For years I did the standard crown reduction on every oak and maple that came through my crew in Nashville. Then about 2 years ago I had a call back on a pin oak where the cuts just didn't heal right. Talked to an old timer at a regional workshop who showed me how the tree was telling me it wanted a more natural shape left alone. Now I only do reductions when there's a real structural reason, not just because the customer wants it shorter. Anyone else had a job where leaving more wood actually saved you time later?
Neighbor asked me to help with his overgrown dogwood in Portland. He hands me this cheap bypass lopper. I had my Felco hand pruners. We both took the same size branches. His loppers crushed the wood. My pruners made clean cuts. Why spend money on bulky gear when a good hand tool does it better? Anyone else notice this with cutting tools on smaller stuff?
I spent 3 hours last week using a pole saw on a big live oak in Austin and wrecked my shoulders. Switched to hand pruners for the same size tree yesterday and got way cleaner cuts in half the time. Anyone else ditch the pole saw for most pruning work?
I was doing a 50-foot white oak removal 3 weeks ago in Nashville and this old timer watches me for five minutes. He says "your saddle is pressing on your hip bones, loosen it two inches." I always thought tighter felt safer so I pushed back at first. He showed me how it should ride lower on my thighs instead. Now I'm not getting that burning numbness after 4 hours in the tree. Has anyone else had to relearn how their gear should actually fit?
After I climbed up and found no cat, just a raccoon staring at me, the guy yelled 'that's not my cat' and I had to explain raccoons can climb down on their own while trying not to laugh has anyone else had a customer mistake a raccoon for their pet?
I found a report from the International Society of Arboriculture that claims topped trees grow back weaker and are 40% more likely to fail in storms, so I'm starting to rethink all those quick height reductions I used to push on clients.
He pointed out the heat friction was causing damage I never noticed (even with a throw line). Switched to arborist polyester rope and the difference in wear on the bark is night and day. Anyone else have a customer change their gear game?
Last spring I had a guy stop me mid cut on a big red oak in Austin. He said I was taking too many live branches off the lower crown and that I was stressing the tree out. I thought I was doing the right thing for clearance, but he explained how oaks store energy in those lower limbs. Now I leave at least 60 percent of the lower canopy intact unless there's a real reason to remove it. Has anyone else had a customer call them out on something that actually made them better?
Had my spider lift break down 40 feet up last Tuesday in Portland. Couldn't get down for 45 minutes. Give me a good harness and climbing spikes any day over relying on machines that fail.
Was talking to a retired arborist named Jerry at the supply yard last Tuesday. He told me most people cut too flush to the trunk and that half inch collar is where all the natural defense chemicals are. Made me rethink every cut I did for the last 5 years. Any of you guys adjust your method after talking to someone with 40 years in?
I went out to a patch of old growth Douglas fir near Tillamook that a buddy told me about. The trees there are probably 400 plus years old and the bark alone is thicker than my arm. It got me thinking how different our work is now compared to the guys who first climbed those trees with just ropes and spikes. Has anyone else visited a spot that made you stop and appreciate the older trees we work with?
Had a talk with an old timer at the county extension office last Tuesday who told me I was sealing up oak wounds all wrong for years. He showed me how the sealer traps moisture and lets rot take hold way worse than leaving it open. Anyone else ditch pruning paint after seeing what it does long term?
I used to climb everything with spurs and a handsaw, even on big oaks near houses. Bought a used 40-foot bucket truck from a guy in Ohio for $8,000 and it changed how I work. Now I can limb down a tree in half the time without damaging the bark or risking a fall. Just have to watch for soft ground near the trunk so the outriggers don't sink. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted giving up the workout?
Had a cottonwood removal in a tight backyard off 12th Street. Been dreading it for weeks because that species always catches my bar in the leaners. But Friday the wind was calm and I got the hinge cut just right. Dropped it clean between a fence and a shed with maybe 3 feet of clearance. Made the whole afternoon go smooth. Any of you guys have a trick for keeping cottonwood from grabbing your chain?
I used to just feed palm fronds straight into the chipper one at a time. It would jam up constantly, especially with those big Phoenix palms that have thick stems. Last month a guy from Orlando showed me to trim the fronds down to 3 foot lengths first and stack them in bundles. Now I can run through a full truckload in about 20 minutes with zero jams. Anyone else got a trick that sped up their cleanup work?
Had a client in Maplewood call me about a big sugar maple that looked fine in spring but dropped leaves by August. I checked the canopy but didn't dig around the base close enough. Turned out there were girdling roots wrapped halfway around the trunk that slowly choked it out over 10 years. Tree came down last month on a calm day with no warning. Now I always spend 10 minutes scraping dirt off the root flare on every job. Anyone else had a tree fail from something hiding underground?
I used to always prune oaks in late winter like most people do. Then this old timer at the saw shop said I was asking for oak wilt by cutting during the sap flow. He told me to wait until July or August when the beetles that spread it are less active. I thought he was full of it at first lol. But I tried it on a big job out in Eugene last summer and honestly the trees looked way healthier after. Now I'm on the fence about whether to switch all my oak pruning to summer or keep doing it the old way. What's your take on this does timing really matter that much or is it just old wives tale stuff?
Had a 30 inch limb hang up on a 70 foot white pine and my standard friction saver kept binding on the bark. Buddy tossed me his rope block setup and that thing ran smooth as butter on the second try - now I gotta eat crow to everyone I told that rope blocks were overpriced junk. Anybody else switch camps on gear after a bad day in the tree?
I pruned this big red oak in my backyard about 14 months ago to open up the crown after noticing some dead branches rubbing together. This spring the leaf cover is way thicker and more even across the whole tree, and I haven't seen any more dieback on the lower limbs. Anyone else see a similar response after a good structural prune on an older tree?
I was up in a big white oak back in '09 outside of Nashville, had a 30 foot limb snap off and swing back into my face. I was using just a flipline and spurs, no helmet, and that thing caught me right on the eyebrow. Spent the next hour bleeding into my shirt while I finished the takedown because the homeowner was watching. Anybody else got a close call from back when we ran on pure stubbornness?
I was tallying up my jobs last week and realized I've pruned exactly 500 trees since spring started. That's 500 crowns lifted, deadwood cleared, or shape-ups done just in the residential part of my route. It made me stop and think about how many of those trees I'll never see again versus the regulars I visit every year. Has anyone else kept a count like this and felt surprised by the number?
I was up on a 40ft oak in a tight backyard near downtown Austin. The homeowner wanted a dead limb removed right over their kids playset. I brought both tools but ended up going with the handsaw because the pole pruner kept getting tangled in the lower branches. Took me 45 minutes of careful cuts but I got it down clean. The pole wouldve been faster but way riskier with all the limb rubbing. Has anyone else run into this where the smaller tool was actually the safer call?
Used to climb with rope gaffs on every job for years, then swapped to pole gaffs after a buddy at a local supplier in Portland recommended them last month, and now I can actually walk the next morning so has anyone else made this switch and noticed the same or am I crazy?