How Defects Increase Likelihood of Tree Failure
In the February 2023 issue of TCI Magazine, we reviewed some important mechanical concepts that arborists should know to better understand the likelihood of tree failure (“What Is Tree Biomechanics, and Why Should I Care?”). From that article, we learned that the likelihood of failure depends on two factors: the loads a tree experiences and […]
What Is Tree Biomechanics and Why Should I Care?
Biomechanics is the combination of two sciences – biology and physics. It’s the study of biological organisms from a mechanical perspective. Mechanics is the study of objects’ motion and is based on Newton’s three laws of motion. Those three laws are: If we want to understand how a bird flies or how a tree fails […]
Accident Briefs for April 2021
This first item occurred in March 2021, but was not reported in “Accident Briefs” for the month of March in the May 2021 issue of TCI. Climber seriously injured in 50-foot fall with limb A climber was seriously injured March 28, 2021, in Porter County, Indiana, when the limb he was tied to broke and […]
Rigging and the Likelihood of Failure
Rigging is probably the most dangerous thing climbing arborists do. In addition to working aloft, which is dangerous in itself, rigging often involves cutting with a chain saw and, sometimes, large pieces of wood moving very quickly. When butt-hitching or blocking wood (which also is known as negative rigging), the anchor point of the rigging […]