Beautiful birch morning

This view made it worth the struggle to get to work after four days in bed with fever. Plus 20-meter birch (my rope didn’t reach the ground when anchored in top).

It was down for crown clean and weight reduction if needed. It looked more like a thin afterward. So many branches were growing in circles, but I guess I could have left more on the tree. It’s hard sometimes because clients so often get more happy if they can see a big change to the tree.

Then we did some smaller jobs in a garden. The client wanted all his trees reduced to a ball on a stick. Sometimes it makes me think that people that desperately want to  control nature is afraid of death, or maybe life.

Nice climbs

This elm was quite fun to climb (higher trees means more space to climb in). Very specific with the prune, we should give light to one house and keep a shield for the other. Think they where happy in the end. Sorry I didn’t get any before-picture.

Also got time to discuss ropewrench climbing, redirects. I learned  that if you make some friction around your redirect carbiner it wont bend your anchorpoint towards your redirect point even if they are in the same level.

Then we went to this garden with a Fagus Sylvatica pendula, weeping beech tree. Its a wired climb, a bit upside down and a bit like climbing up a tree and find yourself standing in a knee-high bush.

After this adventure, back at the garage I used my old croll to make a floating knee ascender, can’t wait to try it. Ascend is going to be like step up some stairs they say.

Walnut thin

When it comes to prunes I would like to say less is more. I rather spend some extra time to climb to the tip of the branch then take to much off. But often the clients are pushing for more to come off. I don’t know how many times I have said the word watershoots, or dieback. But I can’t let go of the thought that nature knows better what it does then I do. Trees been around for a while, humans, not so long.

Ok less talk, more action. I did this walnut thin and reduction today. I think it might would have been better to chose between either thin or crown clean. Would be intereting to see the reaction to this prune.

  Walnut before and after thin and reduction 

There where also a prune of a maple, kind of same thing. (Did that one with my colluege that is a bit, more is more.) Shape got a bit more rounded after all.

Why deadwood oaks?

Today I started off with deadwooding an oak. I ask myself why we do this. Dead wood is such a valuble habitat for small organisms that all life depends upon.

Oak with deadwood

I asked the client if they wanted to keep some stumps (after removeing longer pieces that could eventually fall down). They said no.

Oak without deadwood

Then I pruned two elms, big thinings to get more light to the garden.

Elm before thin

And after

In this second one I paired up with Robbie

And there you go

After we where done I brought the subject up again. They hade several oaks with deadwood in their garden. I explained how important it is to insects and birds. I said that leaving it gives you a garden with more life in it.

He said that next time, he will keep some of the deadwood. Small victory.

Reductions reductions

Dodgy Acer negundo was done by a mix of climbing and skylift. I did (offcause) the climbing bit. Poor tree that is stuck in a wall and have nowhere to grow.

This is the after picture, didn’t get any before pruneing, but the tree reached for the balconys and the road. 

After this adventure we went to reduce some oaks. Cuse they where in the way of some signals that is sent from satelite stuff close to “Kaknästornet”

I did two of them that where so close togheter that it was like climbing one tree. The last one was half-dead so my collegaue did a tree ruin of that one. Those trees dosen’t seem to have a bright future. If they survive and keep growing they most likely going to be cut again. Or they might die off even more. At least we hopefully made a great home for bugs, insects, fungus and then attract birds and squirrels. (Nothing is more alive than a dead tree.)

Above is before and below is after the reduction. Some branches that didn’t disturb the signals where saved. 

Rescue plan saves the day

Rescue and safety day, great idea to make it at a actual job site.

It was made really obvious that it saves lives to have a good rescue plan, designated roles and all first aid/rescue gear out on the work site.

Yeasterday i did no trees to write home about but some groundwork. One colluege where about to fell some spruce tops and asked if it would be  better to take them one by one. I thought it might be good sence  they leaned backwards. On the other hand we where two on the ground to pull the line.

It ended up that he took the big piece, and it started to go backwards, me and the other guy on the ground was holding it by the line.

Lucky the other one was quite strong. He keept holding the piece while i got pulley, carbiner, sling from rigging kit, and the friction cord from my lanyard.

With a 3-to-1 system it was easy to pull it over. If you dont think first you have to think fast was thursdays lesson.

Also tried the upside-down fileing preached by Svante. Looks sharp!

Teaching and climbing walls

Todays work

Today me and Oli C. did a pretty large maple. It was down for pretty heavy reduction and thin.

Hope I can go back to see what it looks like next growth season.

Before and after pruning.