MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
He stumbled on his back steps, fell, and broke his neck.
Or have I heard wrong?
Or have I heard wrong?
T
Treevet
Guest
I think if we reduce his work to the lowest common denominator....an arborist should know how a tree is made and works before being allowed to do anything to a living tree.
T
Treevet
Guest
That is true from what I know. On his deck.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Not to be disrespectful here at all. But I fail to see the irony?
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
He was a treeman and broke his neck.
N
Nails
Guest
Probably wooden steps too huh? Oh, the irony.
JK, I had to throw that out there, even though this is no laughing matter.
JK, I had to throw that out there, even though this is no laughing matter.
T
Treevet
Guest
He was also the best teacher of all times of trees.
B
Blinky
Guest
I think he was actually a microbiologist... a uh, tree... micro... biologi.... never mind.
C
Chisel Tooth
Guest
A little something I found
http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=19520875
http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=19520875
T
Treevet
Guest
He was the Chief Scientist for the US Dept of Forestry for decades and then made it his mission to teach us how to care for trees based on scientific research. In that capacity he was a lecturer and teacher with immeasurable patience.
N
NeTree
Guest
What I wonder is... was the casket wood or metal?
Wouldn't it have been awesome to have him here at the TH!?
Wouldn't it have been awesome to have him here at the TH!?
gf beranek
Old Schooler
I'm feel sure Alex Shigo had an epiphany early on in his life that lead him to become a visionary and good teacher.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
I found this in Websters, " working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards."
I started out doing hack work because I didn't know any better. My standards are better now but I am sure I could do even better. I do not use the term myself because it seems to suppose intent. For all I know the bad tree work could be done by well intentioned people who just do not know any better, much like myself in the beginning.
I started out doing hack work because I didn't know any better. My standards are better now but I am sure I could do even better. I do not use the term myself because it seems to suppose intent. For all I know the bad tree work could be done by well intentioned people who just do not know any better, much like myself in the beginning.
T
Treevet
Guest
His daughter has taken over his business and sells his complete works (almost) as far as texts at a considerable discount. All these books are very readable with incremental knowledge attained. Shigo, Trees and Associates..
gf beranek
Old Schooler
Yes, Darin, it's how I came up in the business. And I'm sure for most that have stuck with it to make an honorable living of tree work.
T
Treevet
Guest
I agree and we are all the better because of it.
SkwerI
Treehouser
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
<---- Hack with ethics....
I am a hack.
Were I to have an endless supply of $$$ and could afford to follow guidelines, standards and acceptable practices, I'd probably still be a hack. The longer I do pruning (term used very loosely here), the more I want to play around & manipulate trees & landscape. You gotta push the boundaries, or at least I do.
Were I to have an endless supply of $$$ and could afford to follow guidelines, standards and acceptable practices, I'd probably still be a hack. The longer I do pruning (term used very loosely here), the more I want to play around & manipulate trees & landscape. You gotta push the boundaries, or at least I do.
Paul B
I dig hammocks.
Al Shigo, yup, broke his neck on his back steps, a very cool guy to talk to, glad I got to meet him althogh it was only once for about an hour or so. His daughter is cool and his books are good reading I figure. 
T
Treevet
Guest
Going with the earlier analogy; What if.....a doctor did not have to have any education or credentials, they just had to say they were a doctor. They would profit from the need for doctors and reputation of good ones that treated patients correctly thru research and correct procedures.
Because of the critical need for doctors the money made was substantial. So naturally everybody started calling themselves doctors. Firemen, policemen, insurance salesmen, etc. etc. became part time or full time doctors. There was such a proliferation of doctors that it was difficult to get work and you were always getting underbid and patients taken away by less qualified but cheaper practitioners.
There was a saving grace though....you were allowed to double as a mortician and cadaver salesman for colleges etc. (removal guy and firewood salesman). Some of the more unscrupulous "doctors" would suggest "putting down" lots of people unnecessarily or that were just marginal. The world would be abuzz about the quality of doctors in general and suspicious of their motives and knowledge.
I don't understand why some people are seemingly taking pride in calling themselves "hacks". I can take a tree down and rig with the very best of them all, but I am not a hack.
Because of the critical need for doctors the money made was substantial. So naturally everybody started calling themselves doctors. Firemen, policemen, insurance salesmen, etc. etc. became part time or full time doctors. There was such a proliferation of doctors that it was difficult to get work and you were always getting underbid and patients taken away by less qualified but cheaper practitioners.
There was a saving grace though....you were allowed to double as a mortician and cadaver salesman for colleges etc. (removal guy and firewood salesman). Some of the more unscrupulous "doctors" would suggest "putting down" lots of people unnecessarily or that were just marginal. The world would be abuzz about the quality of doctors in general and suspicious of their motives and knowledge.
I don't understand why some people are seemingly taking pride in calling themselves "hacks". I can take a tree down and rig with the very best of them all, but I am not a hack.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Treevet, I think that you miss the point.
Order of expertise in the Treehouse:
Beginner, intermediate, expert, hack. Another cool thing about the place!
T
Treevet
Guest
A Billy Joel song comes to mind that goes something like "You can learn how to dance and still be tough..."
F
Frans
Guest
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #50
Boy, I feel honored that this thread has gotten so many insightful and great replies.
I too began my career working for a guy who would: 'spur on the backside so it didn't show' or 'just cut until a big enough pile was on the ground'. One of the things he would say when I did not know what to cut was to scream up 'just cut it!!!'.
I remember that once we were driving down this road with a HUGE load of chips and wood (massive 10 wheeler) and we saw this sign on the side of the road that said: No dumping $1000.00 dollar fine. He yanked the truck over to the side and dumped the truck right there. Said that sounds like a great deal.
Anyhow, I understand about the various styles and specialization (s) of tree work, from the line clearance guys who focus only on keeping a clear 'corridor' around primary wires, to the take down specialist, to the small tree pruning guy.
Each one does their job, and many of them do a great job at it.
But what is a hack in my mind is the person who doesn't know, and yet still presents to the client an opinion/guess based on what they 'think' should be done in order to make some money. Or maybe just to try and make themselves look better.
I too began my career working for a guy who would: 'spur on the backside so it didn't show' or 'just cut until a big enough pile was on the ground'. One of the things he would say when I did not know what to cut was to scream up 'just cut it!!!'.
I remember that once we were driving down this road with a HUGE load of chips and wood (massive 10 wheeler) and we saw this sign on the side of the road that said: No dumping $1000.00 dollar fine. He yanked the truck over to the side and dumped the truck right there. Said that sounds like a great deal.
Anyhow, I understand about the various styles and specialization (s) of tree work, from the line clearance guys who focus only on keeping a clear 'corridor' around primary wires, to the take down specialist, to the small tree pruning guy.
Each one does their job, and many of them do a great job at it.
But what is a hack in my mind is the person who doesn't know, and yet still presents to the client an opinion/guess based on what they 'think' should be done in order to make some money. Or maybe just to try and make themselves look better.
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