How to Use Span Rigging to Remove Limbs w/ Jeff Inman 

Exactly. Some like to be fancy.

Go for it!

I like using a second safety line to control butt swing. Not much time to set up, but nice insurance to have

Without a GRCS, you could achieve a similar effect with a block and tackle (which you can whip up with steel carabiners, slings and prussik cords in a pinch, although actual pulleys will be much more efficient) and a port-a-wrap. See the following video and PDF for visual aids: Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TMADD6KV0ZY.html Port-a-wrap instructions (page 3 and 4) You'll need a good eye to estimate how much mechanical advantage is needed for your ground worker to lift the piece, and you need to know how much force every piece of your rigging can withstand with the mechanical advantage. With this technique (which is called "tip tie and lift" in the ISA arborpods), the angle of the face notch should be equal to or very slightly smaller than the angle by which the piece will be lifted to ensure a clean break-off, without the climber having to free the piece of any remaining hinge. Ideally the piece should be vertical at the break-off point to reduce swinging, in which case the face cut can have one side perpendicular to the length of the piece and one side parallel to the ground. I highly recommend these two videos to arborists and anyone who likes the idea of gaining mechanical advantages to pull heavy stuff around: wwv.isa-arbor.com/education/onlineLearning/podcastDetail?ID=5&EP=1040 wwv.isa-arbor.com/education/onlineLearning/podcastDetail?ID=5&EP=1051 Although all the arborpod videos are well-made and informative!

Adam, this technique also works without lifting. I use the span technique frequently while balancing a limb. Once I have the money to get the big Stein bollard with a winch, I'll be lifting, too, because sometimes a balanced limb takes some finessing to get to the ground around obstacles. Ground guys like big pieces, too, because they spend less time wrapping the port-a-wrap and untying running bowlines on a bunch of small pieces.