Well, $#!+: What to Do When Things Go Wrong in Tree Climbing
We all like to talk about, or at least think about, how we are the picture of perfection when it comes to tree work. However, once we really make a mess of the simplest task – maybe involving a throw line at a 25-foot union – we quickly abandon our delusions of grandeur. Next we […]
The One Thing to Rule Them All
Back in November 2023, at TCI EXPO in St. Louis, Missouri, I gave a presentation titled “The One Thing to Rule Them All.” The premise of the presentation was based upon finding one thing we can focus on in our day-to-day work to help with our longevity in the industry, to make sound decisions on […]
Justifying Two Climbers on Takedowns
Justin Donahue, owner of Donahue Arborists in Honolulu, Hawaii, seasoned International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) competitor and a veteran tree worker with more than 30 years in the industry, talks from a place of experience. And fatigue. He’s accustomed to ascending Hawaii’s monster tropical trees, and he says that climbing can “be a lot” some […]
Seven Important Questions to Ask When Buying Climbing Gear, Part 2
The last decade has seen a large influx of new climbing equipment that can potentially make climbing safer and more efficient. But it is important we use products that are reliable, safe and intended for tree care, so we can keep our focus on the work to be done and doing it safely. And how […]
Judging the Validity of the Tie-In-Point Pull Test
There are probably as many reasons to climb as there are climbing arborists – the challenge, the excitement, the exercise, the new view each day. I contend that freedom is what we most desire. We climb so we can be free of the physical limits placed upon us by our earth-bound bodies. Free of the […]