jomoco

I'm truly baffled by the way so many of you advocate using dangerously inferior synthetic cabling systems on your clients trees. It's almost as if you don't believe tree squirrels and rats have been documented chewing through synthetic materials all around the world or something! Rats, Racoons and Squirrels in Lower Mainland Attics | Blog | AAA Wildlife Control Tree squirrels? In my client's tree? Nesting material close at hand? This new synthetic cabling fad's going to bite each one of you that use it in the wallet eventually. Deservedly IMO. What happened to good old fashioned common sense in this industry? Go ahead guys! Screw your paying clients and their trees over big time! Jomoco

It's relatively easy to kill the blighters by wrapping the beetle infested wood in bisqueen plastic sheeting during summer, which bakes the bugs to death quite effectively. Jomoco

Thanks Reg. Apparently it's an IPad thing, but solveable with the appropriate app. Great thread and work mate. Jomoco

Hey Reg, What's the secret to posting multiple pics in the same post? Or is it an IPaD thing messin with me? Thanks mate. Jomoco

What? My cambium savers and cabling alignment tubes not enough for yu? Jomoco:biggrin:

Beautiful pics mate! Thanks for posting them! What's your guesstimate on its age? Jomoco

Sure David, and as soon as a steel cabling system that uses steel inline compression springs to achieve a dynamic limited throw becomes available? I'll be an enthusiastic proponent of that system! Provided it's not anchored circumferentially as a tree girdling strangulation system of course! Jomoco:biggrin:

It all has to do with durability David. Whether it's abrasion, chewing rats or squirrels, or UV degradation? You don't need a PhD to know galvanized EHS cable can withstand those very forces decades longer than synthetic polypropylene mate. Now I understand that getting your client to pay you to maintain an inferior synthetic system every few years puts more money in your pocket. But I think more in terms of what's best for the tree and client long term. I speak from experience David, with installed traditional cables that are over 25-30 years old and still intact and providing value to both trees and clients. Jomoco

Hi Adam. If you post some pics of the beech trees in question with good detail? I'll be happy to help you. All these new synthetic dynamic cabling systems are pure junk IMO. Jomoco

Thanks Reg. Yeah, I'm mighty fond of speed lining, no doubt!

First of all Guy, I never claimed to know more than you, or any of your colleagues about plant pathology, period. I only speak from my admittedly limited 40 years of experience in the tree biz, the bulk of it as a removal specialist. However I do respect the recommendations of PhD plant pathologists who invariably advise removal of A. mellea and G. lucidum infected trees. Oak Diseases — Plant Diseases — Penn State Extension That I'm so conservative about protecting my paying clients, their families, visitors and properties from harm by following the advice of expert plant pathologists when dealing with these potentially lethal infected trees in such close proximity to them? Well, that's just the way I operate mate, deal with it. I'll back out of your thread, and let you "experts" strut your stuff. Jomoco:001_smile:

From UC Davis Ag. The effects of tempera- ture, light, and varying levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide upon the growth of the fungus are also being studied. It has been found that Armillaria is inhibited by light-particularly by the shorter, or blue, wavelengths. It also has been shown that the fungus grows well at reduced levels of oxygen and at very high levels of carbon dioxide. These characteristics help to explain its survival in roots con- siderably below the surface of the soil. The environmental factors influencing the production of the fruiting bodies (mush- rooms)ofthefungusarealsobeingin- vestigated; though fruiting bodies have been produced under laboratory condi- tions, as yet not all factors involved in fruiting have been determined. Jomoco

Not trying to argue with you Tony, but there are well documented instances of light kickin butt on fungi. Sunlight Enhances Fungal Disease Control - Wines & Vines - Wine Industry Feature Articles Jomoco

