Many of us can vividly remember when we began in this industry. We looked up into trees to watch what that experienced person was doing and likely felt as if there was some bit of magic happening. The ropes, the [...]

Perhaps one of the least-sexy topics in all of arboriculture is that of rope management. It doesn’t get the same attention some other topics do, but probably deserves more than it gets. This article is a brief attempt to shine [...]

The best climbers in the world can’t carry out complex rigging plans without the actions of their ground-crew mates. All photos courtesy of the author. There are few aspects in tree work that require coordinated teamwork. Efficient climbers can perform [...]

A Yosemite formation on the traditional bowline increases the amount of rope in the typical breakpoint and, therefore, can add strength to the knot. All photos courtesy of the author. As working arborists, ropes are a vital part of our [...]

Photo 1. The first step in untying a knot on a rigged piece is to introduce someslack in the rigging line. All photos courtesy of the author. A knot in your calf, garlic knots, climbing knots, rigging knots, getting married [...]