dadio

There was quite a bit of room between the road and the tree, leaving plenty of room to tip back and thin the lower branches, and still provide the needed clearance for the road. You seem to be reacting quite defensively.. rather than conducting an intelligent discussion. Perhaps that is in part my doing, for calling the work butchery, rather than an inferior practice.. Was there no way to leave any branches at all on that job. Did you advise the client on the clearances needed, or simply follow their specs. I don't like following others' specs, when they conflict with my ideas about proper tree care. If you were simply following their specs, did you advise the client about other options? And my other quesion was this.. when you are asked to prune a tree, with no specifications, do you remove lower sprouts and elevate as a standard operating procedure. Far too many companies here do so. One day it will be as commonly frowned on, as topping is today.. Time will tell..

Could you please site the research papers you are refering to.. I think Gilman is pretty clear on the negative effects of the work that you showed on that video. See "an illustrated guide to pruning" page 216-219. and do you remove the lower sprouts on most trees as a standard pruning practice? Even when visual or ground clearance is not required???

The tree didn't "need" its lower branches huh? That is the exact type of thinking that I AM talking about.. The video is quite clear.. He stripped every lower limb and sprout on that tree, and needlessly so.. He could have gotten the same roadside clearance by reducing and thinning the lower limbs and sprouts. There was a bed of shrubs under that tree.. the client didn't "need" much clearance over the shrubs. If someone had explained to the client how important to the tree's health those lower limbs limbs are, the client in most cases will agree to do what is best for the tree. BUT arborists that think the tree doesn't "need" its lower limbs won't bother making that case. Its just easier to strip the poor tree on your way down. Its fast, easy, looks good, and you THINK it doesn't hurt the tree.. after all doesn't that mimick the growth of trees in a wooded setting.. I did it for years, until I learned better. This is a problem in the industry right now. We should be looking at the practice shown in the video, the same way we look at topping. Yet here was have a perfect example of the state of awareness on this issue. The video is posted and no one objects.. no one thinks there is a problem here. Seems like the vast majority of "knowledgable" arborists are still stripping trees like this as a knee-jerk reaction on every tree they prune. This industry is slow to change. We have to pull off the blinders and start looking around.. Trees that have their lower limbs tend to be far better off than those without... That said.. it is possible that the long, hot, dry, and sunny summers we have here in the US, make those lower limbs far more important that they are in England.. Temps here can reach 39º C, with a brutal late afternoon sun. When that sun beats on the trunk and root zone for hours, that is going to put tremendous stress on a tree.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j36V8dchcqE]YouTube - proper prune 1 big tulip limb.mov[/ame] This is the best I have in that area right now. I will try to produce something better this year..

Nonsense... you stripped that tree to 7+ meters.. you left not one lower limb.. I would call that butchering the tree .. you can call it important.. guess its all in your point of view...

I discourage the practice of elevating trees because I believe the tree needs its lower limbs for shading the trunk and root system. I prefer to thin sprouts and lower limbs rather than completely removing them, and will strongly advise clients to that end. If they understand the implications on a tree's heath, but insist anyway, I will remove lower limbs and sprouts, but most times, when it is explained to them, they understand and will do what is best for the tree. I would think the same principles hold true in England, though you may not get the same amount of direct sun, and HOT summer days, that Yanks get..

This was a job from 2009. At the time youtube wouldn't let me post any vids over 10 minutes.. this one is over 11 minutes.. Pretty straightforward.. there is one interesting cut where I cut the section on the redirect (or satelite rigging point) and used it to drive the hung up limbs free.. [ame] [/ame]

Went 20+ years without dropping a saw.. then dropped a brand new ms 200t last summer.. Thing fell 50' and speared the bar tip 6" into the ground. .. had to bend the bar back a bit... got lucky... Its good to have a strap if you need to drop the saw after making the cut... I have a couple of the elastic break away lanyards, but do not like the restriction in movement. I should make a longer strap for dropping the saw when needed. I'll clip the saw to either side of the saddle, which ever is easier. I like that flexability..

I meant to mention that in the description. The oak was cut high because there was a fencepost that would have blocked the saw from swinging around where it needed to be to make the back cut. Not the fence in the fore ground. I AM actually leaning on the problematic fence post, as I make the cut. I often make high falling cuts to reduce the length of the fall in a tight LZ, or to avoid decay areas in the base.. It was an awkward cut and the tree kept sitting back on the bar, then as the hinge got near ready, the side lean pinched the bar which had to be overcome with wedges. The back lean was over come with the pull line. The hinge held perfectyl and the retainer line never came into play.

A couple back leaners and on quick top and drop.. Nothing too crazy. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6KAbjJ485c]YouTube - backleaning pawlonia_oak_fall.mov[/ame]

I saw this guy plitting wood on TV when I was a kid. He lifted one leg on teh up-motion. I tried it and found it really relieves pressure on the back.

OK... I give up...

You have to flush cut the stump and then handle the round. Might have to quarter it and chip it. 10 minutes is a lot of time IMO.. might not sound like it to some, but the cumulative effect of saving a few minutes here and a few seconds there repeatedly throughout the day really adds up.

