As a climber of over 20 years, from experience, it always amazes me that clients leave a tree to decay that bad so close to the house before they call us out and expect us to climb it and then sometimes questions the cost - unbelievable. Great work, love watching your videos, I’m glad I’m not the only nutter.
Same gear well not 20 years yet but 1o anyway it blows my mind what some people leave over there bed room or house an don’t even worry about it I know it drive nuts worrying about a tree like that . I guess they just don’t know and are ignorant to it idk how but some people just go about there day an don’t notice the world around them
It's not a problem until you no longer can ignore it. I like those guys. They refuse my price, ask around, and then call me again. With a 180 on the attitude. I like those guys.
@@Ikkeroger yeah u gotta good point there lol idk tho I personally rather work in alive trees I’m on the east coast so the timber different but iv had a few hollow maples that scared me pretty good you just never know even being in this industry for years there always the unknown variables that make dead tree crazy fun sometimes tho once you get r down lol
I love how August explains all the issues surrounding the dropping of problem trees. Kinda like how dad or grandpa would talk to you while working on a project.
This brings back some horrible memories. I’m retired now, but some years ago I taught tree climbing as we did foliage and seed sampling from standing trees for a provincial forestry department. The spruce budworm had hit an area of white spruce pretty hard. My technician and I gave a demo for other technicians using a two-man method. My tech had tied into what we thought was a solid point, but two more steps up the tree, the stem broke below his anchor point. Down came my tech, still tied into the top. By some miracle, he missed the many large boulders on the ground, landing square on his back. A helicopter ambulance ride and treatment for two broken ribs and a punctured lung. The tree wasn’t dead, but was severely weakened by repeated defoliation. My tech was back teaching a year later, but I’ve never been the same.
More than anything, you consistently demonstrate humility. Brave but humble. Experienced to the point of wisdom, yet still humble. An example of masculine humility is a sight we all benefit to behold. I am thankful for your particular brand of spectacle, Mr. Hunicke. Sincerely, Just one more dude making an honest living in the trees.
A gunshot goes off and August didn’t even flinch. Happy New Year August. I like how you remind the crew about the ropes near the chipper. Safety first.
Where I live they go off often. Groundhogs, coyotes, deer, turkey, and tin cans. Part of our everyday lifestyle. A deputy who was covering 500 square miles by himself answered a call to our property after a break-in; and I told him I was armed. He said, “I’d be shocked if you weren’t”.
Just a pat on the back! You and the boys do such high quality work and despite your internet fame😁, have remained humble and grateful for your accomplishments! Such a rarity on RU-vid these days! Thanks August!
You seem like a truly solid person, and you do interesting things. Explaining your thoughts so that laymen get a chance to understand, why you do not find seemingly dodgy climbs dangerous - or why you choose not to climb. 👍👍👍
As a non tree guy, one big reason I like watching August, is that he does things that seem totally crazy, like climbing dead trees, but he can explain it in a way that I can understand it, and it becomes a lot less crazy. I still won't climb a dead tree though.😂
@@SLOCLMBR I do what he does (generally). I listen to his explanations. It does not become less crazy to me. Of course I've done dead trees. Of course I've done scetchy ones. But what August does (sometimes) I will never do. But then again: he openly believes in an afterlife for the good. And I don't. Must be something there...
You're watching years of experience...and like a lot of experts they seem to make it look easy or less risky. Always a pleasure to watch these guys work.
This one isn’t too bad. It still has the limbs all the way out to the smallest parts. When all the limbs are rotted, broke, barks gone and there are holes in it big enough to hide inside then it becomes a little more of a hazard.
Very smooth execution, every move seems calculated and evaluated to maximize all the dynamic forces into compliance to accomplish a desired results. I got a kick out the cranial compute processing timer; nice humorous touch that brought a smile. Why we watch, it's a kindred spirit thing. We enjoy your humble heart, compassion for others, the understanding of the immense value and responsibility granted by the salvation through Jesus Christ. 👍😉
I always like to hear safety issues being discussed. Great job. You're so proficient at what you do you make it look too easy. I feel you're saving lives when you encourage your new subscribers to think twice about what they're doing. I don't remember you ever talking about personally walking away from a tree before. I never thought I'd see it after the noodle tree. You're a hero to so many people that carries a lot of weight. Thanks August.
