Worst day this year came from a single dead oak

Last Tuesday I had a 60 foot red oak that looked fine from the ground. Got up there and the whole top was rotten inside, nearly took me down when my gaff punched through. Had to call in a crane from Atlanta Arbor Care for $1,200 on the spot. Anyone else had a tree surprise them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.uma19d ago

Yeah but a 60 foot dead oak with rotten top sounds pretty serious though. If a gaff punched through that's a legit hazard not just some overreaction.

alice92819d ago

Wow, $1,200 seems steep for just a crane. You might have overpaid a bit.

mason_reed4719d ago

Climbed up thinking I was about to have a boring Tuesday and instead I almost gave myself a free vasectomy from the adrenaline. My gaff went right through like I was stepping into a potato chip. $1,200 hurts but I figure it beats the hospital bill for a broken back or worse. Plus now I can joke that I paid for the "premium surprise package" from that tree. Honestly I'm just glad it was the tree that failed and not my climbing line.