tree cutter

Well, its nice to know that spikes don't hurt trees. Now I can go tell everyone such enlightening information. Its ironic that someone would be modern enough to have a website, yet still believe in some terrible techniques such as topping and doing pruning jobs with spikes.
 
That's a good chuckle to see again :)

We gave ol' McPeak a roasting a couple of years ago when someone on the ISA forum found his spiking notes. Several people engaged him in a dialog too. It got to be pretty comical reading his replies to everyone's reprimands about spiking. If anyone calls him on the carpet, copy/paste your note and his replies.


McPeak gained a bit of fame too. He became the generic whipping boy for poor arbo practices.
Tom
 
This is more like it, something to get your teeth into, or spikes maybe?
We need more of this pointed out here in the UK. Too many bad tree jobs, too much topping and too many so called climbers wearing spikes, they should be also wearing a dress and high heels, maybe also a pair of suspenders, and I don't mean the sort that keep your trousers up! We have a saying here which is, "good climbers don't wear spikes!!! Now I feel much better, I wish I could be so blunt on my forum, I have to be a little restrained, (this is hard for me!) So I'm counting on you all to do it for me.We need to look after our trees, they will be around a lot longer than us, (MAYBE!)
Some lead, others follow!
 
I expect that if you look a little, you'll see that kind of thing no matter where you go. How you choose to deal with it depends on what outcome you hope to achieve.

I tend to be non-confrontational. I don't think you can change someones mind by arguing with them. If I tell you your wrong, you'll tell me I'm full of $h-ello, and nobody learns anything. If I can point out some alternatives, show you the benefit, and let you get there yourself, then maybe I've done some good.

That was part of the problem I saw when McPeak was confronted in the past. We lead with "... is wrong." instead of, "... might be worth considering."

I like what I'm hearing from ya little_witch. Just be patient with 'em. It may not be on your schedule or mine, but they'll get there eventually, if ya don't lose them 'round the bend.

I was sitting at home the other evening, rereading part of Don Blair's "Arborist Equipment". I enjoy the personal accounts and descriptions of the individuals he has known that have helped to shape our industry. I really noticed this time around, how much arborist have changed. I know some bull headed sob's, but nothing like he describes. Most of the guys I know and work with are cocky as all hell, but would give you the shirt off their backs. They know their job, and do it well, but they would rather stand with you in a fight, than lift a hand against you. Maybe we are a softer lot than used to run the woods. Maybe I just hang out in different places. Either way, for those that remember the old days, is it any better or worse, or just different?

Louie Hampton
 
Point taken Louie regarding the non confrontational aspect, the last thing we need is to put everyone's back up with the I'm right, your'e wrong senario. I must say though, I'm really worried about the new craze here for topping trees, that's to say new, with the general public. It appears this kind of work is catching peoples eye, they see a neighbour has had (what they see as) a nice reduction on their tree and think to themselves, I could do with that on my trees! It really seems to be something which is rapidly increasing, everywhere I go I see another so called reduction, on what soon will become another rot infected dying tree, reduced by half (or worse,) it makes me very sad.
I therefor think it's not the tree surgeons that should be targeted, but the public, they need to be made aware of what is right(for the tree) and not what a so called Professional may advise? I fear that if nothing drastic is done soon, our landscape will be littered with dead and dying trees. How to go about this is another matter, maybe a press article would be a start, I have a few pictures of these (bad) jobs, I will try to get them on here soon.
Keep up the good work, and well done if you've kept reading till now, and not fallen asleep on me!!!!!!!
I think I need a drink, it's 7.50am, maybe a touch early?
L.W
Some lead, others follow!
 
Caroline,

Here's an observation from a recent tourist :)

It seems that there is a mistaken message that topping is the same as pollarding. To the eye, it may look similar but the practice is much different. In order for the public to know the difference they need to be educated. That's the tough part.

Are you familiar with Plant Amnesty? Cass Turnbull started PA many years ago to educate people in Seattle about improper tree work.

http://www.plantamnesty.org/


They have some interesting guerilla tactics. One is to send out a sympathy card to tree owners who have had their trees topped or brutalized. Kind of like a card that would be sent when someone dies. Included is proper pruning info.

With all of the daily scandal sheets in the UK it seems like it would be easy to get some publicity for proper pruning.

You might connect with English Nature to see if they wanted to promote veteran tree care while you promote juvenile tree care.

Tom
 
yeah that web site was quite a chuckle but the thing that scares me is the general public will believe just about anything and people like him are just gonna make it continue to be hard to erase these myths and poor practices. but like tom said he is modern enough to have a web site but he is not to up to date on scientific tree facts that are proven to be correct.
 
i would imagine the public would smell that guy for what he is... there were more things wrong on that site than the tree info that a thinking consumer could see as bad. Whith statements claiming that most climbers are not sober, that the "rumor" spikes are bad was started by bucket trucket makers, all this is clearly the ranting crap of a misdirected cretin on a page called ...facts the way i see it. a person capable enough to use the web to search for tree care would be smart enough to see right through this guy.
 
I must disagree

Chad, It saddens me to say this, but I think the few common (uned-tree-cated) people WOULD "smell that guy for what he is" as you put it. Where I've worked in Green Lake and Oshkosh, WI, employers, their competition and customers are always amazed that a person can climb a tree without splikes. My bosses have told me that I am the only tree worker they've ever hired that wasn't a dirt-bag (coming to work hung-over, stinky, with a cigarrette in their mouth, a bag of pot in their back pocket, and needing to borrow 20.00. Clients can pick up on this when these guys are walking around their yards.
A company owner that takes the step to say "These are NOT the people I hire" .....I think customers will admire that.
And regarding the spike/bucket rumor...look at it from the perspective of someone, a client, that DOESN'T know better...they have no reason to believe one way or the other. I know it's absurd to us, but some people just don't know.
However, I must agree (with hopeful aspirations) with your last statement: "a person capable enough to use the web to search for tree care would be smart enough to see right through this guy. "

love
nick
 
I had forgotten all about McPeak. I took a look at the site and thought perhaps he would change his ways after talking to us a couple years ago. But I see it is the same ole game plan.

I sort of miss some of his answers/comments/stubborness from before.
 
nick. i guess i depend on where we are in the country then. i have worked for 2 companies with the bag of weed climbers and smoking cigarettes in the tree, but even these guys did not spike when they climbed. around here i think the word is out on not spiking trees that are not being removed. it is sad these guys are out there and hold back our industry.
guys like this are why the public thinks we are brute laborers instead of highly educated professionals. im sure he realizes deep down that he is wrong and only his pride fuels his argument.
 
I wish it were just pride...

"im sure he realizes deep down that he is wrong and only his pride fuels his argument. "

I bet it's pride, coupled with the fact that it would cost him time/money to train his guys to work using more modern techniques. I am trying to convert them, but it's slow, when his guys trim a tree faster than I can prune one. But I guess it's easy when you just crawl ten feet up the tree, and strip up the branches as far as you can reach. It's no wonder they are faster than me!!! grrrrrrr

love
nick

pss- thank you for letting me rage
 
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