c/arborists

Spent a whole afternoon trying to figure out why my chainsaw was dying on idle

Turns out the fuel filter was just clogged with sawdust from last month's big job, and it only took 5 minutes to swap once I stopped blaming the carburetor - has anyone else wasted hours on a simple fix like that?

Switched from topping trees to crown reduction and my phone finally stopped ringing with complaints

I used to think topping was fine for controlling height on overgrown maples. Did it for years on residential jobs around Portland. Then a client called me back six months later saying the sprouts looked worse than the original problem, and honestly she was right. I read a study from Oregon State about how topping weakens branch attachments long term, and it finally clicked. Last spring I tried proper crown reduction on a big red oak instead, cutting back to lateral branches. The tree looks natural, the growth has been controlled, and the homeowner actually recommended me to three neighbors. Has anyone else had luck convincing customers to pay a bit more for the reduction work instead of the quick chop?

Watched a 30-year-old maple come down in 20 minutes flat

Back in '98 we'd spend half a day with hand saws and ropes taking down a tree that size, but last week a crew with a tracked spider lift and a hydraulic shear had it on the ground before lunch... Has anyone else noticed the equipment just getting way faster over the last decade?

My throw line got stuck in a red oak yesterday...

Was setting up for a removal in a backyard in Portland and my throw bag wrapped around a branch about 50 feet up. Tugged a bit too hard and the line jammed in a tight crotch, had to climb up and free it with a pole pruner. Anyone else had this happen with new paracord that still has that stiff coating on it?

Vent: That moment my climbing line got pinched in a crotch up near Santa Cruz

I was doing a big oak removal up a hill in Santa Cruz last Tuesday, and my climbing line got wedged tight in a branch crotch while I was trying to redirect. I ended up hanging there for 20 minutes fighting to free it, and my shoulder is still sore two weeks later. Anyone else had this happen and found a solid trick to keep lines from getting stuck like that?

Who's actually right about cabling vs. bracing for split crotches?

I spent $300 last spring having a big red oak cabled up after a storm split a major crotch... then my buddy who does tree work for 20 years said I should've just braced it and let it grow back together. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I wasted that money or if the cable was the right call. What do you all think for a mature tree with a 45 degree split?

That job in Austin last spring made me rethink my whole approach to pruning live oaks

Saw a guy top a 60-year-old live oak near Zilker Park and the owner actually thanked him for it. Has anyone else had to bite their tongue when a customer thinks topping is the right call?

Tried a Silky saw vs a cheap hardware store saw on a big oak limb last week

I had to take down a 12 inch limb hanging over my truck in Portland. Used my old $25 saw from Home Depot first and it took forever, binding up every cut. Switched to a Silky Zubat 330mm and it cut through like butter in half the time. Anyone else notice a HUGE difference between budget saws and the expensive Japanese ones?

Had the worst crane job of my career last Tuesday...

We showed up to remove a 90 foot oak in a tight backyard in Portland, and the homeowner had buried an old gas line right where I needed to set the outriggers. Took me 45 minutes just to find a safe spot that wouldn't crush anything. Then the wind kicked up around 11 am, and I had to stop every 15 minutes to let things settle. Ended up taking 8 hours for a job I quoted for 4. The worst part was the customer watching from their window the whole time, no coffee offered, just staring. Has anyone else dealt with surprise underground utilities ruining a whole day's schedule?

Was dead against using climbing spikes on removals... now I see the point

For the first 12 years of my climbing career I REFUSED to use spikes on anything that wasn't a full takedown. Thought it was hack work. Then in 2019 I took on a massive dead ash near Oak Park that had to come down in pieces over a house. My ground guy talked me into trying spikes just for the spar work after the limbs were off. Cut my climb time by almost 40 minutes on that one job. Now I still won't touch a living tree with them, but for deadwood and removals I'm a believer. Anybody else come around on something they used to hate on?

Tried a top-handle saw on a big oak removal and nearly wrecked my wrist

I thought I'd be slick and use my little top-handle Stihl for a 30 inch limb removal last Tuesday. Got about halfway through the back cut and the saw kicked back hard, almost pulling me off the ladder. Learned the hard way that top-handles are for pruning, not for heavy limb work where you need real torque. Has anyone else gotten humbled by using the wrong saw for the job?

Just spent 6 hours trying to rope a single oak limb

Had this big white oak in a tight backyard in Portland last week. One limb over the house, figured 30 minutes tops to set the line. Ended up with my throw line stuck in a crotch three times, had to climb up and untangle it each time. Six hours later I finally got the piece down and I still don't know what I did different. Anybody else have days where a simple rigging setup turns into a nightmare for no reason?

Tried a bypass lopper on a 4 inch branch and the blade snapped clean off after two cuts

I figured it could handle it since the packaging said it was for 'heavy duty' pruning, but now I'm stuck with a broken handle and a half-cut limb, anyone else ever had a tool fail way below what it claims to do?

