c/arborists

Everybody raves about notch cuts but I've had better luck with a simple straight cut on most removals.

Three years ago up in Eugene I started skipping the notch on smaller oaks and just doing a straight back cut with a wedge, and I've had fewer hung trees using that method. Has anyone else tried ditching the notch on certain species?

That oak removal where everything went sideways

Honestly, I still think about that job in Austin about 6 years ago. I was taking down a big old live oak that had some rot near the base, and I figured it would be a standard rigging job. But I got too casual with my rope placement and didn't notice a cracked limb up high. When I made the cut, that limb came crashing down and snagged my climbing line, jerking me sideways hard. I ended up dangling there for a minute with bark dust in my eyes, feeling pretty stupid. My ground guy had to toss me a second line so I could cut myself free and re-rig everything from scratch. Has anyone else had a moment where you just had to stop and re-evaluate your whole plan mid-climb?

Finally got my first big removal right after years of winging it

Last month I had to take down a huge silver maple near a driveway in Akron. On my third cut I realized I was still guessing on my notch placement every time. So I watched a video from a guy named August on YouTube and tried his method with the open face notch. It worked perfectly the tree landed exactly where I wanted. I saved like two hours of cleanup time and didn't even need to rope it. Has anyone else had a moment where one small change to your cuts just clicked?

Why nobody talks about using a handsaw for big limb drops

I spent 3 years using only chainsaws for takedowns until a buddy handed me a Silky Zubat on a 20 foot hickory limb last month. The cut was cleaner and the limb dropped exactly where I aimed it with zero kickback risk. Has anyone else switched to a handsaw for precision cuts like that?

Bought a $200 pole pruner and it almost broke my arm

I picked up a cheap telescoping pole pruner from a hardware store in Denver last spring thinking it would save me ladder time. First big branch I tried to cut up high, the head twisted sideways and the pole buckled hard. I nearly came off the ground and the branch just hung there torn. Anyone else had trouble with those budget pole pruners or did I just get a dud?

Just realized I might be overwatering my clients' trees after a chat with a soil scientist

I was talking to a soil scientist at a workshop last month in Asheville. She told me most arborists water on a schedule instead of checking the soil moisture first. She said 'you're drowning roots that need air more than water.' Now I'm second guessing my whole routine. Does anyone else follow strict watering timetables or do you check each site individually?

Warning: That older climber's advice about rope placement saved me from a nasty fall

An old timer in Portland told me I was setting my friction hitch too low on the tail, and I shrugged it off for months until I nearly decked because the rope slipped through the bite. Has anyone else had a specific tip from a veteran that totally changed how you set up your climbing system?

Spent 6 hours on a single oak removal because of one hidden bolt

I got called to take down a big red oak in a backyard last week. Thought it would be a quick 3 hour job, chainsaw and ropes all ready. Got up in the tree and found a massive 1 inch steel bolt buried in the trunk that someone had put in decades ago. Took me forever to get around it with my saw and then I had to climb back down to grab an extra bar just to finish the cut. Has anyone else hit random hardware like this in a tree before?

The day I dropped a 20k limb on a client's Prius

Took a massive oak limb down last Tuesday in Portland. Client wanted it kept whole for firewood. Snapped my lifting strap mid-cut. Limb came down hard, crushed their Prius hood. Insurance will cover it but still feels bad. Other side of the coin: my boss says it's just stuff, happens to everyone. Do you guys risk big pieces for client requests or always play it safe with smaller drops?

That one day last summer when everything went right on a big oak removal

I had this massive oak in a backyard in Portland that was leaning over a garage. The homeowner was super nervous about it, and honestly I was too. But on that Tuesday morning, everything just clicked. My groundie showed up early and we had the whole drop zone roped off in 20 minutes. The first big limb came down clean with my Stihl 661, no hinge tear outs, no surprises. I managed to drop the main trunk right between the garage and a fence with maybe 4 inches of clearance on each side. By noon we had it all chipped, stump ground, and the driveway swept. The homeowner actually teared up and tipped us $200 cash. Has anyone else had those days where the tree just cooperates and you feel like you can't miss?

That rope climbing technique I dismissed for 2 years actually saved my back

I used to think the footlock method was just showy stuff for tree climbing comps. But last fall I had a big white oak in Charlotte with a ton of deadwood high up, and my knees were killing me from spurring. A buddy talked me into trying a Blake's hitch with a simple footlock setup, and I got up 40 feet in under 3 minutes without any spikes digging in. My lower back felt way less wrecked at the end of the day, and I wasn't sore the next morning. Has anyone else had a climbing trick they avoided that turned out to be a game changer for the body long term?

My uncle told me to never top a pin oak, but the client insisted

He said it would send up a dozen weak leaders and ruin the tree's structure. We did it anyway on a job in Dayton last fall, and now the homeowner is calling me weekly about all the new, spindly growth. Anyone have a good way to explain this to a customer after the fact?

