What am I doing & why: episode#14- So, went to negative this spar in a tight spot. First piece was small but the rigging locked up and it skipped off the trunk. The tip touched to window just enough to smash it. In +20 yrs it's the only other window that ever broke while I was in the tree. What do you do when something seemingly doesn't work out? Try to figure out why and what else could have been done. No equipment access. Too far and street too narrow for a crane. What do you think should have been done? Just slab it right off the bat? Keep in mind the spar was about 20ft taller before I started filming so lumps have that much more impact and opportunity to bounce...
What am I doing & why: episode#13- Thurs Nov 6th 8:45am to 9:45am in room 130, I'll be speaking at @treecareindustry Expo this week about rigging. not how to do this or that but about the pros/ cons of various systems and how to select them. how to be able to strategically figure out if manual, basic or complex rigging is going to be the best coarse of action for your tree puzzles. why?! cuz I think promoting a "think before you do" approach to tree work can help elevate us all.
Meet No. 25, Lawrence Schultz — a tree-mendous contract climber whose experience, humility, and heart make him a standout in every canopy. 🌳✨
Lawrence has been climbing since the fall of 2003, with his first competition back in 2008 — over two decades of dedication, passion, and branching out in the arborist world. 🌲💪
He was introduced to tree work through a friend of a friend, and what started as curiosity quickly took root into a lifelong love for the craft.
When asked which event he’s most excited about, Lawrence keeps it simple: all of them. 🙌 For him, it’s not just about the climbs — it’s about the community, the learning, and the commitment to excellence that make events like The Charlotte so special. 🍃
And while many come to compete and take something away, Lawrence’s perspective is pure gold:
“I’m not looking to take anything other than fond memories. My goal is instead to give what I can.” 🌱
Here’s to Lawrence — a climber who reminds us that the true height of success is measured not by how far you climb, but by how much you lift others up. 🌳💚
What am I doing and why: episode #12- was honored to work with @jaredabrojena of @academy.trained using his knuckleboom to grab this Euc in a tricky spot. we were maxed out but used the @chisholm.mark "hang & bang" to bring some far limbs into radius. with a stick crane you can lift things into radius (if the angles allow) but we would never have been able to get a stick crane to this job soooo hang & bang for the win. *note, prob not a good idea for dead, compromised or brittle trees*
What am I doing & why: episode #11- basically a simple rig and drift job. what I wanted to highlight was a lil preplanning and proper equipment use to be able to shift modes during a job with minimal effort and maximize the effectiveness of the gear chosen.
What are We doing & why: episode #10! In honor of the @thecranemaninc crane safety school (& everyone involved in this job), I'm talking about @alifewithtrees crane job I got to be a part of during a big winter storm in Portland last year. Great communication, coordination and communal effort made this tricky job a total success. I prob coulda taken the time to rig the bits so they wouldn't twist. if @mikexteti sees this it'll prob drive him nuts but thanks to him I know the best way I could've done it. hindsight is 20/20, keep learning always.
🌎 day's a good time to share some clips from seasons of work I've been doing with the nonprofit @ancient_forest_society if you ever have the chance to volunteer your time, or even donate, to those trying preserve our trees, do it. the moment I leave the last trip I day dream all year of being back among them 🙏🌲
What am I doing & why: episode #9- So I got to play around on the new Buck Throttle. I liked it. Took it to work a bit and rec climbed with it. But this is not a review. Just a few observations but mostly me commenting on expectation vs reality with all mechanicals. I've noticed there's demand that any tool or toy be borderline magical right out of the gate. They're pricey so I get it but even with hitches there's huge variability with performance on rope, plus making sure the cordage and rope mix well, break in periods and making sure that all pairs well with your climbing style. Mechanicals have the same thing. They gotta break in, be paired with the right rope, suit your style of climbing or you gotta search for the combo that works.
This post mature Monterey Cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa) tree was scheduled for removal due to a history of large failures and decay in and around the main co-dominat trunks.
As a last resort we decided to perform a Planned Retrenchment. This means to run a tree harder than we normally would to mitigate risk of failure and allow the tree more time to remain in the landscape.
This location was a good candidate for this as the occupancy rate of targets (People or valuable items that could be struck) is very low.
We are very proud of how well this tree looks after a 25-40% reduction of the upper crown.
What a pleasure for CC Tree Design to work with some of the best in the industry! Thank you Josh Gevertz of Cypress Lawn Arboretum, @jaredabrojena from @americanknuckleboomarborist and @the.schultz.effect
What am I doing & why: episode #8- just a lil post climb analysis (an exercise that's part of a climbing routing class I've been doing in person for a few years now) of a prune job. pretty decurrent Valley Oak with an odd shape and areas of dead space in the busy canopy. the job was to get major deadwood, end weight the large systems and elevate a bit over the neighbors. I ended up using 3 ropes at various points in the climb, SRS, MRS and at times double SRS and MRS, sometimes I'd abandon a system for a section or convert one from SRS to MRS or vice versa. might be a bit hard to follow with the lack of footage but I thought I'd share it anyways on the chance that the concept might be useful to someone.
