Occasionally, arborists use climbing spikes in order to climb trees. But you should know that this is not an everyday practice they should be doing if they have come to do something like prune your tree. A climbing spike is a sharp steel spike that attaches to the legs of the climber and is held in place by calfskin ties with cushioned backings. These should only be acceptable to use on a tree if it is being completely removed. If these climbing spikes are used on a healthy tree, it damages it and will cause harm.
When the spike cuts into the tree, it is damaging tree tissue, the severity is different between trees. Most of the time, these extraneous lacerations will be able to heal but if the spikes are continuously used on the same tree, the superfluous number of unnecessary cuts will eventually make the tree weak and permanently damaged. You would see this if an arborist uses spikes when climbing a tree to prune it. We here at Five Star Tree Services are going to go over when these should be used and what to look for in a reputable tree care company.
Reasons Why Arborists Use Spikes
There are a few instances where it is necessary to use spikes on a tree.
-Removal of a tree
-When no other method is available in order to climb a tree (This might happen if branches are too far apart)
-When a tree is too close to electrical wires and is not reachable by any other method
-If another worker is hurt in a tree and they need to be reached quickly.
Using Professionals
Any professional arborist will be able to evaluate your specific situation and work with you in order to come up with the best course of action in order to help your trees.
All tree care companies should know about the dangers of using spikes unnecessarily. Using other methods to climb trees is essential. They should have regular climbing gear and ropes as a first option. When combining these tools with their knowledge and experience, you should get the best tree care.
Quality Tree Care Companies
When first looking for a good tree care company, you need to look for the following things in order to get the best and most qualified professionals around.
-References: Make sure that they have a great track record with their past customers. Before you hire anyone, ask them for their references and make sure to actually check these references. Don’t be lured into a “Great deal” and also make sure that you do not pay them before any work is done.
-Insurance: If the circumstances permit, make sure to ask for their current insurance that covers their declarations of obligation and laborers pay protection. If there is any company you are looking at that doesn’t have this insurance protection, if they get hurt on your property, you will be liable.
-Great Reputation: Make sure to verify the company’s affiliations they might have. This can be participating in business groups or associations. This might look something like a tree care industry association.
-Current Knowledge: Make sure that they are obeying regulated standards. They should know about the current pruning, cabling principles, wellbeing, and preparing standards.
-The Agreement: before any work takes place, get the company to issue you a marked agreement that has the dates when the work is taking place, the cost of the work, and the delegated responsibilities of the personnel taking care of the work and when they will be performing these tasks. Stipulate that you don’t want the use of climbing spikes unless you are having a tree removed.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
Here at Five Star Tree Services, we offer many different services to our valued customers all over the GTA. We have a reputable team that is well educated on all the current procedures, safety standards, and equipment. We make sure to only use climbing spikes as a last resort or when the situation permits, such as in the case of tree removal. If you need any tree care services in Toronto, make sure to give us a call at (416) 990-3355 today! You can also check out our website for more information on all our available services.