jomoco

So upon arrival in CA in 66 at the age of seven, my older brothers and I immediately took to the hills, roaming the hills n mountains locally, killing rattle snakes, and following oak lined creek beds, and of course, coming into contact with poison oak groundcover beneath the coastal live oak trees. Unlike a few of my brothers, I was able to wade through the PO with no adverse affects right from the get go, and continue to be immune to its affects to this day at age 57. However I've known a few fellow friends n arborists whose immunity wore off as they aged, and must now avoid PO like the plague, like most of the general population does. So an old client of mine rings me up, asks me to come up to the Julian mountains and fell a few SOD kill oaks, and cut it into firewood, to feed his woodfired pizza restaurant. But the fates were unkind to my client a few days ago, as inspection of the first tree revealed a huge bee hive in its base, scratch 3-4 cords of wood, with the second tree having a nesting wraptor nest in it, complete with fledglings, scratch another 4-5 cords of firewood! A bit desperate for firewood, my client points out a very old kill with lots of fallen deadwood of good size, overgrown in a field of PO. I assured my client I could winch enough wood out of there to generat a few cords atleast. While cutting paths through the PO to attach my chokers, I kept telling myself to keep my exposure levels to a minimum, but the temps were high, I was sweating profusely, and PO sawdust soon covered me pretty thoroughly. I succeeded in getting a couple cords out n cut up on Monday, and despite practically swimming in the PO that day, my immunity held, but my client did not fair so well, in that I only generated enough wood to fire his ovens for a week or two. I'm curious as to how many others in this biz have immunity to PO or PI, and whether they too have lost that immunity with age like some of my friends? The triple leafed villain!

So there are species whose roots graft naturally. Which begs the question whether removing girdling roots from those species is wise or warranted? Would lack of wind generated abrasion wearing away bark n phloem in a rooted situation contribute to the girdling affect by keeping the two cambium layers apart? Jomoco