Tree Removal

Removing trees is the most dangerous and demanding aspect of what we do. An apprentice climber with a good teacher can become proficient in 6 months at pruning trees and climbing. The skills needed to safely remove trees can take a lot longer to learn. It is hard to find someone who is willing to let you get on the job training. Who wants to take the risk?

I was lucky to start out removing trees right from the beginning. We have a huge bag of tricks that we draw on to get a tree down without any damage to property or climber. Volumes could be written on how to cut a tree down. I have learned that most of the techniques are not always needed but when you need them they are indispensable.

Using Cranes for Hazardous Tree Removal

When a tree is really technical we have to resort to using a crane. For us it is a last resort as the cranes range anywhere from $150 to $200 an hour. Here are some photos of a tree that needed to be removed with a crane. The tree had significant decay and was overhanging a historical adobe building.

Removing a Tree Overhanging a Building

A more typical project is that of an African Sumac with a split trunk. Here we used ropes to rig the tree down without damaging the roof or concrete.