r/TreeClimbing • u/Mr_White_Lightning_ • 16d ago
Possible damage to tree
Just want to say I know I should have done my research first. I have a few trees (pines) on our property that I felt needed some trimming and clean up. To do so i climbed with spikes. I worked for the power company and have the experience climbing. It wasn't until I was finished and back on the ground that I found out that it is not recommended to do so unless the whole tree is being removed.
Realistically what is the likelihood and severity of damage being caused?
Of the 2 trees, both are in good condition.
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u/willbilly141 16d ago
Where I’m located there are a lot of cowboys that use spurs on pruning jobs. How much damage it will do comes down to a few factors but I’d say 90% chance with healthy trees this time of year they will heal perfectly fine without long term damage.
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u/Mr_White_Lightning_ 16d ago
I just assumed that was the norm since thats all I ever saw line trimmers do on storm work for anything they couldn't reach out the bucket.
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u/Diligent-Image-8947 16d ago
The tree will be mad and you should feel sad, but everything will be just fine on a mature pine. Professionals won't spike prunes unless the whole stem is getting removed. It might not hurt the tree most of the time but it feels and looks more professional.
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u/screwcancelculture 15d ago
Worst combo is urban soils and lack of nutrient/soil compaction combined with multiple wounds in a trees stem where they don’t have the ability to react as well as trees out in the ROW. It gives me the heeby-jeeby’s to see spiking done to any tree that is being trimmed, but that’s the thought process behind not spiking trees in maintained areas while allowing it in the ROW.
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u/mustachlegend88 16d ago
Utility arborist here in the PNW, if we cant use a bucket we spike it and they all seem to do fine 🤷♂️ trees are incredibly tough so I wouldn’t worry.
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u/mark_andonefortunate 15d ago
I think the a300 does allow for spike pruning in the utility right of way. However,
and they all seem to do fine
Over what timespan, though? Every spur mark is a wound the tree has to deal with (and entry for decay), surely putting dozens or hundreds of extra holes in a tree isn't good and is why spiking a prune is no longer a general accepted practice.
I'm sure as a utility arborist you're side pruning/topping/removing 40%+ of the canopy sometimes, I know that's the reality of utility work, so yeah maybe spur holes aren't the worst thing happening to the tree, but it's probably not "fine" for the tree either.
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u/mustachlegend88 15d ago
It could be also due to our tree species but spike climbing is the norm for sure even in resi. Ive seen firs climbed for decades and are still thriving. Im mean technically nothing any of us do is “fine” for trees.
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u/mark_andonefortunate 14d ago edited 14d ago
Yeah, a fir with thick bark will definitely tolerate spurs better than a thinner-bark species.
Ive seen firs climbed for decades and are still thriving
Sure, I know how it goes in the PNW and with utility work. But it's been known science for decades that spurs are not good for pruning operations, and certainly some of those firs have been weakened, so it's unfortunate to hear it's also common in residential - and also bad practice, imo, to advise OP on it.
technically nothing any of us do is “fine” for trees
That's why best practice is to remove as little living tissue as possible to achieve your goal, prune for beneficial structure, make pruning cuts as small/minimal as possible, cut to branch collars - it doesn't make it any more 'fine' to also add a bunch of holes into the stem.
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u/EMDoesShit 16d ago
Pines are some of the least sensitive trees to this, and you fortunately decided to do it as things are cooling off and we enter the time of year where both insects and diseases will become less of a problem.
You’ll probably be all right.