Dilz

will have a play with the technique myself, but i'll probably use a mailon. though for balancing i aml found of having a seperate rope with a prussik in the middle

i'd also like to see someone carry out a full reduction on a big oak or some such jus to see how they work it using this system.

all food for thought, would it work with a device such as the lock jack? i can see it having its advantages, how much do these bits of kit cost?

but what about anchor point advancement?? surely if the rope is tied off at the bottom of the tree its going to be a right pain having pull all the rope up and through the wrench out from the crotch, and then reinstall in the right place.

i dont use SRT so dont understand what it does...... hows is it different from just using a knot or is it designed to jam if your knot fails? also good for ascents, but i looked at some vids, surley if you havent reached your final anchor point with your throw line and access line then DRT is the way to go once you are in the canopy. Please feel free to enlighten me.

how do they compare to the TM?

where can i find out about the level 4??

using fishing weights to restore the weight stitch the bag up or i prefer to wrap the whole thing in electricians tape. wrap it till its solid.

I completed a ND in forestry and arb over 5 years ago, i got the highest grade you could get and felt very proud, recently i have realized that i have forgotten much, especially the last two years which has seen me mostly doing rail clearance and thus not using my tree knowledge etc, something i noticed alot on a visit to local arboretum today. Though my climbing skills have peaked it has been at a price, now i wish to get back into being a tree head as it were. I'm considering the ISA cert arb, as a refresher as its a lower level than my ND but will cover all the basic biology, brush me up on my learning skills as well as give me a recognised certificate and a funky sticker for my helmet.... I am also looking at the OU to start some distance learning towards a degree of some description though this would be a very long process, I dont wish to go back into full time education just yet, so distance learning is key, or short courses. What courses are out there that would be a good next step up from bothe the ISA cert and my ND? I'm not 100% sure where i want to take this only that i have yet to achieve my full learning potential and that i was noted for having a keen sense for the ecology side of things, and that the brain is a muscle like anything else and mine is currently flabby and wheezing by the time it reaches the top of the stairs. Any help and advice much appreciated

in the famous words of bills hicks ...we just lost a moron lets celevrate, i just felt the world get lighter! seriously before anyone moans, there are cases where some people, who dont work in arb full time, i recall a story about a bloke who worked for the environmental agency had a climbing ticket and saw tickets, hadn't climbed in two years, his boss said, you can fix that willow get your old and unchecked kit on and low and behold bad things happened to him. I recall with the IPAF you get a booklet, keep a record of your MEWP usage and if you have done enough hours you dont need a refresher. I think companies should do in house refreshing, keep a log of these sessions, If some one isnt deemed up to scratch then the company should note this and then send that person or persons on a outside refresher course. I agree areial rescue should be practised at least once every 6 months, Maybe one solution would be once every six months an outside assessor comes in you pay£40 a person minimum of two do a rescue scenario and then the assessor can decided weather or not you should go on a course, at the catch is that assessor isnt allowed to have anything to do with your refresher afterwards to prevent any bias in his decision..... as for felling.... how many people have to refresh their driving licence eh? people die in cars every year, plenty of people with bad habits, and many who should have their licence ripped up. but asny whoo i think an initial assement prior to a refresher is a workable, and more affordable option. we cant raise prices to cover such an expense, as there is a) lots of competition from other firms, and b) we have to deal with the gypo, have a go hero bloke with a chainsaw down the pub element. Why isnt the industry licensed properly? i'd pay a hundred quid to send in copies of my basic certs, inurance to have a thing saying i was approved by the government to carry out tree work...but thats for a different thread.......

i had the same thing with my new haix.....it stopped after a month of use though...or i'm just not tasty

fungus you sure know your stuff! signed up and looking forward to this. great stuff

who do i see to get the contract??? in all seriousness thats going to have quite an impact.

