Anyone Carry Tree Trimmer?

[Lakejumper]

This summer I have encountered two campgrounds with branches that need to be trimmed in order to get into the site with my RV. In one, I tore off small branches while maneuvering to get into the site and was very concerned about damaging the roof. I spoke to one manager and he was reluctant to trim the branches because he didn't want to trim the tree because it had fruit! The other campground just didn't follow up after I told them about it. I'm curious if any of you carry your own trimmer or pole saw? I'm thinking about doing it to protect my RV.

[Dick_A]

rfryer wrote:
Wow, this is sort of like a gun thread, huh?:B

You hit the nail on the head. :R

Oh, but I hope it was not going into what "treehuggers" call "wood". :B

[wbwood]

Some of the answers here where people said they would cut the limbs reminds me of the threads about "fitting" in spaces and how parks will say that a space will only fit a certain size, but yet it will hold their monstrocity beast.

I guess it's because they are carrying pruning shears and tree trimmers with them to make them fit...

[noe-place]

WoodGlue wrote:
While I thank and commend you for your civic duty, I'd still report you to any authority there - to make sure credentials and authorizations were in order.

Just s long as John Q. SixPack doesn't get the idea that it's open season in State Parks and Federal Parks - where I believe your credentials don't mean squat.

WoodGlue

Always interesting to see someone doing someone else's job for them.

[noe-place]

WoodGlue wrote:

pnichols wrote:
In a "public" CG (county, state, federal), I'd just cut limbs without permission in order to keep from scratching and/or otherwise damaging our rig ... but I would place the trimmings in a place so as to not bother any other sites or bother general campground ambiance.

So, you're THAT guy!

You sure you're just placing the trimmings away from you for ambiance, or are you just hiding the evidence?

If I'm ever camping next to someone like you at a State campground or a National Park and they do this and I see it - you are getting reported by me SO FAST it would make your head spin!

WoodGlue

I can believe that.

[down_home]

HUUUM. Come and park off our driveway. The price is trim all the trees you can get to. I won't object a bit.

[dewey02]

pnichols wrote:
Report me for WHAT?

I have done volunteer work in a 90,000+ acre state park for years. We trim trees/brush all the time for the state - on our own "dime", by the way - our own high clearance 4X4 pickup truck (not SUV), our own gas, our own saw(s), our own other tools, our own food and drink, our own sleeping gear, our own water, our own sunburns, our own sweat, etc., etc.. I've never deducted a single $$ for this at income tax time.

We're been told by the state rangers to merely deposit the trimmings out of sight in already brushy areas so the trimmings blend in .... just like I would do when camping in a public CG with our RV.

What about the above don't you understand? Obviously some dissenters above have never been involved in real volunteer work that required the maintaining of accessibility, safety, and beautiful ambiance of public recreation areas.

I commend you for your volunteer work.

As a volunteer, you were working on behalf of and under the approval of the state park. That doesn't authorize you to freelance at any other state or national park or forest.

[mielock]

Goodness, I'm surprised by so many of these answers. I only got though page 4 so I have no idea what's happening on pages 5-12, but I'll say that I've trimmed branches but it's not like I'm sawing down 6" limbs, but rather branches maybe the size of my thumb that have grown in over the past 2 years or so. Good golly I can't believe the concern people express on such issues.

[2oldman]

We're all going to do what we're going to do.. but it is an interesting look into what people think about it. Almost as exciting as dumping gray water.

[WoodGlue]

While I thank and commend you for your civic duty, I'd still report you to any authority there - to make sure credentials and authorizations were in order.

Just s long as John Q. SixPack doesn't get the idea that it's open season in State Parks and Federal Parks - where I believe your credentials don't mean squat.

WoodGlue

[pnichols]

Report me for WHAT?

I have done volunteer work in a 90,000+ acre state park for years. We trim trees/brush all the time for the state - on our own "dime", by the way - our own high clearance 4X4 pickup truck (not SUV), our own gas, our own saw(s), our own other tools, our own food and drink, our own sleeping gear, our own water, our own sunburns, our own sweat, etc., etc.. I've never deducted a single $$ for this at income tax time.

We're been told by the state rangers to merely deposit the trimmings out of sight in already brushy areas so the trimmings blend in .... just like I would do when camping in a public CG with our RV.

What about the above don't you understand? Obviously some dissenters above have never been involved in real volunteer work that required the maintaining of accessibility, safety, and beautiful ambiance of public recreation areas.

[lakeside013104]

I carry a Steel 460 magnum chainsaw. This works great for trimming pesky limbs up to 36" in diameter. While using during "quite" time, I have to wear ear muffs to keep the noise down!!!!!! I sure would not want to break any rules.
Seriously, one probably should have permission before too much tree trimming goes on, unless it happens to fall around December 25.

Lakeside

[WoodGlue]

pnichols wrote:
In a "public" CG (county, state, federal), I'd just cut limbs without permission in order to keep from scratching and/or otherwise damaging our rig ... but I would place the trimmings in a place so as to not bother any other sites or bother general campground ambiance.

So, you're THAT guy!

You sure you're just placing the trimmings away from you for ambiance, or are you just hiding the evidence?

If I'm ever camping next to someone like you at a State campground or a National Park and they do this and I see it - you are getting reported by me SO FAST it would make your head spin!

WoodGlue

[schlep1967]

I guess I'm jumping in late. My answer is this. If a tree or limb in a private campground has "scars" on it from being struck multiple times. The campground should remove it as part of general maintenance. Not removing it could amount to negligence on the campgrounds part when the next person hits it and damages their unit. Seriously the campground exists to allow campers a place to park and to park there they need to get there. Every time I call to reserve a campsite I am asked the length of my unit and how many slides, never the height. If they never ask the height I can assume they can accomodate every common unit out there. That said I would suggest always asking management to do any trimming that needs done. This is said in hindsight as I did trim a tree this year. The sight was billed as a "pull through" sight. It had a more than 90 degree right turn to get into it with not enough room on the left to swing far enought out to line up with the sight. The terrain sloped from left to right so the owners installed a 10"x10" on the lower edge of the site and filled behind it with stones to make a level site. Well till I made the turn my trailer wheels were going to climb right up over the corner of that beam. I can deal with that. Got out my levelers and built a ramp. As I am pulling up over that I notice a limb that I have to take the truck under to get the camper up in the site. This limb had the bark scraped off it from many previous encounters. I don't carry a saw. Another nearby camper did. I removed that limb and proceeded to park my camper in the site. I should have went to the management and had them remove the limb as they would have had the proper equipment and I would not have sweated near as much. Once that limb was removed you could look down that side of the site and all the trees/limbs were in a straight line. My reasoning at the time was "That limb should have been removed long ago with as many times as it had been hit." Still didn't make it right for me to do it without asking.

[2gypsies1]

We've volunteered in a national park and each camper was given the rules. One was "no tree cutting". Sure enough, the same night he pulled in (he wouldn't do it during the day when everyone could see:)), a guy was out there sawing down a 3" dia tree for kindling. He left that night along with a BIG fine to pay.

If you can't fit into your site comfortably for you then either move to another site or another campground. You don't own that tree.

Or... better yet ... definitely ask the management if you can trim a few branches. Most often they'll come and do it for you or at least give you permission to do it. This is what we do and have never been refused.

However, it's not right to just go in and start trimming on your own without asking...especially being sneaky (knowing you're doing something wrong) and doing it when no one is looking.:)