Pro tip: Skip spikes on living trees

Years ago, we all climbed with spikes. No second thoughts. Then I worked on an old neighborhood elm. The trunk was covered in old puncture marks. Each one a weak spot for disease. I decided to stop using spikes for pruning. Switched to rope access only. Now the trees keep their bark intact. Healthier growth every season.

3 comments

3 Comments

oscar_lopez2mo ago

Read an arborist article once that stuck with me. It said trees try to wall off spike wounds, but it's a huge drain on their energy. Older trees, like big oaks, already have a tough time fighting stuff off. Those little holes give fungi a direct path into the good wood. The article showed photos of rot spreading inward from marks that looked totally harmless at first.

cameron7472mo ago

Yeah my buddy had a big sugar maple in his yard... used spikes to get up and trim some deadwood. Thought the little holes were no big deal. Next year, saw oozing spots around every single puncture. Tree got a nasty fungal infection from those wounds, started dropping big limbs. He lost the whole tree in like three years, still kicks himself for not just using a rope.

nguyen.river2mo ago

But wait, is the damage from spikes actually a big deal for a healthy tree? I see guys use thin spikes for a quick climb to set a rope, and the marks look tiny. On a huge old oak, are a few small holes really going to hurt it? Sometimes using spikes is just way faster and safer for the climber compared to other methods.