A guy in Tulsa told me to stop climbing with spikes and now I'm second-guessing my whole pruning routine
I was at a job site in Tulsa two weeks ago and this older climber watched me spike up a 40 foot oak for a routine deadwood prune. He asked why I was putting holes in a tree I was trying to keep alive, and honestly I didn't have a good answer besides that's how I was taught. He said he switched to a rope and harness setup 6 years ago and his clients started noticing less sap and fewer bug issues on the trunks. I argued that spikes are faster and safe, but he pointed out I was spending 20 extra minutes a visit explaining the holes to worried homeowners. I still think spikes have a place on removals, but for prunes I'm starting to wonder if I've been cutting corners. Any of you made the switch and actually stuck with it, or did you go back after a few jobs?