For more than 30 years, Arbor Age magazine has been covering new and innovative products, services, technology and research vital to tree care companies, municipal arborists and utility right-of-way maintenance companies
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www.arborage.com Arbor Age / January/February 2014 9 and familiar with, the standards that apply to their work in their particular geographic location, but key standards they should be aware of include ANSI Z133, CE and EN certifi cation, along with a variety of other provincial/federal standards dependent on geo- graphic location. Use it or lose it All organizations — whether they are tree companies, military units or sports teams — have their own way of carrying out tasks and interacting with one another. This can be considered the orga- nization's culture; and it can not only have a great deal to do with whether an innovative idea or tool is accepted and used, but also with the basic safety practices of every member of the organization. A truly great piece of gear that perhaps cost the company a decent amount of money is not doing anyone any good if it rolls around in the back of the truck or in the bottom of the gear bag unused. "Buy-in," or whichever trendy phrase if fi tting, is imperative from the end users before a purchase is made. In some cases, it may simply be a matter of educating the crew on how the new gear will make their lives easier. In others, it may be a matter of training in how the new tool can be used or how it is safer, regardless of the need. Sim- ply presenting a new toy to a tree crew and expecting it to be used correctly and completely is a fool's errand, so some preparation and enthusiasm will be required. In addition, just because something is new or innovative does not mean it makes sense for that particular company's or crew's workload. A crew that specializes in spur take- downs may not necessarily require the "latest and greatest" in rope ascent/descent devices. Data, data, data Although eyewitness accounts and respected tree folks' opinions are certainly still incredibly valuable in discovering the "ins and outs" of new gear, modern tree crews no longer have to rely solely only on this information. More and more often, professional orga- nizations, academia, and manufacturers are sponsoring research that looks at how gear performs in the "real world" in "real" applica- tions. The plethora of information sources provided through social media and the "interweb" also make this data readily available to the majority of tree folk out there. As always, prospective purchas- ers/end-users should consider the sources of the information they are perusing; and, if possible, examine their testing protocols and qualifi cations. After all, an online endorsement with no attribution could just as easily be an ITCC champion or a 13-year-old in South Dakota with time on his hands and access to the Internet. New toys As anyone who walked the fl oor at TCI EXPO this past fall could readily affi rm, there is no shortage of new and innovative "toys" out there in the tree care industry. These innovations run the gamut from very basic tools such as cordage all the way up to complicated mechanical devices such as chain saws, chippers and aerial lifts. Obviously, with such a wide range of innovation avail- able, space will allow only a few products to be discussed here. But the items discussed will provide a "taste" of the innovation that is taking place. Single line tree work While the appropriate terms used to describe this technique continue to be debated and discussed, several innovative products are available on the market to make working in trees off a single line easier and more effi cient. Among these are Rope Wrench manufac- tured by ISC and the Hitch Hiker manufactured by RopeTek. Both are fairly simple mechanical devices that are intended to be used in conjunction with an appropriate climbing hitch on a single line; and, by providing additional friction to the system, allow for ascent, descent and work movement through the canopy. The Rope Wrench installed on a single line with an appropriate friction hitch and stiff tether. Photo by WesSpur