In The News...

Thanks for sharing Stephen, some terrible stories but there's usually a lesson there. i haven't had the chance to do many pines, here it's silver maples, dead ash trees, occasional hickory or oak. Only conifers are white pine, blue spruce, some others but those are the main ones in people's yards. I've had dead oaks with obvious root issues that i came down from, but the wood itself is bomber. I also try to do as little negative rigging as possible, around here i can sometimes get away with it. If he would have taken a smaller top, maybe either free falled it or speedline, would this be a different story? Or is it one of those where he shouldn't have been there no matter what? I always thought if your bounce test was ok then it's probably ok to climb, but rigging and even the stress of the removal (uneven weight, weight shifting as the tree is dismantled, etc) requires further investigation upon ascent. I've always errored on the side of caution, but isn't that more or less true?
 
I heard the tree and been deemed only safe to do with a crane and then some jackleg tried to do it without one and sent a 20 year old up there to his death.
 
Thanks for sharing Stephen, some terrible stories but there's usually a lesson there. i haven't had the chance to do many pines, here it's silver maples, dead ash trees, occasional hickory or oak. Only conifers are white pine, blue spruce, some others but those are the main ones in people's yards. I've had dead oaks with obvious root issues that i came down from, but the wood itself is bomber. I also try to do as little negative rigging as possible, around here i can sometimes get away with it. If he would have taken a smaller top, maybe either free falled it or speedline, would this be a different story? Or is it one of those where he shouldn't have been there no matter what? I always thought if your bounce test was ok then it's probably ok to climb, but rigging and even the stress of the removal (uneven weight, weight shifting as the tree is dismantled, etc) requires further investigation upon ascent. I've always errored on the side of caution, but isn't that more or less true?

If he had just bombed it, it probably would have been ok. But the reason they designated a crane removal would be that he could not due to targets and/or the tree was too far gone to be rigged. Well yup, it was. The shock of the top hitting and swinging back and forth broke it.
The had no business rigging off that dead tree.
You are correct Paul.
 
BTW, a lot of these crews are not from around here. Tons of inexperienced help. No offence to my buddy Jason I was training, my apprentice. But they made him a foreman. I had just really started to teach him rigging. So seriously?
Most these guys dont have any business dealing with these damn crispy critters. And another good reason I will not sub for them. Just stupidity sometimes. Trying to cheat the process to make quota or money. I prefer to go home and love on my kids every night thanks.
Don't get me started on the clean up either... over loaded, top heavy self loaders tipping over on the hwy.
It's a gold rush man.. Lets all get rich dying.
 
Completely understand, and i kinda assumed that. 20 years old is probably not old enough to even get the rigging experience needed to even attempt that kind of heavy commitment work (aka know not to). Thanks for sharing, my thoughts go out to their families.
 
I don't know that if it was just last month? We lost a dad of ten to a stupid move. Pulled the top of one and it fell on him. Guy had more experience too. Should have known better. Just trying to hurry through a day killed him. Happened mid day too. Kills me to see that pic of his wife and ten kids. Just heart breaking.
 
Beetle kill pine is dangerous and just gets more and more so until it falls down. I've been super impressed watching how you've dealt with the onslaught of those dead giants down there. You and other Houser's alike, real pro. Stay safe all.
 
Got some news tonight. I guess PG&E has put out a stand down order on the line clearance crews.
This keeps up, that 500.00 per day offer aint gonna average too close to it.
 
Crappy area since human kind began. Back in the day a queen used all her jewels on a sure bet that 3 ships will sail off the end of the world in hopes of a sliver of a chance finding a way around the middle east and it's peoples.
 
I'm hoping Marine Le Pen wins.
Not because it would be good for France, which it most likely wouldn't, but for her plans to do a "Frexit" election.

That just might be what it takes to completely wreck the EU.
 
Something that has only just been pointed out to me is that, in terms of how much executive power they have, the French president has more than any other western leader.
 
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