Tie-in Point selection
Tie-In Point (TIP) Selection
Your tie-in point determines your safety, reach, and work quality.
A proper TIP should:
- Be structurally sound and free of defects
- Have a favorable branch angle
- Allow vertical and lateral movement
- Minimize rope movement across bark
- Be positioned above the work whenever possible
Avoid tie-in points with:
- Cracks, decay, or conks
- Bark inclusions
- Excessive leverage or movement
Two Points of Attachment (Critical Safety Rule)
Whenever cutting, climbers should maintain two independent points of attachment.
Examples:
- Primary climbing line + adjustable lanyard
- Primary line + secondary climbing system
Two points of attachment:
- Prevent swing falls
- Reduce shock loading
- Increase cutting stability
Never rely on a single attachment point while operating a saw.
Body Positioning & Balance
Good work positioning keeps your body centered, supported, and out of the cutting plane.
Best practices:
- Keep hips below the anchor point
- Maintain three points of contact whenever possible
- Position your body to the side of the cut, not directly behind it
- Avoid overreaching — reposition instead
If you cannot cut comfortably without stretching or twisting, reposition first.
Rope and Lanyard
Lanyard Use for Work Positioning
A lanyard is a work positioning tool, not just a backup.
Use your lanyard to:
- Stabilize yourself at the work position
- Reduce load on your primary line
- Control body orientation
- Maintain redundancy while cutting
Lanyards should be adjusted deliberately — not left loose or forgotten.
Rope Management & Protection
Poor rope management creates hazards for both the climber and the tree.
Best practices include:
- Keeping climbing lines out of the cutting zone
- Avoiding running ropes across sharp unions
- Using friction savers or cambium protectors
- Managing slack intentionally
Never cut toward:
- Your climbing line
- Your lanyard
- Any loaded rope
Our Process
Movement & Repositioning in the Canopy
Efficient climbers move methodically, not reactively.
Key techniques:
- Advance the rope before moving laterally
- Use redirects to maintain favorable rope angles
- Reset work positions instead of reaching farther
- Anticipate the next cut before moving
Good movement reduces fatigue and improves cut accuracy.
Cutting Position Awareness
Every cut should be made with:
- A stable stance
- Clear escape positioning
- No loaded rope in the cutting path
- Full control of the saw
Never cut:
- One-handed
- While off-balance
- While standing on unstable limbs
- Above your attachment points
A stable cut is a safe cut.
fatique management in tree care
Fatigue Management & Efficiency
Fatigue leads directly to mistakes.
Reduce fatigue by:
- Using efficient rope systems
- Maintaining proper body alignment
- Taking micro-breaks
- Repositioning instead of muscling through
Professional climbers work smarter, not harder.
Common Climbing Mistakes to Avoid
- Overreaching instead of repositioning
- Working below weak or compromised anchors
- Forgetting lanyard redundancy
- Allowing rope creep into the cutting zone
- Rushing setup to “save time”
Time saved by skipping setup is lost correcting mistakes.
Professional Climbing Standard
Professional climbing and work positioning:
- Protect the climber
- Protect the tree
- Improve work quality
- Reduce long-term injury risk
- Allow precise pruning decisions
If your position does not feel controlled, it is not acceptable.
Professional Judgment & Pruning Accountability
Every climber is responsible not only for how a cut is made, but why it is made. Professional judgment separates trained arborists from laborers.
Before each cut, climbers should be able to clearly answer:
- What problem does this cut solve?
- Will this cut reduce future risk or defects?
- Is this the smallest cut that achieves the goal?
- Will this cut be defensible years from now?
Good pruning is intentional, conservative, and based on tree biology. Unnecessary cuts create unnecessary problems. When uncertainty exists, the correct action is to pause, reassess, and consult rather than proceed.
Professional arborists are judged by the long-term condition of the tree, not the speed of the work.
Long-Term Tree Health & Professional Standards
Trees respond to pruning over years and decades, not days. Every cut influences future structure, decay development, and maintenance needs.
Professional standards require that climbers:
- Preserve branch collars and natural form
- Minimize live tissue removal
- Avoid creating large or unnecessary wounds
- Protect trees from climbing-related damage
- Prioritize structural integrity over appearance
Training does not end when the climb is complete. Continual observation, evaluation, and refinement of technique are essential to professional growth.
The goal of professional tree work is not simply to finish the job — it is to leave the tree safer, healthier, and better structured than before.