How'd it go today?

[MasterBlaster]

If that woulda been a Chevy truck it woulda just been a scratch.

 

[lumberjack]

A late model? Psh, they have plastic bumpers/really thin stamped bumpers also.

A '99 or earlier, hells yeah . I stroked a Tarus on the way to my English final back in high school. She turned to sharp in a blind turn on our road. The corner of my bumper had green paint on it from hitting below the driver's mirror and running to the tail light.


There is a character line down the side of the car, B.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

I'll put a big assed bi or tri wing on the trunk to help give the body some character.

If you do I'll come down there and kick your arse myself....

 

[TheTreeWiseMen]

Here ya go Carl......

 

[Paul B]

mo betta

 

[TheTreeWiseMen]

 

[squisher]

Nope, not at that stage yet. Why would you be choked if there is a cost to take a grandfather or C of Q test? Examiners dont work for free!

I was releived to see the razz smilie there. As yes I'll really be looking forward to paying someone so that I can continue on doing what I'm already doing? What's the benefit to me again?

 

[Paul B]

no NEED to become a journeyperson. Something like having to be a journeyperson to work in the industry takes many years before its the rule.

If you did take the equivalency challenge exam (if there is one which I assume there will be), then its a sales tool and it would make you more valuable as an employer of an apprentice in the program as your skills / methods etc would be recognized as a mentor.
At least I think thats the way it goes

 

[squisher]

I'm just leery is all. Because when they first started the program with falling, you didn't have to be certified either, and then all of a sudden you did have to be. So this time I'm not missing the boat. Another concern I have is that the falling certification is expensive and expensive to keep up. My uncle is a cert'd faller and now to keep his certification current they want him to pay for a examiner to come to the okanagan and 'assess' him. Someone with over forty years in the bush, really it's a joke and a cash grab in his circumstance.

I'm not saying I'm against training programs and certifications quite the opposite in fact I'm ISA cert'd. But I don't really see how this new progam will benefit me as a marketing tool, espescially at the onset when it's completely unknown. Everyone around here wants a 'certified arborist' or a 'certified faller' to handle their work. They'll have to do alot of marketing in order to make it an effective sales tool imo.

 

[Paul B]

for that you need to talk to worksafeBC amigo, the apprenticeship I am trying to help evolve is in direct response to the fallers cert. We as arborists CANNOT follow the rules of the fallers ticket. IE evacuating everyone within 2.5 times the height of the tree during operations.

This apprenticeship will hopefully be accepted by WorksafeBC as a vehicle that can have measureable training methods and execution of safe work practices, BEFORE they legislate us with thier ideas.
Unfortunately it seems that the bucking and falling standards for the arborist program will likely be held to be 'equivalent' to the faller status so the methods and safe practices will likely be the same. Some things hopefully can be bent a bit to understand the urban faller vs the forest faller.

If you see Thor (arbortech) up there he can tell you all about it, I chatted with him a few times yesterday at the meeting.

 

[squisher]

for that you need to talk to worksafeBC amigo, the apprenticeship I am trying to help evolve is in direct response to the fallers cert. We as arborists CANNOT follow the rules of the fallers ticket. IE evacuating everyone within 2.5 times the height of the tree during operations.

Here's the thing with that though. As it sits right now with worksafe you don't need to be a certified faller unless the wood is being felled for commercial use. If there's an accident in a residential setting they will come and assess what you've done and either determine that you are or aren't a competent faller and levy fines(or not) based on that. This is what the worksafe officer that I met with last year explained to me.

I'm just worried, obviously, about the introduction of redtape/fees in order to just continue doing what I'm doing. But I do very much apreciate the info that you're sharing as my plan is to stay abreast of this and try and get grandfathered in from the start, what I should've done with the falling cert.

As a sidenote my uncle has written worksafe a letter explaining why he shouldn't have to pay for someone to come and examine him, I'll let ya know how that goes if you'd like.

