The Official Work Pictures Thread

[rbtree]

Jed, Popcorn/ pouch fungus, sap-rotter fungi? Makes wedging questionable. Normally, doug-fir is like cheating, I think. Sapwood rot changes things. I can't see the condition of the wood from the picts.


Reg, please share what the Consultant says. Interesting to hear.

Nico Dankers (I believe) has done some presentations on managing large PNW conifers. I didn't make it to ISA's annual training conference for the last two years, and missed it the time before. He was/ is with Tree Solutions, Inc. in Seattle. Scott Baker is the principle consultant/ owner there (fully consulting arbs). They have a tomograph. Scott came down and did some work with it on a 7' Doug-fir in Oly (not for me). Shell off a tree, but they work differently than hardwood, I sorta gathered. That, and it broke out at about 4"' at 170.

Scott and I go back almost twenty years. We climbed together on a few jobs, back when his consulting biz was much smaller. Awesome fella!

Most typical tree thinning around here done by clowns like Evergreen, and is nothing but lion's tailing. That said, crown thinning a conifer is rarely if ever effective. The only work that can really reduce risk is end weight reduction, and even crown reduction... or over thinning, which "may" reduce stem failure but will result in increased branch failure, unless end weight reduction is done. And over thinning can affect tree health as well.
Yesterday's Seattle Times, Ciscoe Morris's article was timely and pretty accurate, but it didn't address proper conifer risk reduction pruning
http://www.seattletimes.com/life/chinese-trumpet-vines-look-great-if-and-when-the-flowers-bloom/

Scott and I at a tree climbing jam comp

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I've heard mostly that end-weight reduction and profile-reduction makes them more stable. Narrow the tree. Don't "let the wind blow through the tree".

Scott tells a story of back in the day, like the 70-80s, when he was Olympia Tree Service (something of the nature), when they would put weld on the sides of their bars for "skinning out" the inner foliage (lion-tailing). That was the way, then.

Fast forward a long time, people still doing it, like topping.

Yesterday, along those lines Paul's Tree Service added a ratchet strap to a custy's tree where there was already an antique cable, way to low, now. I told the custy that if the company is such and such "tree service", its often really "tree dis-service". Obviously, not the case every time.

Why would you use an industry-developed, proof-tested, long lasting system when you can go to Home Depot for a ratchet strap?
I guess that sarcasm made sense to her.

 

[Mick!]

It was industry standard to fill holes with concrete not too long ago.
We are not at the apogee of knowledge yet.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't miss doing it!

 

[rbtree]

I don't miss doing it!

Ne meither.....

 

[Jed]

This is a good discussion. Look at how mother nature thins a conifer. She usually busts off limbs entirely, but she also evenly thins foliage with big, steady wind. She never lion tails. She rarely does "end-weight reduction."

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I would disagree, Jed. An OLD tree has few original branches, but they are big and stocky. As a percentage, yes, most blow off completely. I'm just hung up on the "rarely".

 

[Jed]

Point taken... I was just talking about my puny little second-growth doghair, Sean.

Here's a couple shots Andy got with his fairly new Galaxy.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I mean big second growth, not run of the mill second growth.

Ya, puny, Jed, you probably don't get over 120' on a regular basis, right? Puny.

 

[BOTS]

U got some pigs there Jed!!

 

[PCTREE]

Wow I think I would like to frame some of those pics Jed! Seriously perfect lighting and awesome subject.

 

[Fiddler]

love the foggy pics...

 

[flushcut]

Badass pics Jed! Love the jump cut in action.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Really loving the foggy pics!!!!!!

 

[treebilly]

Great pics Jed. Nice job as well.

 

[Jed]

Wow, thanks gents... I'll have to tell Andy. That guy is truly one of the most artistic souls I've ever met. Loves animals more than ANYONE I've ever met. Quite a rare guy.

Good eye Rajan.

 

[treebilly]

A silver maple I was called in to do today. Another crew started it until they realized the bucket was falling way short. It could reach about three cuts. It's hard to see but there are six cables in there. Three of them broken. I got the brush down and a good bit of the wood before calling it today.

View from the new to the company elevator. It's getting another inspection Thursday and should be putting my gear into it Friday.
Pics turned all goofy on me again. Sorry

 

[sawman]

big silver maple no?
don't see many that big in jersey.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

A little drive by of a few days of carnage
Sorry about the lighting. Storm was moving in.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sv0EkftlRUA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jed]

That's truly beautiful country Stephen.

Rich: You guys have to haul all the wood off of that pig?

 

[treebilly]

Yes sir. Had to do a bit of clearance work this morning and now getting ready to rig out the wood. Very tight access with the loader.

 

[Jed]

Ahhh... better you than me, man. Do you have a good guy to drive loader?

 

[treebilly]

That's my job as well Jed. At least for the tight spots. Had to leave before the remaining spar was dropped. Glad to as the boss took over and found it was full of concrete.

 

[cory]

Heckuva new truck the 75'er. Do you mind working over the cab?

 

[treebilly]

No. All I've flown for the most part have been forestry units. I wanted a rear mount but was overruled. I just make it a point to not hit the truck anywhere. Worst part is keeping the radiator clean. We hang a piece of fine screen tight to the inside of the grill. It seems to help a lot. Still need to climb in the hood and use the air compressor once a month but better than every other week.