The
PUBLISHED BY THE
TREE CARE INDUSTRY
ASSOCIATION
TreeWorker
A monthly resource for tree care professionals
March 2009
Number 319
A Chipper Refresher
I was fortunate enough recently to have a chipper
remind me to be safer. I’d like to say that while
working around a chipper I thought of ways to be
safer, but no, I need to be honest and say that the
chipper had to teach refresh my memory.
YUK! What is this?
See page 6 for the answer.
In This Issue...
1
A Chipper
Refresher
1
Study for Your
Certified
Arborist...Test
Part One
2
How to Use
Spurs to Climb
Removal Trees
6
Arborist
Quiz
7
Mr. Safety
It was all on one job, and it was one of those jobs,
you know the type. It was almost 3 weeks after the
New England ice storm and we had been working
many hours. We were also under the gun to get a
job done before the next load of snow came. Not
making excuses, just setting the stage.
Three specific things happened related to the chipper on this job, two of them to me. The first thing
that happened was a worker received a slap by a
branch that was being fed in with a log. The
branch, which was about 15 feet long, was to the
side of a log that was being pulled in by the winch.
The winch line pulled the log into the in-feed area
causing it to roll and slap the limb into the face of
the operator, cutting his nose and cheek.
The first thing that happened to me was after I fed
a long, dead portion of a cedar tree into the feed
wheels. I was feeding from the passenger side of
the chipper, but there wasn’t much room as we
– by Tim Walsh, CTSP
had backed into a yard to clean up some ice storm
damage. I was too far forward when the feed
wheels grabbed the piece and it smacked into my
tibia of my left leg, dropping me like a stone.
There was incredible pain from the knee to the
ankle for about 20 seconds, and then everything
went numb. I tried to stand and couldn’t move my
foot. I thought for sure that I had fractured it. I didn’t and eventually the pain subsided.
I wasn’t done yet though. A few loads of brush later,
I fed a bunch of broken white pine limbs into the
chipper and turned away like you are supposed to.
Then, for some reason, I turned back and walked
in front of the in-feed area, but that isn’t bad
enough. I actually looked into the in-feed area and
was rewarded by a piece of wood launched at my
safety glasses. It hard enough to drive the glasses
back into my forehead, leaving a mark and a
headache.
All three of these could have been avoided by proper positioning. I am sure that fatigue and production pressure played a part in it though. At least
these were lessons that we could learn from, now
we will see if we learned the lesson or not.
Study for Your Certified Arborist/CDL/Tree
Specialist or Whatever Test - Part One
Are you thinking about taking the exam for the
Certified Arborist, Utility Arborist or Certified
Tree Safety Specialist certification? How about
your CDL (commercial drivers license) or any of
the Tree Care Academy programs? If you are
like many test takers, you are probably dreading
taking any of these
comprehensive exams.
Your past test scores
may have you worrying
unnecessarily
over
your upcoming arborist
exams. Save yourself
some grief and just
apply the suggestions
in this list.
Remind yourself why it
is important that you
do well on this test. Will the resulting credential
or certification allow you to make more money
at work? Will it boost your career overall?
Whatever the reason you are taking an exam is,
you need to agree with yourself that you want to
care about doing well on the test. The way to do
this is to set up a study
strategy. Make a goal early
on of retaining the information you review so you can
recall it on test day. You
cannot “cram” the night
before any certification
exam. To be successful,
you must make a long-term
commitment to prepare for
the exam, test and ultimately your career.
...continued on page 4
The TreeWorker
Page 2
March 2009
How to Use Spurs to Climb Removal
Trees
excerpted from the January 2008 TreeWorker
Some pointers (ha!) on climbing with spurs/spikes/irons for the first few times.
Use spurs/spikes/irons only to climb
removal trees. Aerial rescue is another possible time, but we’re talking about newbies
on spurs, and newbies on spurs shouldn’t
be trying to perform an aerial rescue.
Check the spurs for wear and tear. Make
sure none of the straps have cuts or worn
spots. We’ll talk about how the straps can
get cut later. Check the gaffs to make sure
they are secure on the irons. If these are
used gaffs, make sure they are sharpened in
accordance to the individual manufacturer’s
specifications. (They have gauges for this.)
Make sure they are the right length for your
leg, about 1” below the front of your knee. If
the top pads are soft and flexible, be prepared for some pain. The upper pads need
to be extremely stiff, preferably metalbraced, to prevent the shaft from changing
positions on your leg while climbing. That
may sound less comfortable; however, if the
shaft is moving on your leg it is very uncom-
fortable and potentially dangerous as this
will cause the spur angle to constantly
change and be inconsistent.
Make sure you put them on right. There is a
right shoe and a left shoe, and the first time
(yes you’ll get them mixed up at least once
before you figure them out) you get them on
backwards will be the time the entire crew
will see you and never let you live it down.