I found a rotten oak with a 3 foot cavity hidden behind healthy bark

I was trimming a large oak in Nashville last week and the bark looked totally normal from the ground, but when I climbed up and tapped it, the whole trunk sounded hollow. I opened a small cut and found a cavity over 3 feet deep that could have collapsed on a house during the next storm. How do you guys check for internal decay without drilling into every tree you climb?

TIL maple trees can bleed sap for days if you prune too early in the season

I cut a big limb off a sugar maple in my yard back in late February last year, and it dripped sap for like four straight days before I finally slapped some pruning sealer on it. Has anyone else had a tree just refuse to stop weeping like that?

Overheard a landscaper say elm roots are worse than concrete anchors

I was at a coffee shop near my clinic in Denver last week and two landscapers were talking at the next table. One of them said elm roots will crack your foundation faster than a frost heave and the other laughed and said he has a sawzall blade dedicated just for elm. It got me thinking about my own tree work on the side. I planted a small elm in my backyard about 5 years ago and now I'm wondering if I should dig it up before it becomes a problem. The roots have already pushed up a section of my patio pavers by almost 2 inches. Has anyone else had to deal with elm roots breaking stuff and did you end up removing the tree or just cutting the roots back every season?

Vent: Had to choose between a crane and a big rigging job on a tight city lot

Last Thursday in Portland, we had a massive dead elm in a backyard with maybe 10 feet of clearance from the house. The choice was a 50 ton crane for $2,500 or a full day of complex rigging with my 5 man crew. I went with the rigging to save the client money. We got it down safe, but it took us 9 hours and my foreman's arms were jelly by the end. Anyone ever regret NOT calling the crane when you had the chance?

Just realized everyone says to always use a climbing line for big removals, but my old Husqvarna 372XP taught me a different lesson last month.

I was taking down a big, dead oak in a tight backyard in Springfield and decided to just use a pole saw for the upper limbs, thinking it was safer than setting a line in the rotten canopy. A 6-inch limb I was cutting swung back and cracked the saw's crankcase on a lower branch. I had to finish the job with a handsaw and it added three hours to the day. Has anyone else had a tool failure make them rethink a common safety rule?

PSA: I used a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water on some stump sprouts and it killed the whole maple root system.

Vent: My old boss in Boise insisted on climbing every tree for inspections

I used to do it that way too, but after a knee injury last spring, I switched to using a drone with a zoom lens for the initial look. It's way faster for spotting deadwood and cavities high up, especially on those big cottonwoods. Anyone else made a similar switch, or do you still think boots on the bark is the only way?

Got called out for my old climbing hitch setup at a job in Austin

Honestly, I was using a Blake's hitch for years and thought it was fine. Another climber on site said it was too slow to adjust and could slip if I got tired. He showed me how to tie a VT with a pulley, which is way faster to move. I switched over about six months ago and my work speed is better. Anyone else have a knot they changed their mind on?

Just had to pick between a full removal or a risky crown reduction on a big oak in Portland

The client wanted to keep the tree but it was leaning over their garage, so I went with the reduction using a 200t saw and a lot of rigging. Honestly, it took two full days and we had to take off almost 30% of the canopy to get it safe. Anyone ever had a job where saving the tree felt way harder than just taking it down?

Unpopular opinion: I gave a big oak a light trim in the fall and it bled sap for months

I had a client in Springfield who really wanted their big white oak cleaned up last October. It wasn't a heavy cut, just some deadwood and a few small crossing limbs. I figured it was late enough in the season it would be fine. Wrong. That thing wept sap from every cut spot all winter long, right through February. It wasn't a little bit, it was a constant, sticky drip that stained their patio. In my experience, you always hear 'don't prune oaks in spring', but I learned the hard way that a late fall trim can be just as bad for some of them. The tree seems okay now, but I won't do that again. Has anyone else run into a specific species that just won't stop bleeding after an off-season prune?

Finally tried a proper climbing line after years on that old three-strand

I had this big white oak removal in Cedar Rapids last week and decided to use my new 11mm double braid line instead of my usual workhorse. The difference was night and day. The new line ran through the pulley so much smoother, and I could feel every little bit of friction when setting my friction saver. It just made the whole climb feel more controlled and less tiring. Anyone else have a piece of gear they switched to that felt like a real upgrade?

Found a hidden hazard in a Bradford pear removal near Cincinnati last week

We were taking down a big one in a backyard, looked healthy from the ground. Started the climb and my saw hit something solid about 15 feet up... a rusted iron fence post the tree had grown around and swallowed. It was buried deep in the wood, no sign from the outside. Could have been real bad if the saw kicked. Anyone else run into trees hiding metal like that?