Shoutout to the city crew foreman who saw me climbing a big oak

I was doing a removal on a big oak in Riverside Park last month, using my usual three-point system. The city crew foreman, a guy named Ray, watched for a minute and just said, 'You're fighting gravity on every cut.' He showed me how to set my line one branch higher to let the piece swing clear instead of pinching my saw. I tried it on the next limb and it was like 60% less effort. Has anyone else had a simple tip from another climber totally change your flow?

Appreciation post: Switching to a 3/8-inch rope for my climbing saw made a huge difference in my wrist strain.

I used a 1/2-inch line for years on my Stihl 201T, but after a big removal job in Boise last fall, my forearms were killing me for days. My crew lead suggested I try a thinner, lighter rope, so I swapped to a 3/8-inch climbing line just for the saw. The weight reduction seems small, but after six months, I haven't had that same deep ache at the end of the week. Has anyone else found a specific gear tweak that helped with repetitive strain?

Just cut down my 500th tree this week and the number hit me

It was a big oak in a client's yard in Springfield. Took all day. When I logged it, the app said 500 total jobs. Started thinking about all the wood chips, the saw fuel, the ropes. That's a lot of trees in five years. Makes you wonder about the real impact, you know? How do you guys track your work and does seeing a big number ever make you pause?

That 'simple' stump removal in a tight backyard took me two full days

Got a call for a big oak stump, maybe 30 inches across, behind a shed in Cincinnati. Figured half a day with the grinder, tops. The roots had grown under the shed's concrete pad and wrapped around an old, buried gas line that wasn't on the city map. Had to hand-dig and cut everything with a sawzall to avoid hitting the line. What should have been a 4-hour job turned into 16 hours over two days. Anyone else had a hidden utility line turn a simple job into a nightmare?

I used to think climbing spikes were fine for any removal, but I was wrong

For years on my crew, we'd put on spikes for every big pine or oak takedown, thinking it was just part of the job. That changed after a job in Tacoma about 18 months ago, where we had to do a major prune on a legacy maple two years after a removal on the same property. Seeing all the spike damage from before, those dark puncture wounds in the bark, really got to me. Now I only use spikes if the tree is 100% coming down, and I push my guys to use ropes and lanyards for everything else. How do you all handle training new climbers to avoid that 'spikes first' habit?

Had to choose between a full removal or a risky crown reduction on a huge willow

Client in Maplewood had a massive weeping willow with major decay in two main limbs over their garage. The quote for removal was $4,200, but they begged me to try saving it. I went with the reduction, taking about 30% off the canopy weight over two days. It's holding for now, but I'm checking it every storm. Has anyone else had a willow with similar decay hold up long term after a big cut?

Saw a huge limb drop in a Denver park last week, no wind at all

It was a mature silver maple with a cavity we'd flagged, but the failure point was a foot above it in solid-looking wood. Anyone else had a 'clean' tree just let go like that?

I was wrong about using a climbing line as a rigging line for years, a big oak limb in my neighbor's yard finally showed me why.

Finally got a stubborn old oak stump out with a trick my grandpa mentioned

Honestly, I had this huge stump from a storm-felled oak in a client's yard in Springfield, and the grinder just wasn't cutting it. Tbh, I remembered my grandpa saying to drill a bunch of deep holes and fill them with water to rot it faster. I drilled about twenty holes with a 1-inch bit and kept them full for almost six months. When I went back last week, the wood was so punky the grinder ate through it in under an hour. Has anyone else tried this on a different type of tree, like pine or maple?

Tried using a regular handsaw versus a proper pruning saw on a big maple branch

The handsaw took forever and kept binding, but the pruning saw with its curved blade and aggressive teeth zipped right through in maybe two minutes. Anyone have a favorite brand for those curved saws?

My rope got stuck in a huge oak near Portland and I had to improvise

I was doing a removal on a big old oak in a backyard near Portland. The canopy was thick, and I set my climbing line over a solid looking limb about 60 feet up. After I made my cut and was coming down, the rope just jammed. It wouldn't pull through at all. I was on the ground looking up, and the homeowner was watching. I didn't have a second line set. I ended up having to tie a smaller throw line to my harness, climb back up using spurs since the trunk was clear, and manually work the main line free. It took an extra hour and was a real pain. Has anyone else had a rope get truly stuck on a removal, and what's your go-to fix to avoid it?

PSA: I had to pick between a full removal or a risky crown reduction on a big oak in Decatur.

The tree had major storm damage, and the owner wanted to save it, so we went with the reduction, using a 200-foot crane for safety. It worked out, but it was a close call with the weight distribution. Do you think a full removal is always the safer choice in these cases?

My old foreman insisted on using a 3/4-inch rope for every rigging job, no exceptions.

Switched to a 5/8-inch line for controlled lowerings on a job in Boise last year, and it handles just as well with less weight and bulk. Anyone else find a specific task where you can safely downsize your gear?