thats what i thought scott, a mixture of compaction, a suprisingly dry spring (in stockholm) and there have been two hard winters over here, on the plus side the customer doesn't have to wait till he can burn it in his sauna.... thanks for the feedback

took down a birch two days ago, apparently the owner said it had looked a little off by the end of last summer, its leaves dropping early, then in spring it attempted to put out some leaves but gave up. When i climbed the tree there wasnt an single drop of sap in it, it was dry as a bone. The client asked me what did i think it was.... There were no wounds, no fungal activity, some slight discolouration of the heart wood at the base, but nothing to raise suspicions. I told the owner that it was probably the roots, as the soil was compacted and it looked like there had been some building work, landscaping done very close to the tree... he couldnt say as he only moved in two years ago but said nothing had been done since he had moved in. It also looked like some turfy had been laid, and the soil level raised. I'm fairly confident in my diagnosis that the cause was a mixture of compaction, level change and possible root damage causing the tree to burn up its reserves over a couple of years and then finally give up. I guess what i'm looking for is if anyone knows any other biological factors that could have caused the tree to die whilst displaying no real evidence which i may have over looked. Sorry no decent photos of the tree or surroundings, only a couple of me climbing which dont really show much apart form its dead..... Any help will be much appreciated

can also be used to by pass a weak point in the line, i.e if your rope has small cut in it then you tie the knot with that cut in the loop as any pulling forces on the rope now by pass the loop, thus meaning you can get the job finished. also good for a foot loop, the mechanical adavntage is great wit hthe alpine but an IRATA tech said to me it can weaken the overall strength of the rope

that would be a good idea, as in general i look at a krab and a see a krab not much sense in reading lots of tiny small print!! I,m strating to get the hang of them, the problem now is switching between the two types of 3 way all the time

i bought some for my replacement hitch climber....i didnt notice that the gates open with an initail push down rather than push up action like most tri locking krabs on the market....so far not 100% sure if i like em....though the action is smooth and when the gate is on the left i.e the right way up on my set up they are nice and easy,,, but when the gate is on the right its a little tricky. guess i just need to practice but find it strange that they have chosen this method of opening over the traditional tri locking gate.

agree, these things are great, i have a right foot one, but like puching down on top of my right foot with my left ala foot lock style, as i found with lots of use it can lead to bit of extra strain on one leg, when i get some more free cash i'll buy a left foot one so i can swap around, also anyone checked out the frog walker set up? some cool stuff on you tube.

hats off to all who competed, the level at which all of these guys and gals reach to compete at this level takes commitment and all credit is due to those who come out on top. (unless they are spawny enough to be that good with out trying in which case )

Before you commit try and get some experience with a company to let you get an idea if it is right for you, though from your back ground it sounds like this shouldnt be a problem. By all means get a ticket such as an ND HND etc... the ND's are more practical in my opinion, and holding such a ticket will open up a lot more doors to you than just the NPTCs.... The tree industry is growing more and more competitive, so the ND and any other qualifications will give you an advantage when looking for work Also if you go in with the mind that you aint planning to make your fortune, that its more of a life style choice, then you wont be disappointed.

not even if i want too??? could be good....

i'm having rouble getting hold of decent throwline, the last two i cant even rember the make, i think one was edelrid, one snapped as soon as you starte pulling your rope up, and the one i have now generates so much friction that even with a heavy bag its tricky to get it to drop down, especialy on large limbs or thick bark, e.g oaks any adviceo on a good one? i relise the error of my ways is buying the cheapest one in the shop.....but then i figured its just a throwline.....

just trying to get to grips with my tree motion, the back is so comfy itsx like wearing an old slipper, i have shortened the bridge coniderably and so far i like it when using my Knut or VT, its just the leg straps,,, they dont feel comfy on the inside of my thigh. I was wondering if repositioning the elastic straps would help this? as i'm not 100% sure if all the holes along the bootom edge of the back support are there for gear loops or for allowing the elastic straps to be moved. i have noticed on a lot of vids of people using the tree motion that they have a small rope bag clipped to it for their secondry strop tail to be tucked into, which bag, make size, etc is this if any one knows? cheers as always

imori comes in funkier colours than poison ivy........... coz thats dead important