Started tackling the biggest of three oaks at a job site yesterday morning. The victim being an 85' mature red oak with a hefty triple crown. Ascended the tree to the main crotch of the crown and began piecing it down. Got to the last portion of the crown (around 25' fairly straight leader, 12" diameter at the cut zone), made the face notch and went to make the final back cut when the chain hopped off of the bar......ugh... Luckily I had my Fiskars folding hand saw with me......I finished that back cut with it! I wasn't getting back down out of that crooked treetop without having the crown DONE. Two views of the tree, and the crown. Two views from the ascent at about 65', give or take. .. Looking down the trunk from that height.....man I LOVE it!! Pic of tomorrow's work....65' of beautiful oak stove chow! This will be wood for year #6!!
Stay safe and keep shooting those pics from up top! That's not a vantage point I would guess most of us see. Keep 'em coming.
Scotty, those views down make me want to climb! But, now I limit my climbing to mostly deer hunting and stop usually at 20-25'. The views are still good from there and I'm sitting too!
I have a ladder and a 21 foot silky (which is the best pole saw I have ever used as an aside). And if I can't reach what I need from there I reach for my bat phone and call my arborist pal to fly in. more power, safe knots, and happy climbing to you pal!
I never put myself in the "foul" when topping a tree.......There are trees that are questionable to top or limb, sometimes I'll spend more time assessing each limb or top than it takes to do the work. But like any dangerous job, sometimes anything can happen. One very important thing when topping trees is to tie off in an opposite trunk. Crotches are ideal because you can tie off in one side while topping the other side. That keeps you at risk from being a victim of "peel". Lots and lots of things you gotta learn before doing it, especially with heavy tops like this oak had in it.
