Video Blog : ClimbingArborist.com

Video Blog

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Follow ClimbingArborist.com as they document some of the interesting jobs and climbs we tackle as Arborists working and playing in Western Canada.

We will constantly be adding clips to the video blog when jobs come along that are worth sharing, so make sure you check back soon.

Date: 17th April, 2019

How we remove a tree : The fundamentals

Dan and Ryan take on this simple Katsura tree removal. The tree is fairly close to the buildings on the south side, over the top of gardens and fences. On the north side is a large open grassed area that is perfect for a drop zone. Dan talks through his plan and his processes as he works through this removal using the basic fundamentals for removing a tree. Dan explains why in most cases the lower branches should be removed first and the arborist works up removing the canopy. He also explains how you can maximize efficiency when using your second tie in point by thinking ahead about how branches can be reached a specific 2nd tie in point. In this video you will see the good work positioning which prevent the climber from straining and using tools at full stretch, but instead the handsaw and chainsaw are used in a position of full control and strength.

Date: 2nd April, 2019

How we remove a tree : Simple Birch tree removal

Justin and Dan remove this Birch tree that is riddled with ‘Bronze Birch borer’. This is a very simple and straight forward tree removal job for two men. The guys do some simple light rigging of branches over the hedge to prevent damage and into neighbour’s garden. The client’s garden has soil around the base of the trunk and lawn for the majority of the front garden. Justin drops many branches into the clients front garden which are left in situ to absorb some of the impact from logs that will be dropped when blocking the trunk down in small sections.

Date: 13th March, 2019

How we remove a tree : Douglas Fir tree removal using a basic speed line setup

In this video we explain how we take down a Douglas Fir tree close to a house. We explain our thought process for using a very basic speed line setup, why we base anchor the speed line , and then explain why the branches are removed in a certain sequence to enable the speed line to work in the best way. Every single tree presents different problems, has different objects to avoid in its own unique landscape. There are many different ways to take down a tree, we always try to focus on efficiency, and we like to share our thought process with you.

Date: 26th February, 2019

Climbing 'Big Lonely Doug', Canada's 2nd largest Douglas Fir tree

Climbing the ancient and colossal Douglas Fir tree better known as ‘Big Lonely Doug’, located in near Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada. We teamed up with the guys from Ancient forest Alliance, Ascending the Giants and Arboreal collective to set upon this amazing tree climbing expedition, with the aim to photograph, film and measure this amazing specimen, in the hope to create a greater awareness that many of the last remaining stands of old growth trees in British Columbia are still being logged rather than protected. If you enjoy the video, please help spread the message about these ancient trees under threat by sharing it with your friends.

This is Canada's 2nd largest recorded Douglas Fir tree by volume.

Date: 21st October, 2018

Canopy reduction tree pruning

Dan has 2 medium sized Cherry trees that the client wants reducing in size before they get to large for their location. Dan explains his thought process while undertaking this type of job, how to select a pruning location, and how to keep the tree looking natural and giving it shape. A height and spread reduction of a tree canopy is a very important skill to have as an arborist, and one that takes time to become proficient at. Trees in the urban environment require maintenance in order to keep the for many years to come without them causing various potential problems, reducing the canopy is one type of tree pruning that can be used if done correctly.

Date: 13th October, 2018

Wildlife habitat creation project | Inoculating trees with fungus

A project commissioned by BC ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations with the intent of creating habitat for specific bird species within eastern British Columbia. A certain number of trees were on provincial land were allocated for this program. We used 3 different techniques using different fungus depending upon the what bird species and the type of rot/decay we were hoping to achieve. We were not using traditional, good pruning practice as we were trying to create natural tears as much as possible, for both appearance and exposure to potential fungus. Please DO NOT copy the branch removal techniques used in this video unless you are trying to achieve the same goal.

Date: 4th October, 2018

Dan's story of contracting Lyme disease

Dan shares the story of the past 18 months where he was suddenly taken extremely ill, and pretty much debilitated at his worst point. He discusses diet, nutrition, lifestyle changes. People need to be familiar of Lyme disease and ticks, especially in this industry as we have more exposure than most. Please help spread awareness amoung you circles of friends and work colleagues about this horrific disease.

Date: 23rd September, 2018

Drone rescue #3 | How much is it worth?

Dan was called out to rescue a DJI Mavic drone from high up in a beautiful Copper Beech tree in Vancouver, B.C. The drone was being used for by a videography filming a promo for a Tennis club and flew it backwards into the top of the tree. The drone was not visible from the ground but was easy to locate once in the canopy. Getting paid to rescue a drone from a specular tree such as this makes it even more of a pleasure than normal. We get many questions about how much we charge for this type of work, watch the video and you'll find out.

Date: 8th September, 2018

Drone rescue #2 with crash footage

Dan was called to rescue a DJI Phantom drone with camera and additional 360 degree camera. The drone was stuck in a large Elm tree within a group of 6 trees.

Date: 23rd August, 2018

Husqvarna T536Li XP | How long does the battery last?

Dan removes 2 small-ish Cherry trees, chunking them down in 14 inch pieces making a lot of cuts to test how long 1 battery will last in this specific application. Every tree and every job will have varying factors on the life of the battery, e.g. How hard is the wood to cut through? How many cuts are you making? What are the size of the cuts you are making? No tree job is the same but this video is to give you an idea of how the saw and battery perform.

