c/arborists

My crown reduction mistake in Tacoma made me change how I bid jobs

Last spring I took a job for a big maple in Tacoma. I quoted a light trim but the homeowner pushed for a heavy crown reduction to let more light in. I went along with it against my better judgment. Three weeks later the tree threw out water sprouts everywhere and the owner called me upset. I ended up coming back twice for free to clean it up and lost about $400 on that job. Now I refuse to cut more than 25 percent of live crown no matter how much they insist. Has anyone else had a client blame them for following their request too literally?

0 comments

emma_baker61•1d ago

That poplar top landed 8 feet from my truck in Erie

We were dropping a 70 foot poplar in a tight yard, and I misread the lean, wind shifted it hard. Watching it swing sideways toward my F-250 with the chipper still hooked up, I froze for a second, then yelled and everyone bailed. No damage but I've added a rope brake on any tree with a hint of twist, anyone else had a close call that changed their rigging setup?

0 comments

evan543•2d ago

A crane operator in Portland proved me wrong about topping trees

After watching him smooth-cut a 60 foot maple that I would have refused to touch, I now think topping gets a bad rap when done by real pros, so has anyone else seen a textbook topping job actually work out?

0 comments

fionafoster•6d ago

Old climbing rope finally retired after 8 years of work

Last week I swapped out my 150 foot Yale rope that I've had since I started with a tree service in Asheville back in 2017. That thing had been spliced twice, thrown over a dozen oaks, and survived two storm seasons. Feels weird starting fresh with a stiff line, takes me back to being a ground guy again. Anyone else hold onto gear way longer than they should, or am I the only sentimental climber here?

0 comments

ivan_harris•9d ago

That stump grinder kickback in Ohio put me on the ground

Was doing a removal out near Lancaster last Thursday, grinding a big silver maple stump that had been cut low. The root plate had shifted the stump just enough that the teeth grabbed a buried rock on the back side. Machine kicked so hard it threw me off the seat and I landed on my shoulder in the wood chips. Took a solid minute to check that my hand wasn't mangled and the machine hadn't rolled onto the fence line. What saved me was wearing the full face shield and keeping the grinder at half throttle, because at full speed that thing would've twisted worse. I ended up digging out the rock with a shovel and finishing the job slow, but my shoulder still aches when I lift anything overhead. Anyone else had a grinder bite back on a hidden rock? What do you do to check for buried stuff before you start cutting?

0 comments

the_robert•11d ago

That ash tree removal that ate up my whole Saturday in Louisville

I got a call about a dying ash in a tight backyard, figured it was a 3 hour job with my buddy. Turns out the tree was hollowed out near the base, but the top was still packed with heavy limbs. We had to rig every single piece down with a line because there was zero drop zone, and the homeowner kept coming out to chat about their garden. What should've been a quick morning turned into 7 hours, and we even had to make a run to the shop for a longer sling. I'm not complaining, it paid fine, but I definitely underestimated how much time a hollow trunk adds to the climb. Anyone else have jobs where the tree looks simple but the rigging just eats the clock? What's your trick for estimating those hidden trouble spots?

0 comments

bailey.jennifer•11d ago

I used to spike every pine removal, now I don't even own spurs for them

For 12 years I strapped on spikes for every pine takedown in my area around Charlotte. Then in 2019 I got called out on a tall loblolly where the homeowner watched me like a hawk, asked why I was punching holes in his tree just to cut it down. I had no good answer. Switched to a rope and throw bag that same job, took me an extra 20 minutes on the climb but the butt was cleaner and the customer stopped hovering. I still use spurs for hazard pines or deadwood, but for a straight removal, the rope work saves the trunk for firewood buyers and keeps the saw chain sharper. Anyone else drop spurs for rope-only removals and notice the difference in bids you get after?

0 comments

wren230•12d ago

Just realized my rope technique was wasting 20 minutes per climb

Used to do the classic double rope setup on every removal, the way my old crew boss in Ohio taught me back in 2011. Took me until last spring to try a single rope with a mechanical Prusik for a big maple and I about fell over. The time difference was insane, I did a 60 foot white oak in under 2 hours when that used to take me 3 plus. I had to re-learn my foot lock and basically trust the gear instead of my old habits. Got the idea from a guy at a workshop in Columbus who showed me his rig, I thought he was being lazy at first. Now I'm wondering what else I'm doing the old way just because nobody challenged it. Anyone else make a switch that cut their time that hard, or am I just late to this?

0 comments

the_claire•14d ago

Finally realized why my chainsaw kept stalling during live oak work

Been cutting live oaks around San Antonio for about 6 years and always blamed the saw or the mix when it bogged down. Turned out I was running the chain way too loose, I checked it cold instead of after a few cuts. A buddy of mine, Dave who runs a crew in Boerne, pointed it out during a removal last Tuesday and I felt like an idiot. Anyone else have a simple setup habit that took them way too long to catch?

0 comments

richard_young80•15d ago

The $180 pole pruner head that paid for itself in a week

I had been putting off thinning a big live oak in a customer's yard because my old pruner head kept jamming on the thicker branches. Finally ordered a new one from a local supply house for $180 and it cut through everything clean on the first pull. What I didn't expect was the clip on the mechanism letting me get a better angle, which meant I finished that job in one visit instead of two trips. Has anyone else found that upgrading just the head fixed their whole setup? Curious if the cheaper off-brand ones hold up as long.

0 comments

amyh12•16d ago

That one dead elm took me 3 days to chip properly

Rigged up a rope system to lower chunks from a 60 foot dead elm in a tight backyard, but the wood was so punky my chipper kept clogging every 15 minutes. Ended up having to hand-feed everything with a buddy while working around a fence that left barely 4 feet of clearance. Anybody else got tricks for chipping soft rotten wood without constant jams?

