At long last...US Forest Service Treeclimbing Guide revision is released

[Burnham]

I couldn't begin to estimate the hours I have in on drafting and editing this document, mostly before but also after retirement . Many of the longer term TH members have read me speak of this revision, or have looked at the now 10 year old earlier version...a few, like Jerry Beranek and Pete McSheffery, have had the chance to review drafts and offer comments that I always took to heart and often to text revision.

I'm proud to have my name listed with the many other contributors, but am also vain enough to assert that few if any have equal the imprint on the final product that I here proudly claim. Such is life...we treemen/women are not exactly known as retiring souls hiding our lights under a bushel basket .

This link takes you to the policy section of the USFS Tree Climbing program site, go there then click on the tree Climbing Guide 2015 pdf. If you wish, you can look around the rest of the site.

USDA Forest Service - National Tree Climbing Program - http://www.fs.fed.us/treeclimbing/policy.shtml

It's not a document that covers the cutting edge of tree climbing technology. By definition the USFS Guide prescribes climbing gear and techniques for it's climber-certified employees to be using as tried and true, proven safe systems. So there is nothing on the newest SRT hybrid technologies, like HitchHiker, Rope Wrench, ZigZag, etc. But fear not...I am currently drafting some language to offer to the Tech. Advisory Group on these systems, so in some future revision that stuff will be represented, should they prove over time to be both beneficial and safe. This is the federal gov't, after all . I expect that will be the case, in due time.

I hope y'all will find it a useful resource...though it takes some time to read it all, near 90 pages.

And if you see something that you think needs reconsideration or revision, let me know. It's a living document, always up for edits. We have some of the savviest tree climbers on the planet here at Butch's THouse...I'll listen to your advice any day.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[squisher]

Wow I've barely had a look yet but what a fantastic resource to post!

 

[Peter]

Looks comprehensive, look forward to a proper read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Limbrat]

Thanks Burnham, great resource!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Great assimilation of information there, Burnham. I skimmed over, and look forward to a closer read.

 

[pantheraba]

Snagged and saved on my computer in case the Chinese crash all the Federal servers. Proud to see Jerry's book in the mix.

Thanks, Burnham!!

 

[sotc]

I'm not even going to look till I get near the printer!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I couldn't begin to estimate the hours I have in on drafting and editing this document, mostly before but also after retirement . Many of the longer term TH members have read me speak of this revision, or have looked at the now 10 year old earlier version...a few, like Jerry Beranek and Pete McSheffery, have had the chance to review drafts and offer comments that I always took to heart and often to text revision.

I'm proud to have my name listed with the many other contributors, but am also vain enough to assert that few if any have equal the imprint on the final product that I here proudly claim. Such is life...we treemen/women are not exactly known as retiring souls hiding our lights under a bushel basket .

This link takes you to the policy section of the USFS Tree Climbing program site, go there then click on the tree Climbing Guide 2015 pdf. If you wish, you can look around the rest of the site.

to be using as tried and true, prov...bi-directional loading, in case a top breaks.

 

[Raj]

The older version you posted for me when I was reshaping a "new to me" pair of gaffs was an excellent resource. Looking forward to sitting down and reading this one! I did a contract climb for a young fella's tree company who had a new pair of spurs, he laughed at what I had, now, I don't know if it was the treeclimbing guide's detailed description of how a gaff should be, or me following those instructions, or my climbing ability, but I sure out performed him on a dying sugar maple. (I'm thinking it was the guide) Thanks again!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Still have the last one you helped write. Very nice addition to the resources. Thanks B. You're awesome.

 

[rskybiz]

Thank you Burnham!

 

[Fiddler]

Good stuff! thanks B!

 

[chris_girard]

Awesome Burnham, I'll be sure to read the whole thing when I can.

 

[darkstar]

Wow that took some work i imagine . Awesome Job .

 

[cory]

Dark, where the hell you been???

 

[MasterBlaster]

What? It's only been a year and a half!

