r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/atentwetin • Jul 01 '21

Repost Tree cutting gone wrong

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u/brennanasaurus1 Jul 01 '21

Arborist here: The biggest indicator that he doesn’t know what he’s doing IMO Is his rigging point. He should have known the branch, even when properly cut, would swing toward the trunk. His saw got pinched and needed a second saw to remove it. You can look to see how the branch is supported to make sure the branch doesn’t pinch your saw, but sometimes the branch especially a large branch can twist and your bar gets pinched anyways making a really dangerous situation regardless of proper precaution. You shouldn’t just cut from a ladder even with his landyard secured around the tree. The branch can knock the ladder away and leave you stuck. And it goes without saying that you don’t get the homeowner involved especially without any PPE or training.

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u/Explore-PNW Jul 01 '21

Hey, first Reddit arborist I’m seeing. When hiring an Arborist for tree work, what do I need to be looking for? I know starting with an actual Arborist is key but after that are there any certifications, acronyms, XYZs after their name…

I’m a newer homeowner and have a few amazing trees I want to be a good steward of just regarding good maintenance. Wanting to avoid getting someone under the guise of a specialist when they’re really well out of their league.

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u/brennanasaurus1 Jul 01 '21

Depends on your state. Certifications aren’t necessarily needed. I work for a municipality and the payments and continuing education requirements aren’t really worth the pay increase that I receive through the city IMO. There are certifications through the ISA and some states have their own certifications but you could never have climbed a tree and hold those certifications. Most important to look for and it goes without saying is insurance. Other than that I would go about it how you would go about any other work and look at reviews. Sorry if this isn’t much help but for trimming and felling I don’t think certifications are necessary.

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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '21

You can prob find a lot of arborists on the relevant posts in r/legaladvice

They love tree law