The Official Work Pictures Thread

[SeanKroll]

Ground 19 stumps with a rental 30hp Barreto sg30 hydraulic grinder with a killer sweep, and great maneuverability. The birch grew against the rhododendron on the right. A bit of birch stump remains. The hydraulic sweep goes 180*, allowing me to reach behind the rhododendron.

Yesterday, cleanup/ haul-off, fixed homeowner hedge shearing of a katsura, climbing dismantle if a doug-fir over a new fence, then knocked down 5 firs.

Cable and prop today for a peach. Admin.

Back tomorrow to fine tune Katsura with an orchard ladder, and prune the big deodora cedar, which had some SGR pruning, so far.

You can see the indentation, a little.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Nice clean up Sean. Might do that Rhodie some good to get more space and light. Be interesting to see how it grows out in the next couple of years.

Before and afters of my beast for the week. Still have a couple hours in it to do. One top with some dead and one patch of mistletoe on an outboard limb. Going to have to set a line across a better top and then run it through the top of that limb. real bouncy and some sketchy hollows. I already took some weight off it from an adjacent limb, what I could reach. But...... Better safe than sorry. Then we'll go hit a quick jobby to finish the day out. This was pretty much a dead wood and mistletoe removal. Not a fine prune. when taking this much crap out, I don't like to cut much live tissue off. Give it a few years to settle in with some new growth, then look at touch ups.
Before....


After

 

[MasterBlaster]

You still have to get back in it?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yup. I think I have about climbed out every limb and top but two in that damn thing. Little sprigs of mistletoe EVERYWHERE! I ran out of time today and out of Umph. Already have a throw line it it for quick ascent to the center top with about 4 dead limbs in it. And that one patch of mistletoe on that one back compromised limb I'll need to run the line across a good center and into it. No good scaffolding there and I don't trust the limb that far out.

 

[flushcut]

Looking good so far. A person could get lost in a tree like that.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Helmet comms were a God send. I can't see the groundie, and he cant see me 1/2 the time.

 

[Nutball]

Nice tree, should put a tree house in there.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Actually, it once had one. There is still a piece of platform left in it along with plenty of metal for anyone that removes it in the future.
HO asked that ropes that one held swings be removed as well. Kids are about grown and headed to college soon. This is a Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis), also called a Golden Cup because the cup on the acorn is yellow. This one has some real hollows and rotting spots, but they are great compartmentalizers, and can get quit large. Stig and I climbed one of ourlocal champions once back in 09 I believe. I doubt this one will ever achieve that size. Canopy covered at least 1/3 acre.
Here is the thread on that tree... Smither's Oak
https://www.masterblasterhome.com/showthread.php?13150-Rec-Climb-Mariposa-CA

 

[SeanKroll]

I'd love to climb some of your oaks!



Installed two props and a couple 3 brace rods, along with pruning on a snow - damaged peach, after stripping two trees, with a madrone cross-through prune, in one tank in my 193t.

The first were only 50', maybe a little more.


341pm





429pm





519pm




We will back the chipper up tomorrow right to the brush, chipping into the woods.

Nice relaxed, smooth pace, not rushing, not lagging, chug chugging.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Love to climb with you any time Sean. I may not be as good as I once was, but I am as good once as I ever was. Slowing down some sliding into 60...

 

[stig]

I don't buy that, Stephen.
When we climbed that oak 10 years ago, I think I was a better climber than you.
More experience and fancier gear.
The stuff you have done since, and all your SRT experience has certainly changed that.
No way I could keep up with you today.

 

[greengreer]

Didn't get a pic of the the tree before I brushed it out. Started to split on the last trunk pick. Had to come up with a plan b. No doubt this one needed to come out. Over a house, a picnic area and the chamber of commerce.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That was an ugly one Greengreer.

Stig, yup, back in 09 you were definitely a better climber. Still, I think I peaked out in 2015 and feel like I don't have near the stamina I had. I think getting sick those couple of times took it out of me along with just adding a few years. Those last two asthma attacks about did me in. Literally. Deva might vouch for my vitality waning a bit. He worked with me up here a couple times and last year out near him on one of his jobs. So he could probably tell a difference. Who knows... I could be wrong and just feel more worn out still being productive....

Editing some photos and I'll show you the nasty limb I had to finish.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't feel like I don't have near the stamina I had

I do believe that was the my first sign of cancer... if only I woulda recognized it.

When was your last upper body MRI?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Never had one. They just take blood, check for markers and deny the MRI because no markers. Each attack does damage. Scar tissue. I have had asthma all my life.

Ok.. See if you can tell by the pictures. The last limb I had to do. I shot through a top I had been in that I knew was quite sound. Then through the top of the nasty one. So my weight was distributed better and less on the compromised limb. Difference was night and day from a test pull over the single limb vs over both. SRT ascent and cleaned it off and out with out incident. Saw a couple sprigs I missed below it on another limb and was able to spider down to nip them out. I had already removed about 100 # of crud off it from an adjacent top with the pole saw. Just could not quite get the rest with out getting up and personal with it.
18 hours all told including clean up.

Limb all clean

Rear of tree before..


After

 

[MasterBlaster]

I was tested regularly, too. Many cancers are asymptomatic and leave NO markers... it just quietly keeps growing in you.

If insurance won't pay it I would pay it myself.

It could be growing inside you at this very minute. One MRI woulda caught it.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yeah. If I could afford it, I would probably do it. Just not happening this year unless I have a windfall.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just one bag of my chemo juice costs $3000. I take two bags a visit.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Not on my best year could I afford to die slowly.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I haven't had to pay a penny.

 

[stig]

You did a great job on that Oak, Stephen.
I don't have near the experience in wide spread trees that you do.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Thanks Stig. I really feel SRT hybrid devises have really simplified climbing these. Easier to isolate. Ability to transition from SRT to Ddrt and back again. Sure made a difference for me anyway. Can't imagine going back to a Blake's hip humping about the tree.
And the Wraptor of course as the day wanes and one more ascent really needs done.

 

[SeanKroll]

Glacier kept getting in my eyes.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Whole porta wood going on.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Git to splitting!!!