Definitely a Diehard here lol, this Is my TV !! Absolutely Love my Saddle "with the suspenders" Love the Panther bar an chain., when it's time I'll buy another !! Love the rope bag that attaches to my waist and the Speedline kit !! LOVE all the video's and knowledge you pass along !!!! You Are the man August... Thank you so much for all you do ❤❤
Loved the loading bar, it's so true. As a professional, you want to/ need to plan out your actions. Keeping everyone you care about safe. Praise you August.
My brother and i have dealt with intertwined trees over three different properties it was the worst that i have had to deal with ever but we got through it but sketchy as hell, i respect August big time he is one of the best and his crew of pros
Probably the truest indication of character is the call to the crew upon seeing an ambulance. As a new climber with a concern for being safe for myself and others I work with, a “brothers keeper” as we say, it’s wholesome to see that kind of concern. An inspiration as always. Thanks August!
I think the toughest people in the world are the ones that fought the battle to quit and won, but that's just my opinion. GREAT job August and THANKS for my TV 👍
It was much easier to STOP smoking for me watching my mother in law slowly go for 3 yrs on oxygen... Been over 20 years , miss mom waaay more than smokes !!!
Thank you for making the vids you make. I never miss your stuff. It’s funny cus it is my tv. I cant get enough of tree work and cant get enough of tree vids. I learn tons from you. Please keep making the quality vids you make. I also like that you care for others the way you do. Im 54 and got back into climbing 3 years ago, and I love it. Used to think I should stop cus I was getting older… but now im back at it and I feel younger again. Tree work keeps me in shape. Thanks for the inspiration to keep at it and always work to learn new things and ways. You are a blessing. Have a great year. God bless you!
A few years ago, I cut a really old dead standing apple tree that was dry like that and it was hard as steel. It burned for a long time so I see why your dad enjoys it for the stove. What do you think about Guilty of Treeson triple tying in from now on? lol
@August Hunicke I could imagine dude. Like you've said before, it's a life changer. GoT was up way high when he cut his line and didn't go back down to get another line... you might need to have a heart to hear with that boy
I am definitely one of the die hards that look forward to videos every week. It is like tv to me. Get to watch and learn. I especially like the longer videos. Thanks for the great content !
Nice to see the old school running bowline lowering branches! I've always used that method along with a few others. I've told you before but man your notch cuts are always pretty much perfect. Like that you always do your own work and climb on most of your jobs. I've been in many of fist fights and some crazy trees can give me that same nervousness but you just get the job done. Like you said in the video just cut a little bit at a time until you have it whipped. Thanks for giving me something worth watching man.
Just finished up a couple storm damaged Pines. Not dead trees but, not an "ideal" situation for climbing. Took necessary steps to prevent any catastrophic failure and got 'em down safely with no damage or injuries. I appreciate all your comments and insight about taking on jobs like that. Practical experience helps and listening to your gut is so very important. Thanks for taking the time to bring us along and sharing your thoughts while you are working. Keep yourself safe my friend! 😃👍❤🌲 Randy
How are you doing? We lost a lot of trees on our land up in Grafton County. One large maple was leaning east and got snapped of and flipped 180 degrees to the west. I spent one day clearing 1 mile of trail. I have plenty of firewood now. A neighbor list 300 + trees.
@@nhmountains5683 We had a lot of trees fail around the local area. I was out on Governor's Island and while I was out there working I saw at least 3 other tree companies working on storm damage. 😳
@@AugustHunicke I did get video but haven't edited it yet. 🤷🏻♂ Between working at the shop full time and the tree work "extra time" is a bit of a challenge. 😁
"It's funny how the sun comes out...and I feel better...I feel happier." Exactly. I've been learning a lot from your videos & getting inspired to take up climbing to manage my land. At first I wasn't sure I could do it, then realized you have a bad back as well, and I thought "I can do that with proper technique, gear, and prep". Then I watched your "Snowy Work Conditions" video and was like "NO". Snowy/icy winter conditions not only make the job much harder as such, but my back tightens up in the cold to where I can barely move some days. I don't know how you do it. It would be cool to see a more detailed video on how you take care of your back and body generally as a climber.
