Afraid of heights?

I am! When we bought our house a dozen years ago, I noticed a tree that looked a little suspect. It was growing at an angle, and the base looked rotten. So I called an arborist--just liked his ad in the phone book.

He looked at the tree and said that taking some weight out of it would make it better. That tree is still with us, and Alex has been maintaining our trees ever since.

Usually he gives me an estimate and then comes back to do the cutting. Today during lunch I got to see him work.

No way.

The guys that took mine down hooked his butt to a boom crane and was dropped like a tea bag with a chain saw between the branches until only the skeleton was left.

Not enough Tangurey in North America ....

I walked in here fully expecting to find this.

Yeah, that's one job I sub out. I found a guy with a crew near here. Saw him and the crew at Taco Hell one day and asked him "How much an hour for the crew? Give me a card." When I need something dropped, they can do it safely in minutes, and it would take me hours at great personal risk. One Saturday, they dropped 25 trees and charged me 5 hours x $175/hr. Some of them had to come down a piece at a time with a guy up in the tree. Well worth it.

Ed Higginbotham wrote: I walked in here fully expecting to find this.

From the comments

Elvin Novruzov 3 days ago I was more nervous than this guy when i was jumping over the lava in super mario game

I'm not afraid of heights, I just don't like them very much.

He's just trimming. So far (knock on wood) we haven't had to take down any trees. It is neat to see how properly trimming the trees helps them fare well through storms. He'll explain how the trees are now shaped so the wind blows through them and stuff. To date we haven't lost a limb that we couldn't carry to the curb with more than one hand.

Looks like a fun job to me!

no thank you! I worked with a guy who used to free climb trees, and sit on branches and cut other limbs off, no thanks i was a LANDscaper for a reason

Here are some photos that I took at the Fire Academy, many, many years ago.

This is our ladder truck. As I recall, it had a 112 foot ladder. Note the five story training tower that's next to it and the firefighter who is just starting to climb the last section.

Looking up. It takes a surprisingly long time to make the climb.

Looking down. Those yellow and black things are my boots. The silver thing is the fire truck.

Remember the five story tower? Here we see a slightly younger Woody after repelling out the fifth floor window, tying off, inverting and showing the instructor down on the ground both of my hands. This was a few years before I had carpal tunnel surgery, so I couldn't feel either of my hands during any of this.

That is in response to the picture, because yes; I am terribly afraid of heights.

I'd be bothered more by all the Floridian sized and quantity of insects you'd experience in his job. shivers

Ed Higginbotham wrote: I walked in here fully expecting to find this.

I thought it would be this, but yours works too

You guys are weak.

I'm not afraid of heights, I'm afraid of falling from them....

In reply to turboswede:

...more afraid of that sudden stop.

A timely thread. I was crossing the Don Holt Bridge this morning. It's about 155' to the bottom of the roadbed and probably 200+ to the top of the structure. This one (disregard the wreck).

See those power lines to the left of it? The ones that are taller than the bridge. There were two guys sitting on the cross arm, just swinging their legs. Disappearing off in the distance, was the helicopter that had dropped them off. I assume it was going to get fuel.

They are restringing the line and I guess the poles are too tall to climb so they are doing the work hanging under a helicopter.

I have hung from a crane 80' in the air, I've been up in a 95' bucket truck, I have worked at the 280' level in a building with no skin, but screw that. It ain't happening. For that fact, neither is climbing a tree.

Edit: I bet those guys are making bank though. $$$$

as someone with a few priors for trespassing that are basejumping related, I'm still not sure how I'd feel about power equipment and labor on a large tree, that happens to be the structure I'm anchored to.

bluej wrote: I'd be bothered more by all the Floridian sized and quantity of insects you'd experience in his job. *shivers*

We have a bee hive in one of the trees. He just works around them.

brrrrrrrrrrr...... very afraid of heights.... some of those selfies from atop this building or that spire... crazy mother-berkleys if you ask me....

Its tough enough to get on my roof (one story) to clean the moss and gutters

Apparently I don't have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling.

It's not the falling that's the issue, it's the sudden stop at the end.

Whatever it costs for the pros to do it, it's worth it. My friend Rick Bye taught this guy how to drive his Porsche again, after the tree he took down in his back yard fell on him, leaving him a paraplegic.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commuting/indomitable-pair-of-medical-success-stories-ready-to-tackle-targa/article13374977/

It's not heights or falling I fear, it's the sudden stop at the end.

I'm not sure what's with this dude balancing on stuff in his skivvies, but he sure has some arm strength!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpS7vhvkIQM