Deadwooding, sizes.

[cory]

When you folks are deadwooding a tree, how small do you go, in terms of a basic "safety prune" I'm sure there are written standards but I don't know em.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Talking about limbs, why would you basically not want to remove all the dead? I mean except for rare exceptions.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Have to also consider height and length of limb as well IMO.
Often down to about 1" if I feel it necessary. If it looks like it could hurt someone and or something.. I remove it.

 

[cory]

Frequently people just want the "big" stuff out, for safety, and they aren't worried about getting every tiny dead twig, which in many cases would make the job far more costly. So I'm just wondering, inch-wise, where folks generally draw the line. I think it is 2 or 2.5 " diameter, but want to see what the consensus is here.

 

[cory]

Is there an ISA or TCIA or ANSI standard?

 

[lumberjack]

I call it 2", unless it's on a playground or similar kid rich/sensative environment.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I can only trim a tree one way.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

With a saw?

 

[Husabud]

At the base?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

situationally dependent but about 2" diameter, above any canopy raised height, as applicable. Any below the canopy raise gets cleaned fully.

 

[flushcut]

1" or less is a fine prune 2" or larger are "just the heavy dead" prune.

 

[MasterBlaster]

There's no way I'm gonna cut a 2" limb, then leave a 1" one.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Butch, if you have to go 60' for 1" wood, and only 20' for 2" wood, are you going to do the whole extra section of the tree for free (if the customer only wants to pay for hazard reduction and low visible wood).

 

[MasterBlaster]

If the customer wants a half ass trim, I'll do it... but that comes far and few between.

 

[Tucker943]

That's interesting. You must be a thorough climber. You've mentioned you wont use pole tools, so do you scamper out to the very ends of each top and limb? I hate doing that. Maybe Im lazy. I like to just set up shop with my polesaw and cover the ends and stuff of the job calls for it.

 

[Mick!]

I hate deadwooding! Used to do Loads of it in London, the boss used to insist on EVERTHING dead being removed.
These days I just do the obviously large and dangerous.

 

[cory]

There's no way I'm gonna cut a 2" limb, then leave a 1" one.

Frequently, something 1" diameter will be like 4" long whereas something 2" will be 3' or 4' long, much more substantial in terms of potential danger, and ugliness.

 

[MasterBlaster]

You must be a thorough climber

Yes, but I don't worry about pencil sized dead out on the tips unless it stands out like a sore thumb. Then I'll call for the polesaw.

 

[Tucker943]

Makes sense. I was thinking "Damn, he is holding up well these days"

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm good once as I ever was.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I like deadwooding the cedrus, all the big and the little bits. It's a long day, but the result is very appealing. The tree pass from an ugly and dark mess to a very aerial and light crown. Love it.

Time to time, I find that a small dead limb is way too far from where I am, so I leave it, thinking they wouldn't see it much from ground. Wrong !
We see only that.

The main problem is small deadwooding in winter. In some species like walnut or Koelreuteria, you can hardly say if a twig is live or dead. It takes much more time, aside the obvious old dead limbs. A limb just dead from the last summer looks really like a good one... until the next spring.

 

[Tucker943]

I only ran into one beef with a customer over dead wooding. I had to do a 70 foot sugar maple OVER a green house. It was nerve wrecking. I probably would have rather take the tree down then tinker with dead wood over that much glass. I left one stupid dead twig up top and she held the check. Now I tell people straight up, I take only whats big enough to hurt if it landed on your head. On big trees that is. Small trees are no biggie.

 

[rskybiz]

I always get what the groundsman can see as that view is usually a better perspective. Clearly defined proposals is a must on stuff like that, a lesson learned the hard way for me once.

 

[cory]

. I had to do a 70 foot sugar maple OVER a green house. It was nerve wrecking.

Gives me angst just thinking about it. I wouldn't take a job like that. Let the next guy do it, and God bless him if he's up for it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Word.