Being the first to publish a Best Practice Guideline on the use a Single Rope Technique in tree climbing should not be considered the winner of a race.
But whoever is the first to do just that will be defined in tree climbing folklore as a 'first-mover' and someone with their finger firmly on the pulse of tree climbing development - an honor indeed.
This is not a case of endorsing or encouraging the practice of single rope ascent and work positioning but rather a matter of accepting that Single Rope Technique is being employed by aerial arborists on a daily basis in the workplace.
Surely a Best Practice Guideline on the use of Single Rope would be better than nothing, even if the document remains a 'work-in-progress' for some time ahead.
Donny Coffey, the head technician with the TCIA, commented on a recent Treetools blog post (see image below) about the use of SRT-related terms in the pending TCIA SRT Best Practice Guideline - the TCIA is well known for their authoritative publications and it definitely looks like they are on the right track in recognizing the differences between ascent and work positioning on a single line.
Here's hoping their terms become commonplace in describing the procedures - we particularly like (CA) Canopy Anchor, (PSP) Primary Suspension Point and (SPs) Suspension Points, referring to re-directs.
NZ Arbor has their own BPG and it will (eventually) include a reference to Single Rope Ascent and Work Positioning.
