Scary hack work

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
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Retired in Minneapolis
Yesterday morning I got together with Jeff Hafner for a fun climb in a wonderful cottonwood. On my way home I saw some treework going on so I had to stop. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a guy up in the tree and two guys pulling on a rope. The guy in the tree wasn't tied in and the guys were using some 3/8" three strand synth rope to pull. I don't even use that stuff to tie the tarp down on leaf loads. The saw is dull and the guy is rubbing off more wood than he's cutting.

No PPE except glasses on the boss. They did get the piece down after rocking it. I was expecting it to snap the hinge and go backwards or tip bounce into the building.

The guy asked why I was taking pictures. I told him that I teach arbo classes and I like to have pictures of how not to do tree work. I told him that he was fixing to kill someone. His retort was that he had been doing it for 20 years and was still living. Maybe, because he was on the ground. I told him that the guy in the tree was going to be killed if he didn't tie in.

When I told him that I was climbing that day and had a trunk full of gear he asked to see. The first thing I showed him was my saddle. Then I showed him my helmet, glasses and whistle. He could see the rope and other gear too.

He said that the bank wanted the tree on the right pruned like that and the other one removed. I don't believe him for a second. Jeff and Fred will have to look at those trees for too long.

The first pic is their brush truck. This is the first time that I've ever seen a box truck for hauling debris. Maybe they were going to smuggle the stuff.
 

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Looks like ryder rental too. Well we need people like them in the world how else are we going to get rid of the stupid people?
 
Free climbing too.

After talking with the guy for a little while I had to leave. My guts were in a knot. How would you react to this? I considered calling the cops and telling that someone was getting ready to commit suicide.
 

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/forum/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif /forum/images/graemlins/lewser.gif May the BBB Better Business Bureu that aint tree work, I would do everything in my power to shut them down. Just plain wrong what they did to those trees, if they want to kill themselves thats thier business.
 
The owner of the company called me this morning. The guy I talked to yesterday asked for my phone number so that they could get some training. Our conversation was "interesting" as you can imagine. She claims that the trees are being removed. If so, that solves the poor treework issue. It doesn't address the work practices.

If it had been during the week I would have called OSHA.
 
There is a guy that work around there that blows chips into a uhaul. I sub to a couple companies in Louisville, theres some questionable tree work going on up there.
Tom, I climbed with Harv T. last weekend in Littleton along the south platte. He said that you helped clean the tree out a while ago. Took my girlfriends son on the climb, he had a great time, Harv is great with the kids.
 
There are a lot of hacks out here in Colorado! What would it take to make a madatory state license for tree guys? I am sick and tired of this crap!!! Something needs to be done. /forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
State or local licensing is a good idea. But...would the license be to ensure compliance with business or professional standards? How is the license going to be enforced? What is the consequence of not following standards?

If those trees aren't removed and are left as mutilated trees it will be the perfect tee-up for a tree education article in the local papers. That work is the equivelant of having the car mechanic do dental work. Either profession is skilled and trained but there is NO overlap. The company that did the work does not do tree work in any way shape or form.
 
My, Jaw dropped when i read "Louisville" Then I realized
this was a different Louisville than the one i'm from...
However, give me a day to go "hack" hunting I'm 99% sure that I could take a similiar photo. /forum/images/graemlins/ahhhhh.gif
 
I'm all for licensing. You have to have a license to give a 8 dollar hair cut, but not to trim trees. I don't know how it would be enforced, but there must be some way. I would say that half the companys in my area dont even haver insurance.
 
The one is CO is Louis-ville not Loo-ee-ville or Lou-uh-vull :)

This sort of work goes on everywhere.

At the job I helped with today in Louisville a woman asked what was happening. I told her we were pruning. She talked about cabling and had some knowledge. I asked how she knew about cabling because that is a really obscure part of arbo work. It's rare that a consumer has any knowledge. She had talked to a neighbor who had a tree cabled. There is hope after all!
 
Wow Tom,

I was shocked when I seen those pictures. That was just plain stupid. How can that guy be up there like that not tied in at all trying to tie and cut all of those pieces safely. Those are the type of guys that give the good guys a bad reputation. I would say that those trees were tremendously mutilated!!!!!!! I see that alot around here in Michigan too. I will be driving and see another company working and pull over to watch. The stuff you see and just cringe at is unbelivable. Those are the guys that continously underbid us here. It is sad that there are so many of those types working. Nice pictures though, of showing us a non tree company thinking they are. Scarry stuff.
 
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