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The number one cause of serious injury and death for professional tree climbers is falling objects, such as dead limbs and climbing equipment from climbers above you.
Recreational tree climbers should take a page from the pros: Wear a hard hat and safety glasses anytime you are in or around a tree. In your initial assessment, look for hangers, which are limbs, which have fallen off the tree and are now hanging on a branch lower down. Take the hangers out of the tree if you can.
Do a load test. Two people should grab the rope and bounce up and down, putting their full weight on it. Then, take the rope and pull it first to one side and then the other, like in a tug-of-war. If the branch doesn't fall off during the test, it probably won't when you are in the tree.
It's also best to warn people below you when you are about to adjust your harness - or toss a hanging branch out of the tree. Even something as small as a carabiner that falls off your harness from high up in a tree can injure someone on the ground. |
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