Thinking Critically About Life-Safety Carabiners
Choosing a carabiner for your climbing system, lanyard or redirect sling – all life-safety applications – seems like a simple process. Which brand, what style and, of course, which color do you like best? However, I’ve seen numerous instances of climbers using carabiners that do not meet the minimum safety standards for our profession. And […]
Wildfire Prevention and Suppression Training
A wildfire can be caused in an instant – a lightning strike, a lit cigarette thrown out of a car, misjudging wind while lighting a campfire, a tree limb striking an electrical line; these are just some of the many causes of forest fires. While mother nature can be extreme and unpredictable, we all play […]
Business of PHC, Part 5: The Science – Host Species and the Things That Affect Them
Plant health care (PHC) is the science and practice of understanding and overcoming the succession of biotic and abiotic factors limiting plants from achieving their full genetic potential in our landscapes and urban forests. Plant health care has been practiced as long as modern arboriculture itself and, as a science-based concept, is an important component […]
Work-Positioning Lanyards: Your Third Hand
The ANSI Z133 Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operations defines a work-positioning lanyard as “a component of a climbing system, used for work positioning, consisting of a flexible line of rope or a strap that may incorporate a knot or mechanical device to allow for adjustability.” This is drastically different than the description I was given […]
Climbing SRS: How Do You Take Your Anchors?
How do you take your anchors? Up? On the rocks? Dirty? With a twist? Shaken, not stirred? I prefer mine twisted, backed up, with a loop. Excuse the puns, but as a 007 fan, I couldn’t resist. (Photo 1) This article will take a look at the minimum requirements for a base anchor in a […]