I finally asked a guy why he wouldn't climb a certain maple

Was talking to an old timer named Ray at the supply yard last Tuesday. He said he won't touch silver maples over 30 years old because the wood gets brittle right where you'd tie in. Any of you guys avoid certain species for safety reasons or is that just being too picky?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.angela21d ago

Ray's right about silver maples being sketchy. Had a buddy named Dave who thought he knew better, tied into an old silver maple to trim some deadwood. The branch he was anchored to just snapped clean off, no warning at all. He dropped maybe 15 feet and broke his ankle when he landed on a root flare. Spent the whole season in a walking boot eating his words.

ben48620d ago

Respectfully @lane.angela, Dave's story sounds more like a bad tie-in than the tree being the problem.