How'd it go today?

Thanks, If i sit down for an hr and delete stuff, I might have room!
Or, I could just remember it, its so common, might have to make room in my own brain, not just my phone's.
 
Had a diverse day.
First part was spent as a certified arborist, of which there are but a few handfulls in Denmark.
An old army area near the suburbs have ash trees growing all along the perimeter.
Well, what with them succumbing to a combination of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and Armillaria mellea they have started to fall over.

2 weeks ago we had a bit of wind and one went across the perimeter fence and the very trafficked road behind it.

Unfortunately, the area is full of treehuggers and the local county goes the way the wind blows.

So the army guys told me, I was to be their big club to hit the county biologists with.

Easy enough.
I just did a walkaround with them, looked at all the hazard trees ( about 100) and finally told them: " I will of course require a signed statement, saying that we can't cut the trees down.
That way we will know who to call, when the first person has been killed.
Hole in one!
They totally caved in and okayed a removal.
After they left, I had both army guys slapping my shoulders, going; " Great job, man!!!"

Guess who gets the job of removing them.
They didn't even ask for a bid, just: " Send us an estimate!"

Sometimes all the hassle I had getting certified, actually pays off :)


Then I joined the rest of the crew and dragged brush in the rain for 4 hours.

Oh well, variety is the spice of life, they say.
 
More devining today. This time it was mostly poison ivy in a tulip poplar. Kicked my ass. I don't want to do that again for a looong time. Since it was really close to the house, I of course brought my D game. Got my throwbag stuck first thing, and took about 7 more shots before I got a line set, including a time pulling up my climbline and finding the placement sucked cause I couldn't see that far, and having to shoot again.

Once I was in the tree, everything went pretty well aside from the mega hassle pulling poison ivy away from the stem, and removing some bittersweet. I also cut some limbs off that had weak attachments. They didn't have a real future ahead of them. Got 70`-80' up. rescued my throwbag, and came down. I didn't get 100% of the vines off the stem, but damned close, and it was everything you could see from the yard side. I dragged the debris in the woods, and I'll deal with it when I'm doing ground stuff.

Also did a microclimb to get a hanger out of a sycamore. Finally got to try the trueblue. Good hand feel on that line.

Altogether, I spent about 4hr on it. I didn't get pictures. Forgot to get before pics, was gonna take a pic of the mess below the tree, and forgot that too. I just wanted it done at that point.
 
That remains to be seen, but winter helps. I had cut the vines at the base... a couple months ago at least, so everything was fairly dry, but hadn't gotten close to crumbly dead yet. I'm not super sensitive, but I do get a rash with fresh stuff. It was very limby on the lower 25%, so I buzzed those off with a chainsaw mostly, then cut through the vines. I'd get behind those with that estwing tomahawk I don't like, and yank it away from the bark. Once I got an end freed, I'd grab it(had gloves on), and pull it off the tree.

That estwing really does suck, but the one and only thing it does well is remove vines. It's almost like it was purpose built for that.
 
Temps got up in the mid twenties but there was a damp feeling all day. Finished clearing around a well in a wetland. Cold temps are good for this. Still managed to find some water though. Glad we’re done since the hill going into it has become a sheet of ice.
Now I’ve got the kids suiting up to help me load wood in the trailer for my parents. It’s great that they get down to a few days supply before they tell me they need wood
 
Sounds like my boss. If it isn't happening in the next 30 minutes, it doesn't matter. Plan ahead? Why would we do that?!
 
Sure is frustrating at times(most of them actually) though. I cut wood on the farm at work, both for amusement, and sometimes for actual need. If it isn't complete trash, I usually cut in firewood size pieces and stack it. Nobody says anything. Boss' daughter that lives on the farm wanted firewood, both for when the power went out recently, and presumably for ambiance. All the wood I had I could have taken some to her place to get it dry by winter, but most of it can't be used now cause it's too wet. I told the boss where I stacked some tulip polar he could take her. That gets dry fairly quick, and probably wasn't too bad if he didn't get the top layer, but tulip poplar(coincidence it's letters are TP? I'm not so sure...) isn't worth much as firewood.
 
After popping a cross-bar out of my tracks yesterday, I run up and got some new ones, only 45 minutes away, at Summit Supply. Put them on just now, changed a roller in the middle of the undercarriage for a new one, and have some extras to replace the bearings. Nice to have spare on the shelf.
 
Just cut a section of the vine away so it won't reconnect, and then just let it rot for a bit. Then you can usually just pull the whole thing off from the ground a year or so later. Extra points if you use some scrap rope/ twine to tie to the bottom of the ivy to use as a handle.

So i missed 2 days of work early this week from my slip on the ice, so naturally i slipped again last night and went completely down while getting a load of water (shallow well, fun times). So i went out and bought some of those slip on ice cleats that go over your boot, how have i gone so long in life without using them?
 
How's your back feeling now? Knock on wood, I haven't had a major incident in awhile, but it was feeling a little weird today.

The vines looked really shitty is why I took it on. Same with the deadwooding. I want to set them up with stuff there's no way they could do themselves. It also gives me a chance to climb, but I underestimated how much of a hassle it would be to remove the poison ivy. Knowing what I know now, I'd still do it cause it looks a million times better, but it'll prevent me from doing similar work with less dramatic results in the future.
 
09, I have those, I don't wear em much but when you need em you need em!

Heal up fast, bruh

Edit- I know of a very accommplished tree climber in his late 50s who broke his leg walking down his driveway to get the mail, slipped on ice
 
Yeah the bass pro has the korkers, so that's what i got. You're right cory, you don't need them all the time but they do help when you do. I've kinda developed some trails around my yard and that's what I slipped on, so these cleats add enough traction that i can do stuff again.

John thx for asking, it's getting there. I used to throw it out pretty bad once every year or so, and i was overdue. I used to spring back quicker too, but that's how it goes now i guess lol
 
Sucks about your back Kyle. We don’t heal like we used to but hopefully it rights itself quick.
Put the engine on the 38 special today. Trying to figure out the wiring now. The ignition switch along with all the other switches were corroded to a point of being an unrecognizable mess. Took pictures and replaced ignition. Still just fuel solenoid click. Nothing else. Jumped the starter solenoid and it fired up. Trying to chase wires to figure it out. Gonna make a call soon if I can’t figure it out.
 
I was gonna hang out in the house today, but I had a biglots coupon for 22% off, so I hit them and aldi(I intended on going to the close one tomorrow) today. Biglot's prices went up, and some of the stuff I was interested in(kippered herring) I could get from amazon at the same price or less, even factoring in the 22% off. So, I kinda struck out. I'm now half lit on whisk(e)y, and playing around on the computer. I did put a thicker blanket in Spot's house, but it scared her off for the time being. Fairly unproductive day.
 
Electric gremlins suck to track down. Ya figure it went in in the first place, so it should be easy enough, but it doesn't work out that way.
 
I've kinda developed some trails around my yard and that's what I slipped on, so these cleats add enough traction that i can do stuff again.

On snow packed trails that have morphed to ice is exactly where I use mine :dude:
 
Today was a thrown in job combined with take your daughter to work day.
Rob sjowed hrr how to tie a couple knots and use the HOBBS. She did awesome catching and liwering large tops and logs. Got two trees done in 4 hours. Went home to relax.
Her eyes got pretty wide when I handed her the pay.
Even the custy was impressed :)
 
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