He was on walkabout...

 

[vharrison]

Way to go Burn, awesome. Our tax dollars finally put to good use!

 

[woodworkingboy]

All those paragraphs and not a single line of self promotion! I hope you were well compensated, B.

 

[Burnham]

Great, B. I look forward to checking it out.

"
I know things take time. A choked SRT system that gets you to the ground without your rope moving, from work position to emergency bail-out without changeover is a big safety factor, IMO.

I would think that the SRT self-belay in tiny tops would just be routinely tying into the stem with an appropriate knot/ hitch for bi-directional loading, in case a top breaks.

SRT self belay in the small wood is covered in detail under the 4 inch tie in self belay system, Sean.

As to your mention of choked SRT system for bailout capability, I THINK but will need to check to confirm, that we have covered that. If it didn't get in, it needs to and I'll see to suggesting some language to see to it. Thanks.

 

[Burnham]

All those paragraphs and not a single line of self promotion! I hope you were well compensated, B.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...Jay, you surely jest! Not that you could know, my old friend...

Never a single extra dollar over my regular pay...me or any other TAG member or other special skill peer instructor corps in the USFS. We do it for love of the craft and a calling to teach, to help our fellow employees learn how to do their jobs better and keep safe. It's a lousy reflection on the organization that there is no extra compensation for this work, but we do it anyway. For me, it was instructor duties and issuing agency valid certifications for these special skill sets: tree climbing, ATV/UTV ops., chainsaw use and rigging, snowmobile ops., trailer use, 4x4 ops., and tower climbing. I'm proud of my contributions in training my fellow federal employees in the these venues, but I never saw a dime of benefit from all that extra work. So be it, I got paid in spades from the thanks the hundreds of students that passed through my many courses over 30+ years gifted to me.

Really, the compensation has always been about giving FS climbers a good resource to help them do their work and go home safe every day. Being able to offer the same resource to the wider tree climbing community is just a bonus.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Without really knowing, I suspected that your normal wages likely covered your writing efforts during your time as an employee of the service, but I thought that you had mentioned continuing to work on the literature after retiring, so I was hoping there could be something a bit more lucrative applied for compensation. Anyway, the thread isn't about compensation, I know you well enough to understand where your utmost motivation lies. The compensation mention was really a veiled compliment for producing such an excellent resource. Before reading it I thought to myself some topics that occurred might be important, but perhaps of somewhat lesser relevance when you weigh the overall picture that you want to be giving people. I thought I might be able to not find something, and possibly trip you up that it wasn't covered, but everything I could think of, is in the guide. It's obvious that there is a lot of experience that was channelled into producing the booklet. By experience, I mean sweat too.

I hope the students won't simply be technically educated by the guide, they will also see it as offering inspiration. That's how I view the information that Jerry supplies as well.

 

[kevin bingham]

Interesting that free climbing is an acceptable means of tree access complete with instructures on how it is safely done.

 

[DMc]

Burnham, could you elaborate on this from page 22, 3.3.4, " New rope should never be washed, rinsed, or soaked before initial use.... causing it to become dry and brittle, thereby shortening its life."

I have not heard of this. I have heard of other rope users that recommend soaking rope overnight to stabilize the fibers and sheath to core bond.

 

[Burnham]

Sure Dave. We, well actually myself if I recall rightly , communicated directly with 6 or 8 of the leading rope manufacturers, both arb and rock, all by phone conversation with a technical specialist rather than a marketing person, on the subject of rope care. The strong consensus was that any effort to remove the manufacturing "finish" was detrimental to long term rope life.

That's not to say that short term usability may be enhanced by a soak. I don't actually know, but myself, I'd never do it because I like the hand of a new rope with a bit of friction wear on it over something else.

Anyway, I was asking these folks about long term rope life...due to the fact that almost all USFS tree climbers climb on an intermittent basis, and preserving rope life took precedence in the situation where replacement funds are usually thin.