1 comments

leo_johnson•17d ago

My pole saw grip was backwards for 4 years until a storm cleanup in Tulsa

I was trimming a big oak after that windstorm and my wrist was killing me after 20 minutes. A guy from the city crew walked over, watched me for a second, and said 'you're holding it like a shovel, flip your top hand over' and he was right. I had the thumb on top when it needs to wrap underneath for control, and now cuts take half the effort. Has anyone else had a basic tool habit that took a stranger to correct, or am I the only one who missed this in training?

1 comments

thomasgonzalez•18d ago

Tried a new pruning saw for a week, my hands are not happy

Picked up one of those curved blade saws everyone raves about and used it on a big maple job outside Austin last Tuesday. Three days of reaching overhead and my forearms feel like wet noodles, plus the handle blistered my palm. It cuts great when you can get a straight pull, but all that awkward angle work makes it worse than my old straight saw. Anyone else switch to a different handle shape and regret it in the long run?

1 comments

hannah_wells•22d ago

Checked the same oak twice in one week, the cambium said everything

First pass on Monday the bark looked fine, but by Friday that same section was peeling and the wood underneath had that sour smell. We had a 40 mph gust come through Wednesday night, so maybe it was already cracked inside, but has anyone else seen cankers move that fast after a storm?

1 comments

mark_chen62•22d ago

The old growth redwood I climbed in 1989 still guides my cuts today

Back then we used hand saws and instinct on a 300 foot monarch near Eureka, but now I see folks with fancy rigging gear ignore the grain direction and leave ugly tear outs. I learned more from that one tree's reaction to a bad notch than any seminar since. Anybody else feel like the basics got lost once the big equipment showed up?

1 comments

stella_scott96•24d ago

The 25 foot pole saw failure that flipped my old timer advice

After that fiberglass pole saw snapped on a maple branch in Arlington last week, I finally get why the crew boss kept saying to treat the tool like a fishing rod, not a spear, so has anyone else switched to a telescoping carbon setup after a similar break?

1 comments

danielm80•24d ago

That time a 2x4 saved my saw from a bad branch catch

that 2x4 trick worked way better than the break bar I usually use

1 comments

stellat46•24d ago

A homeowner's comment about my crown cuts changed my whole approach

Last month in Portland, a client watched me make a final cut on a maple and said 'you're leaving that stub on purpose, right?' I thought it was fine, but she was right, I was cutting too far from the collar out of habit. I went back and re-did all the cuts on that job, measured the collar distance each time. Now I set my saw depth and angle based on the branch bark ridge first, not just the weight of the limb. Has anyone else had a non-arborist point out something that actually made you rethink your basic cuts?

1 comments

tessa_carr•25d ago

Borer damage way worse after a mild winter, check your maples now

I pulled a dead branch off a client's sugar maple yesterday in Lancaster and found galleries packed with larvae. The mild winter let emerald ash borer and other borers survive way better than I expected, the local extension office put out a bulletin saying emergence counts are up 3x this spring. I've already lost two trees that looked fine last fall, just drooping leaves this month. Has anyone else noticed more borer activity in their area after the warm season, or am I just unlucky this year?

1 comments

charles_baker28•25d ago

That $90 air spike I bought for stumps did the opposite of save me

Picked up one of those pneumatic stump spikes last spring for a big removal in Portland, and it blew a hose fitting on the third hit, nearly took out my helper's leg. Cost me $90 plus a rental backup and a full afternoon of lost billable hours. Anyone else had these things fail on them, or am I just cursed with bad luck?

2 comments

charles_coleman•26d ago

Swapped my 30-ton truck for a mini skid in tight yards

Used to drag my big chipper into every backyard in Portland, tore up lawns and fences left and right. Tried a 1,500-pound mini skid with a chipper attachment last spring for a row of Norway maples near a fence line. Now I won't go back on narrow lots, but is anyone else taking heat from clients about the smaller equipment looking cheap?

2 comments

hugotaylor•26d ago

I finally figured out why my anchor points kept slipping

Was doing a removal in Tacoma last Tuesday and my cambium saver kept creeping down the trunk no matter how I set it. Turns out I was using rope that was too slick for the bark, swapped to a coarser line and it held solid through the whole job. Anyone else run into this on certain tree species?

2 comments

corah75•27d ago

Found out my grandpa's old climbing rope was hemp

Cleaning out his shed last weekend. Found a coil of rope from the 60s. Looked it up online. It was manila hemp, not any synthetic. Guys back then climbed on that stuff. No dynamic stretch at all. A fall would've yanked you hard. Makes me appreciate modern gear. Anyone ever climb on the old natural fiber ropes?

3 comments

pat_murray53•27d ago

That time a 19 year old groundie corrected my wedging method

I've been falling trees for about 7 years now and always wedged from the back, same as my old boss showed me. Last Tuesday we had a big red oak with a slight back lean and my wedges kept popping out no matter how hard I drove them. The kid I'm training, fresh out of a two year program in Ohio, just casually said to set the wedge on the far side of the saw cut instead of dead center. I laughed it off but tried it on the next stump and the bite held way better, let me lift the tree exactly where I wanted. Turns out the center cut was flexing and closing up on the wedge, and off-center placement keeps the gap open longer. Anyone else had a rookie tip that actually rewired their whole approach to a basic cut? I still feel dumb about it but the results are obvious.

2 comments

wright.leo•29d ago

Finally figured out why my wedges kept splitting on bigger oaks

Watched a guy at a job site in Richmond drive his wedge with the grain running vertical instead of horizontal and it took me 12 years of fighting stubborn fells to see what I was doing wrong, is there a reason nobody teaches that at certification?

2 comments