Get some decent high-top leather boots with
a solid heel. Spend a little money because
there’s nothing worse while you’re in irons
than the heel of your cheapie boots coming
off the sole and falling on your groundie.
Don’t wear athletic shoes or flip flops.
Actually, go ahead and try them. You’ll find
out in a hurry why you need solid-soled
boots.
Before climbing the tree, make a pre-climb
inspection of the work site. Look for any
potential hazards to yourself or your crew.
Since you’re new at this, have a supervisor
show you what to look for. Things like rot,
structural defects in the tree, mushrooms or
other fruiting bodies on the trunk, cracks or
cavities in the tree, etc. Be on the lookout for
hangers, dead branches, stinging insects,
and critters.
Make sure your supervisor sets you up with
an escape plan in the unlikely event of a
close encounter with the fauna (critters,
bees, etc) on the flora. Have a plan for the
entire job from start to finish.
Put the spurs on while standing at the base
of the tree. The minute you try walking any
distance, no matter how short, in sharp
irons, you will stab yourself in the calf
enough times to realize that you made an
error in judgment about where to put them
on. This is also a good way to cut or pierce
the straps, which could be a very bad thing
at 50 feet off the ground. When you walk
across that parking lot, it dulls the gaffs, too.
You simply shouldn’t walk in them, except
maybe short distances on turf.
Attach your flipline/lanyard/safety line
...continued on page 6
March 2009
The TreeWorker
Page 3
Page 4
The TreeWorker
Study for Your Whatever Test
How to Study
• Learn material and review as you go
along.
• Make sure you understand the information as you are learning it. That way,
you won't have to re-learn it OR have to
cram a great deal of information at one
time.
• Read and study information in meaningful chunks (by chapters or units) so
that you'll be able to mentally file and
retrieve information easily.
• At the end of each chapter or unit,
identify the information that was most
important. Make up flash cards on this
information that you can easily carry
and use for study on a regular basis.
• Break study sessions into manageable
time segments and meaningful units.
You'll remember more if you study for
short periods of time (45 minutes to 1
hour) and over a longer period of time
(1-2 weeks) than if you cram all your
study into a binge session the night
before the test.
• Form a study group with your crew or
others taking the same exam to dis-
March 2009
...continued from page 1
cuss and quiz each other on important
material. This will add other perspectives and help to round out your studying.
• Be honest with yourself and focus on
your weak areas.
that the wording of the test will be quite
different from the wording in the study
guides. This is to get you to actually think
and not just cough up memorized phrases. A certification test is testing your
knowledge, in addition to your memory.
• Prioritize the study material. Learn the
most difficult elements first and don't
sweat the small stuff. The trick to passing any test is to get a certain percentage of the questions right. Few people
will ever get 100% of the questions
right on each and every test they take.
By learning the hardest material first,
you'll increase your chances of getting
a passing score.
How to study a book
• Focus on all headings and subheadings. They can help you organize your
thoughts.
Don’t rely on just your general knowledge
to get you by in a certification exam. Get
any study guides and other materials
associated with the test. Work your way
through study guides that are offered,
then supplement with other industry
books. There is a difference between
reading a book and studying it. Learn the
information, don’t just memorize the
words. You will be expected to know the
information on test day, and it is likely
• Review aloud the key concepts. Being
your own lecturer can prove to your
benefit, and you get to hear yourself
talk.
• Be sure you know all bold faced or italicized words. Often, these terms are
vital doorways to the information.
• Review all summary sections and
review questions. This can help to be
sure you have successfully hit on all
the points the textbook editors feel
important.
• Make notes on flash cards or something you will refer to.
Continued next month in the
April TreeWorker
March 2009
The TreeWorker
Page 5
Page 6
Spurs to Climb Removal Trees
around the tree and clip in. Stick the spurs in
the trunk (one at a time…no bunny hopping
onto the tree), but not directly on the sides.
Think about 8 and 4 on a clock face (more
or less), especially on larger diameters. It is
okay to let the front of your boots touch the
trunk, but try not to “cling”. with your toes.
Get the feel for standing on the spikes without your toes or ankles touching the tree so
you have the correct entry angle. If the entry
angle of the gaffs are off as you climb, they
will be prone to likely kick out. If this happens, maintain your grip on your flip line,
turn your palms upwards, elbows into your
chest. This will pinch
your rope around the
trunk and prevent a long
slide. It should be less
painful also because you
are wearing long sleeves
and gloves, right? If you
panic and let go of the
rope and you get to slide
down the tree until your
climbing rope stops you.
This is always felt most
by elbows and knees.
Lean your weight into the
lanyard when you want
to stand on the spikes.