Your videos are very educational. Just amazing detail. You may like TazMan-Kenny Fuller channel, another kind soul who shares everything to help other out in life:)
Hahaha "I refuse to not watch" - yeah, seems like a good descriptor. I'm just a wannabe tree surgeon/climber so enjoy experiencing it through you. Mind you, I'm doing a tree job next week which involves my 10m ladder. Pruning, not felling.
My nu😢sequence is 1234- doesn’t make sense, just is. See it all the time. You ever think about using a 1/2” battery drill and shooting a auger bit- 5/8” would go in quickly- to test the solidness of the lower wood? You would see quickly the internal composition of the wood. A thought made from seeing your questionable climbs. I know that you have decades of experience, but for those who don’t……….show them how it looks. Your channel is going to be like the definitive work book- will show so many how to do it safely. Chill how you didn’t have to chip that snag-
@@AugustHunicke I know that you can from experience, but new climbers don’t have the hard earned knowledge you have earned. Just a thought I had, and thought I would pass on to see if you wanted to pass along. Definitely not questioning your abilities. I’m in awe of your mental as well as your physical skills! You dance about at heights I would question my comfort on a Ferris wheel!
23:37 - If one is foolish enough to smoke, or otherwise fails to quit (such as I have, since we were 12)... don't pay $10 or more a pack... learn to _"tube" (with filters)_ your own, for around $2/pack; and keep trying to quit...
This is way better than TV. Sometimes I watch this skillful Tree Work over and over. Learn alot of tricks of the Trade. I like the advise August gives about doing the right thing as well. Courage and Virtue run Hand to Hand. Thanks August.
So many good things going on here. Good video, good people, I think it’s awesome you have the ability to make gear when you feel there is a need for it, good lessons and I think I might have seen the Buddy axe! 👍👍
Great video August, we do rural line clearance, most places neither the track lift or bucket truck can get there so we end up climbing dead trees all the time. I love climbing trees, I enjoy your videos because you can tell you really love trees as well, thanks again for the early morning entertainment👍
August have you noticed that colder temperatures affect battery run time I understand that lithium batteries shouldn't be affected by temperature swings just wondering if you have noticed any difference
I cannot believe how relaxed you seemed dropping the top of that thing. Then the next segment, such a deep cut with all that weight above you. I give you a10.1111 for this tree.
It was perfect, wasn't it? Almost didn't even push the stem at all. That's why I love to watch - to see a master at work. People who haven't done this type of work just don't understand - it's like watching golf - if you've tried it, you can't help but to be amazed at how three pros can hit off the tee and all drop their balls within a few yards of each other. Stuff that us mere mortals just can't pull off.
Good job August. I'm in Michigan and we have some crazy 100-140 ft. trees, but your trees look 60-80 ft. taller than the NW trees we have here. I've trusted many trees that crusty but my knees are shot and I have to make a point not to put the spurs on this coming season. I'm in 34yrs now and wish I would've started with all the gear I have now, but like many I started with an XL2 & climbing gear. Peace out, I enjoy your vids (docs) rustyd/reverbnation
Nice Video, The Light/ Sun Versus Darkness, That's Why You Like The Light! It's in The Bible!! There's Something Good About The Light! P.S. Long Videos Are Welcome! 😇😎😎😎🤗🙂.
Thankyous for helpings out the beautiful communitys neighborhoods homes back yards by cutting all sizes of all 🎄🌴🎄 trees ok thankyous for your beautiful services over there's ok thankyous God bless you all togethers men's ❤❤❤😊😊
Pretty sure this is the second time I’ve watched this. I work in PNW too (B.C🇨🇦). Great job 👍 It’s interesting that someone would turn this job down. The tree was definitely dead and clearly had fruiting bodies but if you know Douglas fir you would know that they’re extremely strong and will maintain integrity for quite some time after their initial death before they’ll fail. Watching this makes me think that it’s equally important to know the characteristics how different types of trees die and decay as it to know the characteristics of them when they’re alive.