Yeah, but Reg kills with finesse! Nice work n pics mate! Jomoco

We had a game played within the boundaries of a park where half the players had nerf footballs and were hunters of the other players who tried to evade the hunters. Once an evader was hit with a nerf football he became a hunter also. Whoever managed to evade the hunters for the time set for each game won the game for his team. The hunters won if all the evaders were hit by a nerf football. Of course trees climbed within the park boundaries were good places to hide, particularly tall ones. My brother was fond of carrying a hollow length of bamboo stalk when playing on the evader team, which he used to breathe through when hiding in the park's lake. At least until we finally caught onto his ruse after losing too many games in a row to such sneaky and devious tactics. Might be too dangerous for teens these days though.... Jomoco

Absolutely Paul. But it's the most highly leveraged stress areas at the tree's base being compromised by A mellea and G lucidum that cause catastrophic failure in my neck of the woods. The ability to stop or even slow down the fungi's spread at that critical base juncture would be highly beneficial. The ability to kill conks with a halide light seems a good indicator that to the extent you can expose the mycelial fans to that light? IMO it's no coincidence that almost without exception basal Armillaria and Ganoderma infections start on the north sides of the trunk that get the least amount of natural light. Can the mycelial fans be exposed to light without damaging the trunk or root too much? Perhaps it all depends on which side of the cambium the infection's reached? Seems to me the answers to whether mycelial fans exposed to UV light will shrivel up and die like the conks do? Can be quantified best in the controlled environment of a university laboratory. Once that question's answered? Then under ground fiber optics might be worth pursuing as a means of fungal mitigation of entire root systems? Until more effective antifungal treatments are proven to work? A positive diagnosis of Armillaria or Ganoderma infections at the base of trees with high value targets in their proximity will remain a death sentence, IMO. Jomoco

So my use of artificial lighting around the base and inside the hollow trunk of a huge 6 ft dia oak(Quercus agrifolia) that dried up every G.lucidum conk exposed to that light both inside and out was unrealistic in your view Tony? What mitigation method used by you can achieve the same or better result? Jomoco

Well, I'll grant that the unexposed portions of the colony won't be affected by the light obviously. However isn't that what air spading around the tree's base does? Expose the infected roots? Don't knock it till yu try it mate! Jomoco

You could try using artificial lighting Guy. Right next to the house's electricity outlets. Halide bulbs inside a teepee tent surrounding the tree's base sure dried the Ganoderma conks on a huge oak here at a local casino. Darkness deprivation will mess with any fungi's ability to reproduce and grow IMO. Be brave mate! Jomoco

The content owner has not made this video available on mobile. Why, I believe that's you X.... Jomoco

I'm on an IPad and it won't play for me either Tom. Neither will XMan's new video. Bummer. Jomoco

I've known a few diabetic, and even epileptic climbers in this biz over the years. The diabetic climbers carried insulin injection kits on their saddles and self administered their shots well for more than five years plus. But in all honesty were forced to quit climbing at the point aerial rescue done in a timely fashion became more crucial. And while it is indeed possible for a hundred and fifty pound climber to perform a successful aerial rescue of an unconscious two hundred and fifty pound climber dangling on his lifeline. It ain't the sorta odds to rationally bet your life on being done right consistently.. At least in my career to date anyways. So, yes, diabetics can continue climbing for many years, but only so many realistically in my experience. Jomoco

Here's a slightly better view of the wrist saver branch catching handle Dan. Ideally you'd want two of them ergonomically configured for right and left hand trigger wise.

Thumb actuated release trigger of course! Jomoco

Hello Dan, As a fellow tree climber, I'm sure you've had situations when cutting with a handsaw with one hand, and catching the branch being cut with the other? Can sometimes be awkward, and at certain weights and angles, hard on the wrist of the branch catching hand. Particularly heavy branches close to your gripping ability's limits as a pendulum swings. So what could be handier than a custom made handle with a two foot length of stout nylon cord securely attached to it, and a triggered cord termination release mechanism. This mechanism would be almost identical to a Grip Pliers release tab. Simply take a wrap or two on the branch to be caught, clamp the cord's termination in the plier jaws and set, make the cut, and let the cord take the strain that used to strain your wrist? Great for bucket boys too! Here's my sloppy home made version Dan. Which I have no doubt whatsoever that you could greatly improve upon, and sell to old arthritic climbers!