Most Dangerous Trees to Climb

I have a love/hate relationship with Russian Olive. Two days before I started my first job as a climbing arborist I hit the sweet spot on a nerve in my hand with a six inch thorn while pruning for a friend. I had a paralyzed trigger finger for that whole season. The Olives were my favorite removals that season.
Other than that willows seem untrustworthy.
 
Boreality, It is much easier to have an hate/despite relationship with R.Olives than a love/hate. When you really get down to it-What is there to love? I find fewer and fewer redeeming qualities in ROs despite my having pruned the Texas State Champion and wanting there to be something wonderful about them.
 
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When you really get down to it-What is there to love? I find fewer and fewer redeeming qualities in ROs

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Colorado declaired them a noxious weed. No more planting Russian Olives around here.
 
There are three things I like about Russian Olives. I operate in a zone 1 hardiness zone, we are limited in species selection, the olives not only grow here but they keep their leaves during our long winter, looks nice. I like their latin name elaeagnus angustifolia, sounds nice. But I especially like the way they burn on a backyard fire, smells nice.
 
Having not been in the midwest for long, I'll have to go back to the Blue Gum Eucs (Eucalyptus globulus) in Northern California. There were many a time while up a big one I would think, "please don't lose a giant branch while I'm here!" They are extremely strong, but have a tendancy to "shed" huge limbs for no apparent reason... Always gave me the willies. Never had a close call in them - but seeing branches the size of trees on the ground - not good.

And of course, Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis)- any palm for that matter!
 
banjo said:
Red Oak scares the crap out of me. I have seen a lot of red, black, scarlet, and pin oaks (that appear to be flawless) fail significantly. I've read posts on Treebuzz about the same thing happening to guys while working. The common thread I see is that the wood seems to be under-developed or pulpy or something. Anyone else seeing this where you are?
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Yup. See a lot of seemingly fine Scarlet Oak around here hit the ground. They seem to lose their roots a lot and just fall over one day. Recently seen a couple Chestnut Oaks that looked great just fall too. Seems strange to me. Scary as hell for sure. :/
 
Smallwood said:
Cottonwood, Catulpa, Corkscrew willows. I dislike climbing black locust. They always have a sinister "if you climb me I'll kill you" look. Unfounded, but I'd still rather work them from a bucket. No problem with silvers. There's so many around here I guess I'm used to them.
Phil
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I'm actually a huge fan of climbing black locust. It's a very strong and durable wood at the same time, I've never had any problems getting way up to the tippy tops

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I agree with everyone on the tulip, willow and dead ash. Brittle and unpredictable.

I don't understand the black locust fear - they're very strong wood.

I don't mind cottonwoods. Yes, they smell and no they're not as strong as an oak or a hickory, but so what? Just plan accordingly.

Surprised no one mentioned Kentucky Coffee Tree. Better hope it's winter and you're bundled up in Carhartts or that bark will still be holding several pounds of your flesh long after you're back on the ground.
 
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I forgot about the bees and hornets!! I read and saw on a YouTube video that skirt suffocation from palms is the leading cause of death for climbers in the LA area. Sad for the little money those guys do it for there.


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Big Bradford pears, dead or flawed pine, Tulip popular, ash, eucalyptus and willow are the trees that first come to mind.

Thinking back on the dead Tulip popular I climbed in my early days, I'm not sure why it didn't fail.
 
Cottonwood and mimosa (though I've only climbed a few). Both seem to have a wood structure that cannot be manipulated with a saw. By that I mean 4" thick limbs, 2 strokes with a handsaw and POW! They just drop. I discovered that on a top that went the wrong way once. Nothing huge, very slight back lean, high tagline, good hinge, but fell in neighbor's drive instead of client's yard. No harm no foul but scared the fool out of me.

Other than that, any tree with unseen rot in the root crown. Make sure if we're rigging massive weights with dynamic loads, the tree's attachment to earth is stable and secure. Too many awesome climbers have died from trees failing beneath them.
 
I did a removal on a Tree of Heaven (Chinese Sumac) about a two months ago that fell in a storm and landed on a house. Instead of a branch falling or a union splitting, the wood was so bad that the whole top broke off about 15-20 ft. up on the trunk of the tree, literally like someone climbed up and topped it!
 
WyattHaskins said:
I did a removal on a Tree of Heaven (Chinese Sumac) about a two months ago that fell in a storm and landed on a house. Instead of a branch falling or a union splitting, the wood was so bad that the whole top broke off about 15-20 ft. up on the trunk of the tree, literally like someone climbed up and topped it!
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Yeah, but that weed is expected to fail... I almost always did the most of that tree with my hand saw in my earlier days before I learned to control my cuts, just because it was weak and easy to cut through, and I could hold each piece as I cut it.

In general folks, every tree has its characteristic. Oaks, though strong, when a dead branch gives, it gives fast. Tulip or heavenwood or camphor or pistachio... All weak wood you wouldn't want to tie into at any less than 4".

Silver maple, weak and unpredictable, prone to decline. Ash is nice, but like walnut, when it goes, it goes.

But the MOST dangerous in my humble opinion, if I had to pick one... Dead oak tree. Thee most I'll do is climb half way, tag it, and if it goes the right way, great... If not, then they should have put a crane on it =F

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