Spike pruning

The workers at Udal, one of the tree services that sponsored my trip to Russia in 2003, do not use spurs for removals. They use a double lanyard type system. The upper lanyard is a long one to facilitate limb walks and such, the lower one has a foot loop on it to be used as spurs to stand on. This system was superior to our Ddrt since the majority of trees in the Moscow area were either European Birch with tight crotches or Norway spruce with down sloping limbs. They did adopt the Ddrt for the English Oaks that are also native to the area. I think their approach would work good on the palms, but since we do not have a lot in ND I have not been able to test the technique personally.
The following video is from their website www.udal.ru . If you look closely you will be able to see the second lanyard and footloop.


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That was a very good video...great find..thanks. I liked how they caught the chunks from the other tree (gin pole?). I also liked how the groundie kept the chunk belay line clear during the notch cutting and then the climber rigged it into the block...have not seen that before.

And about those boots...cool deal...Paladin...have boots, will travel.
 
Porkbrick said:
...canary palms almost always get spiked...
Click to expand...

I carry info in my car about Fusarium Wilt and canary island date palms. I use this to encourage people to take precautions around precious trees. The fusarium wilt is pretty common around LA and once I show people what it is, they don't mind spending extra on me.

I really don't like doing palm trees, so I bid them pretty high anyways, then add on more $ because I am doing them spikeless (which is slower) so it's rare when I do have to do them.

You guys got the wilt up there?
 
I have never spiked a 'retain' tree in my 6+ years of climbing. I will never use the spurs on a residential tree, unless there is absolutely no safe way to prune it without.

But....

I've since started working on building hours towards utility arborist certification. In the 2 months I've been working with these folks, I've probably spike pruned around 50-60 trees. BUT, on some of the smaller fir and pines around the interior of BC, I challenge ANY good climber to attempt the ol spikeless prune. I've run into around half a dozen trees which were easier to climb spikeless. Only because of their size. The small little 50' trees with no good branches which are easy to isolate are pretty dang difficult to set a line in for a pull rope, let alone anything I'd trust my ass on.

I can see why the utility crews use the spikes...and at this point I don't see how it would be anywhere near as productive to attempt to do these trees without them. ISA be damned on this one. We are pruning trees around a power line in a forest of trees which will be harvested for timber at some point. Is there really a problem?

I had a phase where I didn't use spikes on removals. Then I pulled my head outta my ass.
 
Practical is as practical does, but if you had ever observed someone that had become highly skilled at doing removals without spurs, you might want to modify your last statement. I'm not an advocate for spikeless removals, simply saying that it can be accomplished very professionally, but no doubt a more difficult row to hoe.
 
Let me ask a question. Im holding back my opinion and style of climbing for a moment. Have any of you seen actual, undisputable evidence of spikes having killed trees, either by wound or transfer of disease? I myself have not, ever.



I prune spikeless. But, Ive had to ask myself if i do it for a reason, or if Im just following like a sheep because thats what the others say is good.
 
Jerry does a study of spur damage to trees in his 'Fundamentals'...photos, etc. I can't recall any specific information on killing trees that way, though it may be in there. I do think that he shows evidence that it can be quite damaging.
 
Dont get me wrong, I understand the reasons why it is best not to spike a tree outside of a removal. Im just curious if anyone has seen trouble occur from spiking besides gaff scars........Maybe Jerry will pop up on this matter.
 
Again just going from memory here, too lazy to grab the book. I seem to recall that bacterial or fungal infestation is a concern getting into the spike wounds.
 
NickfromWI said:
I carry info in my car about Fusarium Wilt and canary island date palms. I use this to encourage people to take precautions around precious trees. The fusarium wilt is pretty common around LA and once I show people what it is, they don't mind spending extra on me.

I really don't like doing palm trees, so I bid them pretty high anyways, then add on more $ because I am doing them spikeless (which is slower) so it's rare when I do have to do them.

You guys got the wilt up there?
Click to expand...

its not very common around here. we sterilize our gear between palms just to be on the safe side though.
 
woodworkingboy said:
Practical is as practical does, but if you had ever observed someone that had become highly skilled at doing removals without spurs, you might want to modify your last statement. I'm not an advocate for spikeless removals, simply saying that it can be accomplished very professionally, but no doubt a more difficult row to hoe.
Click to expand...

No need to modify my last statement. I intended it, not as an insult, but as a statement based upon my own personal experience. And, for the record, I have seen some very professional, proficient climbers remove trees spikeless. Any one here heard of Chris Patterson? Rob Romerill?

Don't get me wrong, I admire those folks that choose to do so, but for me, that dog has tried, but it won't hunt.

Isn't there just a touch of irony in a tree climber who removes trees but won't use spikes to climb them because he feels it disrespects them?
 
I haven't seen Chris or Rob in many years. Probably the last time was in Weyburn, Sask. When Chris and Duane Neustadter (sp?) beat me in the Tree Climbing Jamboree at the Prairie Chapter of ISA. I still have the rope that Rob donated for 3rd place finisher in the competition. I think someone once told me that between Chris and Duane, they represented the PCISA about 14 times at ITCC. Don't feel to bad about losing to them, especially since I was 48 at the time. I did beat the other 16 competitors.
 
I wanna see one of these "spikeless removal experts" block or rig down a vertical spar with any efficiency. I will commonly brush a larger tree out without and then take a break and go back with gaffs to do the wood.

I think safe work positioning is compromised and awkward size pieces have to be taken without spikes.
 
Tucker943 said:
Dont get me wrong, I understand the reasons why it is best not to spike a tree outside of a removal. Im just curious if anyone has seen trouble occur from spiking besides gaff scars........Maybe Jerry will pop up on this matter.
Click to expand...

I have, it was on a White Oak.
 
Tucker943 said:
Dont get me wrong, I understand the reasons why it is best not to spike a tree outside of a removal. Im just curious if anyone has seen trouble occur from spiking besides gaff scars........Maybe Jerry will pop up on this matter.
Click to expand...

Last Locust I did, I gaffed up it, after I pruned all the spikes... it died... IMG_4869ed.jpg



Basal prune
 
canadiantreeman said:
Isn't there just a touch of irony in a tree climber who removes trees but won't use spikes to climb them because he feels it disrespects them?
Click to expand...

Different culture, like when entering the baseball diamond, bowing one's head in respect to the dirt and hot dog wrappers blowing around.

I know that you didn't mean any disrespect. I was just trying to make a larger point, that people don't so much know their capabilities when they have acquired their abilities through one specific system. In a different one with options only specific to it, the approach can be different, and the mindset along with it. I saw some tree workers doing pruning in Nepal with bare feet. It looked pretty dangerous to me, but they seemed matter of fact about it as they got it done while high up, and presumably so on and so on the following days.
 
We have pretty difinitive evidence of 5-needle pines, both western white and sugar, getting blister rust infections right at spur wounds, then dying within a year.
 
Gaffing a Hemlock in the urban interface will just about gaurantee it will get annosus and die.
 
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