I could have bombed almsot every cut on that tree. But that would have done a lot of turf damage, and seeing as how the landscaper gave me the job, that wouldn't be a good reflection on him to his customer, so he might stop giving me work in the future based on one bad experience. And its often easier and FASTER to lower pieces whole rather than have them shatter in a million bits all over the lawm. Most pices were lowered right behind the chipper in the drive. Making a big mess on the ground can really slow things down, as the ground crew has to work so much harder to keep the LZ clear..

there are many times when it just isn't good to make the gob down low in the trunk flare.. whether its rot present down low, or just a tight drop zone or some side lean or whatever. The spiralling grain that can be present in the trunk flare is nearly useless as holding wood. You don't know what kind of hinge you're gonna get down low like that until you cut it. And in really big wood with a large flare, its just plain more work to cut the notch in the flare than above, as all the loggers do it. If you are cutting firewood or don't have a machine to pull with, then this technique is not going to do you much good. I firewood less than 2% of my wood and almost always have a machine.. And I LOVE IT! Like anything else, its good to practice in safe situations to learn, before applying it in critical scenarios.. The step definitely creates a MUCH stronger fuse, than just a well cut hinge. Again, it may not be practical for a lot of you, yet there may come a situation somewhere down the road, where it's just what you need.

Here's a job we did today.. Its a perfect example of why I love to use the step cut.. Its a big time and energy saver. Stump was 40"+ at the cut. Took me less than 60 seconds to finish the flush cut and run the piece through the chipper. I left the saw's audio in for that cut only, so you all can tell that the flush cut was put up in real time and unedited. Even though its gonna make me sound as arrogant as ever, here the details.. 85' tulip.. up and down in the hooks, lowered everything out to protect the lawn and make clean up easier. 24 or 25 cuts roped down. I threw the customer a bone and spent almost an hour in the bucket doing a bit of pruning on the two trees in the background (locust and maple) take all the wood and grind the stump (gridings backfilled) ... $2500.. I doubt customer got other prices as his landscaper refered me, though I bid it last summer and only got the green light last week. Tree was on the ground in 2:45 after I stepped on the property. Alternator on the bucket went, so I had to go back to a vehicle left at the AM job to get jumper cables, then home to pick up the stump grinder, as my neighbor had borrowed the truck that pulls it, then picked up lunch. Even with all that this job grossed right around $100/man/hour, including travel both ways and lunch. Moral of the story: $$$ talks and BS walks... Even with a nice number on the job, the only way to make that kind of coin in this business is by operating with efficiency in all areas, from setting lines to clean up. Here it is, 3:43 : [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ8syV5LVOE]YouTube - step cut 3.mov[/ame]

Asking someone to list your offenses and then apologizing for them, is not much of an apology...

Pete, If you take a look at the history, its pretty clear, I didn't start the rudeness. He wrote a number of untrue and hateful comments about me, rabid lies. He has shown me no accountability for his actions. Furthermore, I feel no obligation to answer anyone's questions. I answer as it pleases me, and give thoughtfulness and respect in kind.

He's used to it by now... some things aren't gonna change!

Scot, If you tried this technique you would see its a lot stronger than you think.. I have plenty of experience with it.. It takes a lot of pull with a high line tied to a skid steer to trip. This of course depends on species, diameter, and how far apart the bypass cuts are. Please trust that I speak from experience to say "there is no way that tree would have hit the house".. NO MATTER WHAT! and no "gust of wind" would trip it...

This is a better example of the step cut. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc4IYyTzYQQ]YouTube - Step Cut 2[/ame]

Mike, That is a good video and excellent demonstration of the GOL bore/back release cut.. That cut has been around since the 70's and I first learned it from Mark Chisholm in 2001 or 2002. The twist I put on it was to bring the back release cut down to the level that one would flush cut a stump, and make the low cut a full 1/2 of the tree rather than just a small back strap. That is all. That often leaves a step of 12-16" or more. I try to keep the step under 16" so the 1/2 round can be chipped vertically. With a high enough pull line, there is no problem leaving that much step on many species, as long as you are pulling with power equipment. That may have been only the fourth or fifth time I've had to cut the step, so probably not a good example. The pull line was just too low on that one to provide enough leverage. Lesson learned. Once again I should have gone to the archives. I do have some good footage of other step cuts. I'll get them up on youtube ASAP. I have no concerns about the accuracy of falls being effected by the step cut. I use it around valuable obstacles without hesitation. If I need to steer the cut as it is falling, then its not a good choice. That might be 1% of my falls or less. Needing to keep the notch above the trunk flare is far more common.

interesting photo.. that's one of the dangers of "too" high a backcut... that leaves a lot more room between the backcut and the floor of the notch. If there is any imperfection anywhere along the length of those longer fibers, there will be a LOT less strength in the hinge. That is one good reason to plunge cut. It allows the faller to set the precise height of the backcut relative to the hinge. 2" is somewhat an arbitrary figure.

This may not have beent he best example to show off the step cut, but the principles are sound. When you really need the hinge to hold well, its best to make the notch and hinge above the trunk flare, where the fibers in the hinge will be straight and strong. The wood grain in the flare can get all squirrely.. On a big tree with a large trunk flare, that can be well above the level of a flush cut stump, which leaves a very large and awkward round to deal with. No biggy if you are cutting everything for firewood, but we almost never do that.. Log loader picks up the wood and the brush gets chipped. The dump charges an extra $45 if there is wood mixxed in with the chips. So we usually will slice and dice the last round and chip it. If we can leave half the round attached to the log, we don't have to play with it, and the other half is much easier to chip. With the skid steer on site we have a ready source of pulling power, and becasue we have rigged the tree out, the line was easy to install. So the extra effort needed for the pull is no trouble at all in our system. I AM grinding with a rayco RG-90, so the extra grinding is not as much the trouble as the clean up afterwards.. Between the time saved hadling the round and the time saved cleaning up the stump chips, it makes sense for me to use this cut. This may not work for many companies, but it works for us.