As soon as you slowed down the process of the "running bowlen"...I sat closer to the monitor and watched closely. Once you were done...I was like: "Nope, still did not get it" 🤣. I guess it is something that needs repetitive practice
August are you using any extra gear to tie off to the stem using double rope zig zag? Also my daughter was born at 1:11 in the morning, I see one’s all the time also.
Unfortunately the actual answer may come when the ground is suddenly coming up at you. It’s disgusting to go to a tree that should have been removed months or even years sooner. People wait until they are sure it’s going to blow over in the next storm then they call. 🙄 Work Safe All 👋
Great job August as always my friend just curious your opinion do you think it would have helped if you would have used your little saw and as you went up just bored in to see what the wood was like the whole way up from time to time what is your opinion on that thank you God bless
I wouldn’t call myself a die hard but I watch a lot of your videos. What I just saw in this video tells me all I need to know about you as a “boss”, but more importantly as a man. Seeing an ambulance going in the direction of your crew and calling to make sure they’re good? That makes ME want to work for you and I don’t even do tree work. Bravo, sir!
Die hard even when yer just driving a split dump chip truck back from Ohio or flying a planet ( downhill skiing )or watching an Asian man catch a falling stem or an unwavering love story . From Hollywood to vlog I don't care, I'm just enjoying the camaraderie. If you video we will come.
@@AugustHunicke my prayers of Thanksgiving for you and your family and crew and those that you vicariously touch head up on the life line daily. You are a good man August, thank you.
my biggest fear on a tree like this is the decay that may be under the soil. many of the naturally felled conifers are rotten at the base, and just fall over.
Whew, you had my palms sweating for a minute there! Honestly, I skipped a bit to before you made your cuts and for a second I thought you were about to rig it down 🤣! Hazardous tree removal is such a difficult expense for people to swallow, right? You know what I mean, it just ain’t fun spending thousands of dollars removing something they either loved or didn’t want gone. I feel bad for people all the time, I feel their pain. Skill and experience ain’t cheap, it’s an unfortunate lesson almost everyone needs to experience a few times before they/we see the true value in paying more for higher quality and service. Most people don’t have the money laying around for this kind of thing, I wish I would win the lottery to help more of them that just ain’t got the funds. I’ve met people who won’t sleep in portions of their house and not let their kids out in the yard because of their dead tree but can’t afford to remove it. I know you know what I’m taking about, but we can’t undercharge or we will be out of business. This was a good call and says a lot about your experience, hats off to you!
I climb for a living. I climb ONLY when I have to. When I don't, (like the tree you worked on ),I use a bigshot arborist slingshot, throwline c/w weight and throw cube. Pull your rigging line over the high limb where your shot line was and tie the rig line to the base of the trunk above your cut. Thats it. Stay on the ground when you can. Have fun.
August ... thanks for the honest video and sharing your thoughts about the risks and process of taking this old tree down. It stood strong to its very end.
I watch not for tree work. It's what I do and who my family is. I love family! And love.that you are so famiky oriented. Just like the firewood. And I love people! And above all my God! As much as I love God and seek and and pray I still long for patience and temperament. I find myself always be direct and straightforward to the point where I can be taken as negative dealing with fact I never offer my opinions for It's mine and you have yours but we all share facts! Really hoping you rub off on me. But God needs the Sowers and the reapers!
Being subbed to you guilty of treeson and travor being laid off rn sucks but almost feel like I’m back at work smelling fresh wood and yarding hella wood over here in Pa. Thanks for the consistency August 💪🏽✊🏾🙏🏽 Quick question, have you ever salami cut or diagonally vertical cut the spar once the top is off? And or the top as well? I’ve made a few with decent limbs but never had the chance yet to try that out 🙌🏾
This looks so fun. I've been climbing trees without equipment for like 6 years by now and I am obsessed. I don't know why I didn't just go for this career, I am looking at trees half of my day anyway.