If you see Thor (arbortech) up there he can tell you all about it, I chatted with him a few times yesterday at the meeting.

He's from Penticton or somewhere south of me isn't he? The arbortraining guy? I have never met him, but I don't get out much.

 

[Paul B]

yup, Thor is from the training outfit.

The talk is that Worksafe basically told a number of industry reps, "get your shit together or we will do it for you. We will wait on applying the fallers cert because you guys have made such a big stink out of it".

There will be legislation by them, too many injuries and deaths occur in this industry for them not to have something, this apprenticeship might be the vehicle to help direct their efforts to realistic, manageable regs.

Either way, there WILL be regs. That seems to be a for sure thing.

The good news is that we had a rep (the industry specific person) out to observe on the occupational analysis day and he seems to think we are doing a good job of getting input from industry, he was impressed by the fact that the small groups covering different blocks and tasks were focusing so heavily on the safety part of an arborists job already. So keep yer fingers crossed and hopefully this will end in a way that businesses can still work and make a buck.

Good luck to your uncle in his issue, did they offer to test him down here if he makes the trek? That might be cheaper.

 

[squisher]

Good luck to your uncle in his issue, did they offer to test him down here if he makes the trek? That might be cheaper.

I'll have to ask him he never mentioned that as an option, but presumably it would be. Still quite a trek to make to get certified to do something you've done your whole life. I know alot of handfallers who are really unhappy with the way the certification dealio is handled.

Sounds like you guys might be able to effect some realistic rules/regs here so I'm counting on you Paul to keep this thing going in a positive direction.

 

[Paul B]

ha, it aint just me, there are 10 of us on the steering committee and we have had lots of folks in for the OA and other stuff.

But I am doing my best to help and continue the good work. If you get contacted by the research team about any surveys and stuff, if you have the time, we NEED people to respond, the return rate has not been good and the data is really necessary to keep the program going. FIWI.

 

[squisher]

Well throw 'em my e-mail addy if you still have it. I'll answer some questions...........unless they're hard questions.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks, I will do. and no they arent hard, stuff like: whats the weight of a 3 meter section of 44 centimeter diameter unbranched Quercus rubra in July after a wet spring, in a 30 kilometer wind, covered in black aphids?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Paul, make that a multiple choice answer question and give us a chance.

 

[SkwerI]

ummm, 12 stone?

 

[brendonv]

Helped my bro do fence today. Seems I am working for him 8 days a week, I don't know why I continue. Haven't got paid since end of July from him, and I've been saying I need to stop working for him the last 2 years. I was happier working for $12 an hour climbing than I am now with my own business. I dig over 85% of the holes for the posts, and my elbows are really taking a beating. I don't want it to affect my climbing career so I think I need to stop, just need to tell him.

I think I am taking sawinrednecks spot with bitching about my job

 

[Paul B]

ha, the answer is in Drachms.


hell if I know the answer, I was just trying to get a rise out of the calm one, aka Squishie.

 

[Paul B]

Brendan, get an auger for that mini...

 

[stehansen]

We worked at the Apartments again today. I left in the afternoon and did four bids.

 

[sawinredneck]

Helped my bro do fence today. Seems I am working for him 8 days a week, I don't know why I continue. Haven't got paid since end of July from him, and I've been saying I need to stop working for him the last 2 years. I was happier working for $12 an hour climbing than I am now with my own business. I dig over 85% of the holes for the posts, and my elbows are really taking a beating. I don't want it to affect my climbing career so I think I need to stop, just need to tell him.

I think I am taking sawinrednecks spot with bitching about my job

Sorry Brendon, it sucks being me don't it

 

[Stumper]

Amen. It sucks being Andy!

 

[Bodean]

Today I helped prune a tough old liriodendron, tulip tree.

Mainly deadwooding and crossing limbs.

Old cables looked good, no rot.

Then I cleared some garage rooves.

Pretty mellow.