c/arborists

A landscaper told me he 'topped' a client's oak to keep it off the roof

I was at a hardware store yesterday and overheard a landscaper bragging to the cashier. He said he just finished a job where he cut all the main branches straight across on a big oak because the homeowner was worried about leaves. I kept my mouth shut, but it made me realize how many people still think that's proper tree care. How do you guys handle clients who ask for topping because they heard it from their neighbor or a handyman?

Just dropped $400 on a new climbing rope and it's already paid for itself on a tricky removal job.

The extra stretch and feel gave me way more confidence working around a power line yesterday, so what's the one piece of gear you've bought that instantly felt worth every penny?

Honestly, I thought climbing spurs were just for show until a job in Tacoma last month.

Changed my mind about stump grinding after a chat at the supply yard

Honestly, I used to think grinding a stump was just a quick cleanup job. I'd quote maybe $150 and get it done in an hour with the little rental machine. Then last week at the Greenleaf Supply in Springfield, I overheard a guy talking about a job where he found a full brick walkway buried under a stump from a 100 year old oak. He said it took his crew two extra days to deal with the bricks and backfill properly. Tbh, that made me realize I've been undercharging and under-planning for years. I never even thought to ask a client about what might be under their old trees. Now I'm adding a line to my estimate form asking about possible underground features. Has anyone else had a nasty surprise like that after the tree was down?

I was wrong about using spikes for a simple prune job

I always used my climbing spikes for every single ascent, even for a basic crown clean on a healthy maple. My boss in Charlotte saw me last week and said 'You're poking holes in that tree for no reason, kid.' He was right, I checked the trunk after and saw the damage. Anyone else have a hard rule about when to finally strap on the spikes?

Showerthought: My neighbor said his 'tree guy' just topped his oak to 'let in more light'.

He was genuinely happy with the result, which made me wonder how we explain proper pruning to folks who think that's the answer. Do you have a go-to line for that conversation?

A forester in Oregon told me to leave a bigger stump on a pine removal

He said to cut it about three feet high instead of flush to the ground, arguing it protects the saw from dirt and gives better leverage for the grinder later. I always made low cuts, so I thought he was wrong, but I tried it on a big Ponderosa job last fall. The grinder operator thanked me because the higher stump stopped rocks from being thrown and made his work faster. Now I do it on every removal where grinding is next. What's one piece of field advice you got that seemed odd but actually worked?

Remember when we used to just muscle through a heavy limb drop?

I was on a job in Austin maybe 8 years ago, clearing a big live oak with a massive, horizontal limb over a shed. The old way was to just notch it, cut it, and let it slam down hoping the rigging held. This time, I tried something a guy at a conference mentioned: using a second, smaller notch on the underside of the limb, about a foot out from your main notch. You cut that one first, just a shallow relief cut. Then when you make your main top cut, the limb hinges and settles way more gently instead of cracking and dropping. It felt like cheating, but it worked perfectly, no shock load on the ropes at all. The crew looked at me like I'd done magic. Anyone else pick up a simple trick like that that just changed how you handle a common risky cut?

Vent: Just realized I've climbed over 500 trees in the last two years

I was cleaning out my work truck and found my old climbing log from when I started my own crew. Flipped through it and did a rough count, and it came out to something like 530 trees since spring of '22. Mostly in the Springfield area. It just hit me how much wear that is on a body, you know? How do you guys track your climbs, or do you even bother?

Just finished a big oak removal and counted 37 separate cuts from the ground to the bucket. Way more than I guessed!

My climbing line got a nasty core shot from a bad limb walk last Tuesday.

I was about 60 feet up in a pin oak, moving out on a dead limb that looked solid, and my rope rubbed against a sharp stub I missed. I had to switch to my backup line to finish the job and get down. What's your go-to method for checking a line after a close call like that?

My climbing rope hit 500 feet of use and I had to retire it

I was logging my gear checks and realized my main line had seen that much action across three seasons. It's a weird feeling to trust something with your life and then hit a hard number that says it's done. What's your go-to sign that a piece of gear is truly finished?

My climbing rope got a bad core shot on a big oak in Portland

It happened last Thursday while I was doing a reduction prune on a 70-foot pin oak. I was about 40 feet up and felt a weird pop, then saw the sheath was cut and the core was showing. I had to do a controlled descent right away and finish the job from a lift. Has anyone else had a rope fail like that, and what brand did you switch to after?