March 2009
The TreeWorker
...continued from page 2
As an iron newbie, take a few moments
while you’re less than 10’ off the ground to
feel what it’s like to stand on spurs on the
tree. It’s wobbly and kind of painful in your
feet until they get used to it. The smaller the
tree diameter (the farther up you go) the
more you have to pay attention to each
“grab” you make. Standing on a 4” stem at
height can be very disconcerting. Practice a
little at lower altitudes before you try to take
the tall skinny uprights off.
Step up on the spur, keep your upper body a
little away from the trunk (don’t hug the
tree), and keep your butt
in line with your upper
body. If the gaff kicks
out, your sticking angle
is off. Ask your supervisor to watch you and to
tell you how to correct
this. Make sure you do
this under supervision
the first few times.
Someone has to report
to the crew how clumsy
you look so you all have
something to laugh
about when you get really good at it.
Don’t stab each gaff into the tree multiple
times like you’re trying to kill cockroaches.
With the right gaffs, a firm step is all that is
needed.
Take a couple of steps, move your flipline up,
then lean into the lanyard. Find a rhythm.
Take your time. If your boss is yelling at you
to hurry up, glare down at him and think of a
few tasteless names to call him at a later
date. As you ascend and the trunk becomes
teenier in diameter, shorten the flipline to
keep your torso the right distance from the
trunk. Too close to the trunk is bad as you
will likely kick out.
Your natural inclination as a climber is to try
to place your feet in the tree branching forks.
Avoid this when wearing spikes because you
can get stuck or slip. This is a good way to
pierce your climbing rope, your lanyard, your
foot…all these things are best left unpierced. Trust standing in the gaffs instead.
Get to where you need to be, adjust your
climbing line, then relax into your lanyard as
you notice “sewing machine leg” take over
your lower appendages. Practice, practice,
practice, and soon you’ll be shimmying up
trees like the monkey’s uncle you are.
What is This? Peach leaf curl.
Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease called Taphrina deformans. It can cause defoliation and fruit loss on nearly all varieties of peach and nectarine trees. The most common characteristic is the curling and crinkling of the leaves as they unfold in spring.
Usually, the entire leaf is affected, but sometimes only small areas are involved. In
addition to the curling, diseased leaves often turn red or purple.
This disease also may occur on the fruit, blossoms, and young twigs. Diseased fruits
will usually fall off of the tree prior to harvest. A diseased tree does not usually yield
well do to blossom loss in the spring.
ARBORIST QUIZ
4. Put your climbing spurs on:
a. while in the truck
b. at 4’ 6” off the ground, or diameter at breast height.
c. when the voice command “all
clear” is heard.
d. while at the base of the tree.
5. While climbing in spurs, take a couple of steps, move your flipline up
then:
a. lean into the lanyard.
b. cut a face cut into the trunk.
c. stab into the tree multiple times.
d. remove your flipline.
3 d 4d 5a
2. You’ll remember more if you
a. study for long, unbroken periods
of time
b. cram just before your exam
c. study for short periods of time
d. study while watching television
3. The most common characteristic of
peach leaf curl is:
a. the peach coloring on the underside of the leaves
b. the curling of the stem tip
c. fruit does not develop at all
d. the curling and crinkling of the
leaves as they unfold in spring.
Answers: 1. b 2. c
1. Gafs or climbing irons that fit should
come to about
a. 1 “ behind the knee
b. 1” in front of the knee
c. 1” above the knee
d. 1” below the waist
March 2009
The TreeWorker
Mr. Safety
by Bryan Kotwica
Page 7
Page 8
136 Harvey Rd., Suite 101
Londonderry, NH 03053
tcia.org
ISSN 1529-4854 ©2009
Editor - Tchukki Andersen,
Staff Arborist
Contributing Writers
Peter Gerstenberger
Tim Walsh, CTSP
Graphic Design/Layout - Kathleen Costello
All materials contained herein are for the information
of The TreeWorker subscribers. UNAUTHORIZED
REPRODUCTION WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN
PERMISSION IS NOT PERMITTED. Pictures, articles and
other data are in no way to be construed as an
endorsement of products, techniques or members.
The TreeWorker is published monthly by the
Tree Care Industry Association, Inc.
136 Harvey Rd., Suite 101
Londonderry, NH 03053
Call 1-800-733-2622 to order and
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Articles in The TreeWorker meet the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z133.1 for safety
in arboricultural operation and the ANSI A300 series of
standards for tree care maintenance operations. These
standards are industry consensus standards that apply
only to readers in the United States of America.
The TreeWorker readers in countries other than the
United States of America are cautioned that your local
and/or national standards may or may not be similar
to ANSI standards. You are advised to research and
apply your local and/or national standards to all standard practices represented in The TreeWorker articles.
The TreeWorker
February 2009
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