Tree biology for climbers outline

trainbow

trainbow

Location
Philadelphia, PA
Hi all,

I am interested in materials related to tree biology for climbers. Not tree workers per se, but climbers in general.

What I'm working on is an outline of what topics to cover in a training session for new climbers and don't want to reinvent the wheel if it is already out there. The hour-long session I've been doing for the Penn-Del ISA tree climbing school so far has been okay, but I don't think it's comprehensive or motivating.

Here is the outline I have drafted so far in very broad strokes:

A. What makes a tree safe to climb
1. Trunk
2. Branches
3. Roots

B. What makes a tree unsafe to climb
1. Wood decay
2. Structural defects/weaknesses
3. Root issues

C. How climbing can affect the tree
1. Rope friction
2. Climbing spikes
3. Breakage

I welcome your suggestions and feedback about good sources to review and/or people to contact as well as my draft outline.

Dave
 
Tie in points , size and strength-


Some trees are more brittle and you can't tie in a smaller section or put horizontal pressure on the lead.
 
Things that go bump in the night.....Poison Ivy Oak, bees, squirrels and such. Those little things that may surprise you and how to look for them while your still on the ground or below them.

Frank
 
my initial thought is that it would be better to do a more holistic presentation, including understanding of bending moment, and vector forces in rigging, with strategies for rigging and climbing in compromised trees..

also would be good to include a list by species to trust or not when dead... I'd put cherry and white oak at the top and ash and white pine at the bottom...
 
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

The presentation I had in mind was the typical 90 min time slot for the Penn-Del Chapter introduction to climbing school on Wednesday of a 5-day program, preceding another talk about pruning.

At that stage of training, I am not sure I would want to get into bending moments, rigging or species differences, but perhaps a tiny bit of it would indeed be useful. I think adding a category for Mother Nature and her potential hazards for climbers fits in well with a pre-climb inspection.

Thank you again.
smile.gif
 
Call it an introduction to the subject of TB for climbers. Have you any idea of the level of knowledge of your audience? Though they may not know climbing there may be some excellent understanding of the topic of TB. The material presented must respect the audience otherwise you'll lose them. What is their objective in taking this course?

While not getting too technical about the math and science behind it there is still the opportunity to create the awareness for them to incorporate it into their pre-climb routine. They are better served to see the scope of what they need to consider then limiting them.

One of the problems we deal with is many people entering our field didn't do well in a formal school environment. When I did the apprenticeship, many of my classmates balked at the math and science courses feeling they are not applicable to them. Your introduction can make the connection for them.
 
D. (or A.) Body language of trees. Signs of strength like ripples and bulges and woundwood, whether seams are good and self-corrected, cracking, signs of insect and fungal activity and response, etc.

Bending moment is good to learn visually for pruning; 15% off the end can strengthen 50%, etc.

sounding should be an early lesson/demo.
 
Good question about their knowledge base.
Not too familiar with tree biology for the most part.
A few hort students in high school know a bit more.
We've had students who learned a little about climbing and pruning from family members, but not about what's inside a tree.
For the most part they have worked ground crew for a tree company or landscaper out of high school and want to advance their careers.
 
Good overview. Yep, you've got to go down the path of bending moments and such at the introductory level and demonstrate how they apply math and physics along with biology to climbing as a profession.
 
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