I thought tree wound paint was a must-do for years, but a study from the University of Florida changed my mind.

They showed it can actually trap moisture and slow healing, so I stopped using it on a big oak removal in Tampa last month. Has anyone else seen better results just letting a clean cut callus over on its own?

My uncle told me to use a come-along for a big limb and I should have listened

He said, 'Don't just cut it, pull it where you want it to go.' I was taking down a big oak limb over a shed in Knoxville last month and thought I could just notch it right. The notch was good, but the limb swung hard and took out a gutter. The come-along was in my truck the whole time. Anyone else have a simple tool they ignored and paid for it?

I thought using a climbing line for rigging was a bad idea until a job in Sedona

For a long time, I was sure you should only use a static line for rigging. I saw a guy on a job in Sedona last fall using his climbing line, a 16-strand, to lower a big limb. I was ready to say something, but he had it set up with a running bowline and a port-a-wrap, and it worked perfectly. He said he does it all the time on tricky, light rigging where he needs the line to stretch a bit to soften the catch. I tried it myself on a recent removal of a dead pine, just for a few small top pieces, and the extra give really helped control the swing. It made me rethink my hard rule. Has anyone else found a good use for a dynamic line in rigging, or is this just asking for trouble on bigger wood?

Remember when a big removal meant a week of cleanup?

I was looking at some photos from a job we did in 2015, a huge silver maple in a tight backyard in Grand Rapids. The after shot shows a yard full of ruts, a giant stump, and just piles of chips and logs. It took us three full days just to haul everything out with a small dump trailer. Fast forward to last month, a similar job. We had a 24-inch chipper on site and a grapple truck. The whole tree was gone in a day, the stump ground out, and the yard was clean enough to have a picnic on. The gear and the way we plan jobs now is just on another level. It's wild how much faster and cleaner the work is. Anyone else feel like the biggest change in the last decade has been in the cleanup phase?

Everyone says to never use a climbing line for rigging, but it saved a job for me.

We had a huge maple removal in a tight backyard in Springfield, and the rigging line got a core shot halfway through. I was stuck with just my climbing line, a 200-foot Poison Ivy. I tied a running bowline and used it to lower the last three big limbs, keeping the pull angles super tight to the trunk. It held fine and we finished on time. Has anyone else been in a spot where they had to use gear for something it's not made for?

Tried a different climbing hitch on a big maple removal in Springfield

I was taking down a 70 foot sugar maple last week and swapped my usual Blake's hitch for a Knut. The rope was a bit slick from morning dew, but the Knut just locked up solid every time, way more than I expected. Anyone else have a go-to knot for wet conditions?

The worst tree damage I've ever seen came from a 'weekend warrior' with a chainsaw

Last week in Boulder, a homeowner tried to remove a 40-foot pine himself after watching a few videos. He made a bad face cut, the tree barber-chaired, and it smashed through his garage roof. Has anyone else had to clean up a mess this bad from a DIY attempt?

Overheard a landscaper tell a client their oak was 'just thirsty' when it clearly had girdling roots

He was about to just dump a hose on it. I stepped in and pointed out the root flare issue, and we ended up scheduling a proper correction. Makes you wonder how many trees get misdiagnosed because someone doesn't look past the surface. Ever had to politely correct another crew on site?

Cleared 300 trees on a single property in Boulder and it felt wrong

The client wanted a 'clean slate' for a new build, so we took down every oak and pine on their five acres. I know it's a job, but hitting that number made me realize how much we're just erasing whole ecosystems for a view. Has anyone else had a big removal project that just didn't sit right with you after?

Just hit 500 trees planted in a single season and my back is screaming

Our crew in Bend finished a big city contract yesterday and the foreman showed me the count. I honestly thought we were maybe at 350, but the number was 512. That's a LOT of holes dug by hand in rocky soil. It matters because it proves you can hit crazy goals with a solid team and good planning, even when every day feels like a grind. Anyone else push past a physical limit they didn't think was possible this year?

I finally listened to my old boss about stump grinding depth

Honestly, he always said to go at least 12 inches down on oak stumps for replanting, even if the client pushed back. Last year in Charlotte, I only went 8 inches deep on a big one to save time. The new maple I planted there last week is already showing root girdling issues from the old stump pieces left behind. Ngl, he was totally right. How deep do you all usually go for a solid replant job?

Aunt's axe-and-jeans tree days are long gone

She'd laugh at our harnesses and helmets. I'm glad for the safety, but I miss how easy it was back then.