August, I always enjoy watching your videos. In my opinion you are the best Arborist and appreciate listening to you explain what, how, and why you do things. Keep the good videos coming. Thanks for sharing your professional Arborist skills.
U earned my subscription because I am a smoker and I know you meant to say the dumbest people in the world. It is a nasty habit. I wish I’d never took it up, but my whole family did and I guess it was just part of my DNA but it is a nasty awful habit that gives you a nasty awful disease!! I’m a coal miner in Alabama and I can go nearly 2000 feet under the ground and work with 12470volts but I can’t go 200 feet up in a tree lolol!!
I’ve learned a lot by watching !! Had a big oak that needed to be taken out, had 4 companies give me bids. I had each explain how they would take it out. Two companies were immediately taken out, because they didn’t think any of the limbs needed to have a rope, right next to my 100 yr old windows. They said if it breaks a glass they would just replace it!! But by watching, I had the right questions to ask!! Thanks So Much!!
I started watching because I was learning how to climb, now I watch for new tips, but also for stories, analogies, wisdom - and because you're a good guy. Thanks August
Ive been seeing Doug-fir dead like this a lot recently. Interior BC. Bark comes all off, not like usual beetle kill. Just replaced my monkey beaver saddle 1.0 with the 2.0, liking the improvements. Thanks for the video and harness
Not to dismiss the hard work and technique but 156 shows its face all the time from high-school to Iraq till just yesterday... always... kinda creepy.. lol
Is it just me or does anybody else dislike being called RU-vid? I mean it takes more effort to say RU-vid and it does “folks” “guys” he’ll even “peeps”. Of course if he’s talking to the app then yeah, totally justified and I apologize if you’re talking to everybody on the app and it doesn’t even make any sense
Climbed many, many dead trees, in 33 yrs. I tell the customer, how things can change, once I get in the tree. Yep, people wait till the tree is way dead, maybe in a bad spot, and, THEN, call the tree guy. He can handle anything. I have looked at a few, and said :" You waited too long, suicide mission. "
So I noticed your tie-in point and have a question. The tree is dead is it wise to just have your climb line around the outside of Just 2 small limbs opposed to being around the tree considering how did the tree is? Don't get me wrong Italian to a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't sometimes but I was just curious on your perspective of this. I understand you still have your lanyard and your spikes however I was actually surprised when I seen this coming from you. Not saying it's bad because I'm definitely not critiquing you I'm just curious on your thoughts.
You have the best arborist channel . It's exciting and your confidence and techniques moves things along . Some arborist lack trust in themselves so they check, double check then triple check . They use combinations of knots that eat up time . Stay safe !
I'm curious as to the approach that would be taken for a tall pine tree 80-100 feet with only a few branches at the top and no lower branches, but there are vines sticking 2-3 feet off from all sides of the tree. I have a tree service planning on doing this in a week or so and I'm not seeing how they could practically use a belt/strap to lean on while going up the tree in addition to the spiked shoes. There was no mention of a crane. What's the most practical way for them to do this? Obviously they'll go up to the top and cut it in 8-12ft sections as they come down based on what I was told. There was no mention of how they would handle the dead vines (somewhat brittle, but probably still hard to pull off). The vines were clipped a couple of years ago and I sent weed killer up them using a bottle after I cut the vines. They're still holding on pretty tightly, though. What's the safest way for a climber to approach this? Would they use a chainsaw to cut the vines on the way up?
I watched the running bowline explanation in half speed (X0.5) pretty sure it's exactly how August sounds hammered. Not that I want you too be I'm super proud of your sobriety, and it's a true inspiration that you've managed to stay away from the sauce.
I've only done a little bit of tree work and climbing intermittently over 30+years in my jobs doing broader grounds and gardens work, never anything as tall as you guys in the USA. As I've got older the butterflies have started in my stomach when I do need to do some, the funniest bit is I now get them watching you and your helmet cam footage from my chair.
The repeating #'s has been happening to me as well, & believe the frequency of this occurrence may be of spiritual significance. Hey I just l00ked up & guess what? As I hit send it's 5:55 cst.
