It usually happens when you have one small job left to finish off the day – reduce the height of a maple tree to 20-foot clearance of overhead transmission lines. The fine line of proper arboriculture, property-owner whims, utility vegetation management and the federal governance of mandated clearance to conductors of vegetation called for an incognito height reduction.

In hindsight, it is plain to see there could have been different techniques utilized in every aspect of this scenario. That is not to say that the technique I used caused the outcome. Complacency when using any technique is a subject that deserves its own chapter in the arborist’s study guide.

I was cutting the center branches as low as possible, creating an even, green edge around the sides of the tree. Lowering the height significantly, we left the foliage to buffer heading cuts from sight. I was using my chain saw for thicker branches, my handsaw for what could be cut with a few strokes. The snap cuts I was making were directly in front of my face, to the left and right. We were all connected via Sena headsets, and had a casual attitude with a simple workflow.

Then I pulled back on the handsaw too far, it came out of the cut and it whacked me on the lip so hard I felt it in my gums two days later. A bloody situation.

We’d had plenty of time to finish this small, non-technical project, so we chose to relax and have side conversations while working. Complacency is when you go about a task with the subconscious setting of, “I’ve done this millions of times, and every time I’ve done this, it has turned out so easily perfect.”

This mindset is dangerous. It surfaces when good, talented people reach a high point in their technical career through grit, determination and discipline, then relax because, “I am good, nothing has ever shown me otherwise.”

“Complacency is your enemy. Just because you think you can handle a situation, don’t disrespect the fact that it can hit you hard or that you can be the first to fall.”

– Laird Hamilton, big-wave surfer

After suffering the injury to his lip (photo, top right) while using a handsaw, the author added a wire-mesh face shield (above) to his PPE protocol. Both photos courtesy of the author.

I am purchasing a new helmet that can accommodate a wire-mesh face shield. I am implementing this on top of safety glasses as my PPE (personal protective equipment) protocol.

Realize the level of potential chaos that is constantly swirling around you as a production climber. We leave ourselves exposed. Whether it is as simple as no face shield, choosing not to put in a redirect, rope angle or going to the tips of a limb – on your own, exposure is a flatline killer.

Charlie White, Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP), ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Tree Worker, is a climber with Northern Tree Service LLC, a 48-year TCIA member company headquartered in Palmer, Massachusetts. Additionally, he has studied Subtropical Urban Tree Care at Windward Community College in Hawaii.