TRAINING
TRAINING & EDUCA& EDUCATION
By Michael "House" Tain
Rigging in tree care —or the process of getting large,heavy,woody objects safely to the ground — can be a quite simple process requiring lit- tle beyond a good 12-strand rigging line,an experienced branch manager and a suitable crotch.Or it can be a very complex process necessitating a truck full of gear, thousands of feet of rope, and a squad of trained fit tree personnel. Although even basic rigging is not always necessary —after all,what
crew does not love to hear a "we fall, you haul"work order — and complex rigging may be even less likely,when confronted with a tree or trees that are going to require a variety of systems to get them down safely,the crew needs to know and understand how to employ advanced rigging on the situation with which they are confronted. One of the first and most important considerations — one that affects both safety and productivity — is whether or not rigging is even necessary.Although
8 Arbor Age / October 2012
A Port-a-wrap girth hitched on an eye sling, which is then tied in a cow hitch with a better half, providing an excellent means of control in any of the systems discussed here.
Photo by Michael "House" Tain
it is very important to understand how to correctly set up and use rig- ging systems of various complexities,it is just as important to recognize a situation where the job could be completed without any rigging required by simply removing the target or felling the tree in a complete- ly different direction. Rigging takes time, and time equals money. In addition,the more complex the system,the more links or areas in which something can go wrong.Both of these factors require that professional tree workers not succumb to the lure of a "boatload"of gear and some really great video for YouTube when a simpler, safer,and more efficient approach may have sufficed.However, rigging is often required; and knowledge of some of the more advanced techniques and how to use them with one another will help increase both the efficiency and safety of the crew.
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