Which is most difficult-Trimming or removing

[Treeaddict]

From a climbing perspective, which procedure do you find the most difficult? Why? Obviously there are many many variables at play here. In my meager experience which consists of a whopping 17 trims and 21 removals, I find trimming more demanding. One major reason for that is the fact that one must work around the canopy, weaving through all the limbs and branches that are to remain intact without damaging them. There’s a few other reasons but I’m curious what you have to say.

 

[treebilly]

It’s a toss up for me. Pruning takes a different skill set most of the time. You have to be “lighter”. Also that little demon pops up that says “Do you really need to go out there? Will anyone really notice besides the trained eye to see that pruning cut needs to be a half inch closer to the collar?” Removals take more brute strength simply because the tools are heavier.
Judging by the removal to pruning specializing companies ratio around me, I’d say pruning is harder

 

[greengreer]

Conceptually removals are much easier. Make the tree go away and don't break shit.
Pruning: why, what are the goals, species, etc etc.

Tons of variables to each though.

 

[SeanKroll]

Apples and oranges, both fruit.

 

[frans]

Depends

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Two hardest things.
Pruning a tree that should just be removed.
Removing a tree that really would be fine just pruned.
Ops. 3. Polishing turds.

 

[lxskllr]

Pruning takes more of an artist's eye, and I find that somewhat terrifying. I'm not an artist. Any choices made will be there a long time/forever, and mistakes may not be able to be fixed with money.

 

[flushcut]

Apples and oranges, both fruit.

Same shit different pile. Lol
Both are work. But trimming is more precise tack hammer work, removals are sledgehammer work, both take time to do it right.
Some trims take more time than a removal sometimes a removal take longer than a trim.

 

[BeerGeek]

Mike, as you're in a similar location to me, I think you will find pruning more difficult than removals due to the complexity of the deciduous trees we primarily deal with here. But as others have noted, removals can be a beast in themselves (I just did one the other day; 80 ft. tall, multi-stemmed declining White Ash. Leaning towards the building 25 ft. away, and majority of the weight on that side. Had to climb and piece out 3 50 ft. leads, tie off in 2 separate places, set up Masdaam about 300 ft. away (go Zeppelin Bend!) in a 3:1 going to the desired fall, and another rope as a guy line to the Dingo to avoid the heavy side lean of what remained towards the newly paved lot. Set notch away from the desired fall by about 15 deg, and got some religion as I prayed my guesstimations and brush monkey efforts would be enough. It worked out, but boy, fun times...).

 

[SeanKroll]

The more you get to work with skilled people, the faster you will learn about anything.
Seek it out, as you can.



What do you mean by "harder"?
What are your thoughts on the matter, @Treeaddict ?

 

[Treeaddict]

I appreciate all your responses and points of view.
In what I’ve done this far (decurrent deciduous trees) I’ve found these points to be more difficult on a trim GENERALLY:
-Must get further out on a limb usually
-Weaving through the canopy with gear and ropes trying to not get caught on the stuff that stays
-Getting branches out of the canopy without hanging up
-Harder to position without spurs
-More complex rope management and planning
-Difficulty getting a proper pruning cut with the space and angles present

After the leaves drop I’m going to deadwood and reduce weight on my parents silver maples which unfortunately have been topped twice. They are not easy to move through with all the epicormic sprouts and sketchy limbs. In my mind, removal would be twice as easy. That’s not going to happen though. Just an example

 

[Bermy]

Being little makes pruning easier, and can make removals harder.
The hardest part of both can be getting rid of the debris and the cost factor of that to the entire job and thus selling it to a client.
At least on a prune most of it will fit through my chipper.

 

[greengreer]

Being little makes pruning easier, and can make removals harder.
The hardest part of both can be getting rid of the debris and the cost factor of that to the entire job and thus selling it to a client.
At least on a prune most of it will fit through my chipper.

That's the other side of it. If you can make a biz pruning then it's alot less equipment intensive. Harder to sell the value in some markets though, alot of customers have this "pay by the pound" mentality so it really tests your confidence and people skills.

 

[Treeaddict]

One of the local pros I made friends with said people don’t want to pay for trims too often- like mentioned above. I’d imagine there’s much more fear / disaster avoidance based pruning taking place over aesthetic pruning.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Removal is physicaly harder by the quantity of material and the weight/forces involved, but it's easyier for the brain as it's "only" mechanical stuff to figure out.
Prunninng can be either easier or much more difficult, depending of the type of prune you want on that particular tree. Cleaning, thinning, reduction (light or heavy), pollarding... It can be light or heavy material (relatively), could be as targets intensive as a removal. For the brain, some are easier (cleaning and pollarding, you don't have to think much), some are harder and time consumming (thinning + light reduction, you have to think a lot "biological", space and future).
Concerning the climb itself, it's hard to tell because the two aspects are very different, with each having pro and cons.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Like my crown raising over a tall roof today. Required some lowering. Some pitching. Some speed lining. Some small stuff dropped on roof to make a pillow to drop more. Long pole and a hook pulled most the pillow off the roof onto the lawn. Decend. Pull up blower and blow off roof.

Now, if I remove same tree, probably crane it out. Sure I could rig it all down, but the damn roof is still in the way as are tons of ornamental plants and a lawn. Unless i feel the need to keep the crane money. Book it for a few days instead. But enough crew, and one day it will be chipped and down. Second option day movev the wood out and I got wood rats. Easier on the old sloth that I am. Wont need a road for the dingo either.