Date: 24th July, 2018

Creating a wildlife stem from a diseased Maple tree

Dan from Grizzly tree experts and ClimbingArborist.com shows how he goes about making a wildlife stem from a tree that is being taken down, but can be left to attract birds, insects and decay. Good, comfortable positioning on the stem is essential when making these type of cuts. The correct grip of the chainsaw and good chainsaw handling skills are paramount when making a wildlife stem as Dan explains.....

Date: 12th July, 2018

Testing the Husqvarna battery saw on a small tree removal

Dan uses his new Husqvarna battery powered chainsaw on a simple, small red Alder tree removal to see how the battery copes and how it cuts through wood up to 12 inches diameter. This saw is fantastic so there will be many more pruning videos featuring this saw....

Date: 13th April, 2018

Tree top drone rescue #1

It was inevitable that it would happen sooner or later! Dan gets a call to rescue a stuck drone from a Western Hemlock tree in a local park. The drone was stuck about 35ft up on the outer edge of the canopy with only very thin branches to work with, this turned out to be much more difficult than it looked.

Date: 1st April, 2018

Cedar tree removal & Maple tree hazard pruning

Dan undertakes the removal of a hazardous Western Red Cedar tree stem, and some risk management pruning on a big leaf Maple tree with a huge amount of dead and dying wood in the canopy above a common area within the housing complex

Date: 10th March, 2018

Wood drying kiln setup and storage for slabs

Dan shows his wood storage area where he has built a cheap wood dying kiln so he can dry the slabs that he mills up. Dan talks a little about the theory behind the way the kiln 'should' work, although is very new to this whole process.

Date: 2nd March, 2018

2 Hemlock tree removals in the sun & snow

Join Dan (ClimbingArborist & Grizzly tree experts) on a glorious winters day out in western Canada soaking up the sunshine with snow on the ground. Dan is tasked with 2 Western Hemlock trees to remove, 1 live and 1 very nearly dead. The job is to get the trees down safely and leave all debris on site (which is nice). There are a few things to avoid (house and power lines) so we decided to bring the trees down the safe way, in small pieces.

Date: 20th February, 2018

Cedrus deodara tree removal & milling the trunk with an Alaskan mill

I had this horrendous looking, small but chunky Cedrus deodara tree to remove. There was nothing complicated about taking the tree down, but I thought it would be interesting to show the process of milling up the trunk into slabs on site. I slabbed the wood into 2 1/2 inch thick slabs for the bottom section of the trunk, and then milled some thinner pieces to 1 " thick to make some planter boxes.

Date: 17th February, 2018

Hazard pruning a Douglas Fir on Eagle Island

Dan lands a fantastic pruning job the very tiny Eagle Island in West Vancouver, B.C, Canada. The specification for pruning was to removal all deadwood and hazardous branches. Dan was incredibly lucky to get such beautiful weather on this cold winter day.

Date: 19th October, 2017

Silky saw injury while pruning

Dan shares his recent story of an injury caused by a Silky saw and how he will approach things in the future.

Date: 13th October 2018

Doulas Fir tree removal using Sena bluetooth | Communication is key

Good communication is paramount within arboriculture. This video demonstrates how clear lines of communication can be if the staff on site are equipment with bluetooth communication systems, how much more efficient the site can run, with less stress and frustration from shouting.

Date: 3rd August 2014

Work climb practice with George Keays

An evening out practicing some work climbs before the B.C. Tree climbing championships (filmed with a drone)

Date: 11th May 2014

Sweet Chestnut pruning using the V-rig system

A short film of a Sweet Chestnut tree that we had to prune to remove the deadwood, prune back from the property and lightly thin the canopy. A really good tree to setup a V-rig system for excellent work positioning. If you haven't tried this climbing system before, give it a go.

Date: 20th November 2013

Night climb in an old growth Douglas Fir tree

'Night climb', Filmed on an Old growth tree climbing expedition with a great group of Arborists on the north shore of Vancouver, B.C.
I thought it would be great to see this tree in a different light (no pun intended) also I needed a little warming up.

Date: 23rd August 2013

Hazard pruning

Hazard pruning of 6 large Douglas Fir trees at a school in West Vancouver, B.C.

Date: 26th May 2013

Recreational old growth tree climbing

Dan, Shane, Matt and Paul head down to the Pacific Spirit regional park in Vancouver, to find two huge old growth Douglas Fir standing side by side. With some S.R.T, trying some new techniques and a great traverse setup by Shane it made for a brilliant day in the canopy.

Date: 8th May 2013

Dan, Matt and Elliot head out for a recreational climb on a glorious evening after work in a fantastic big leaf Maple.

Date: 6th March 2013

Is this the best office view?

In this blog we get the chance to work on a breathtaking property in West Vancouver, on which we were required to carry out some pruning work on a large Douglas Fir tree right by the ocean. Another chance to get out the SRT gear.

Date: 16th February 2013

Tree climbing fun with the boys

A fun Saturday out with a few fellow tree climbers with some surprisingly nice weather on the north shore in Lighthouse park, West Vancouver, Canada. We climbed 2 Adjacent Douglas Fir trees, tried out some of each others kit and had a bit of a traverse from one tree to another.

Date: 17th January 2013

Felling into a creek below

I was given a great and very unique opportunity of felling a tree down 150ft into a canyon. Its not often you see the tree keep falling like this!!

Date: 15th January 2013

Pruning giants

A week working among trees that seemed to go on forever. A mixture of Douglas Fir, Western red Cedar and Hemlock all growing well beyond the 170ft mark.

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