hi
anyone can advise me on assessing the strength of a branch to set up DRT? eg how do we know whether the branch is strong enough so that we can educate the laymen that treeclimbing is safe? the common perception i encounter with people in my country is that they always think treeclimbing is dangerous due to the fear of branches breaking
mark

I'll try and get it started. Before you think about an individual branch look at the whole tree from top to bottom. What is the tree species? Hard or softwood? Is the tree healthy or not? Is the tree leaning? Are there signs of decay, fungus growing on trunk or branches? Is the trunk solid or hollow? If you can order Treeman's 'Tree Climbing Basics' it has a great section on tree assessment.

Once you determine that the tree is sound you can look at individual branches as potential anchor points. The branch should be alive and be a minimum of 6" diameter. The union where the branch attaches to the trunk is the strongest tie-in location. Before you climb on the branch perform a bounce test to verify that the branch is sound.

It takes many climbing hours and careful study of trees to increase your ability to judge tree health and branch strength.

The way you convince people of the safety of tree climbing is to demonstrate that you have the experience and ability to properly assess tree health and structure, and that you use safe and proven climbing techniques.
-moss

thanks alot!! your advice are useful