What they are and what they do
Spurs give a climber a way up a trunk with no rope in the tree. Each step punches a hole through the bark into the living layer beneath (see cambium). On a tree that is coming down, the holes do not matter. On a tree that will live, they are wounds that can let decay in and mark the trunk for years.
Most climbing of trees that are staying is done on rope, which spares the tree.
Why it matters in Northern Nevada
Thin-barked trees such as aspen, birch and young maples show spur wounds quickly and heal slowly. Pines and thick-barked species hide the marks, but the wounds are still there. If you see a row of small punctures spiraling up a trunk, someone has climbed it with spurs; for a tree you are keeping, ask how it will be climbed. See quaking aspen.
ANSI Z133, the safety standard, covers how climbers must be equipped and protected, including the use of spurs.
What an arborist does about it
On a removal the crew may choose whatever method gets the job done safely, and the choice belongs to the arborist on the job. On a tree to be pruned and kept, a rope-and-saddle climb or an aerial lift avoids wounding it. Battle Born owns a 75-foot Altec GMC boom truck, which reaches many crowns without a climber on the trunk. Ask at the estimate how the tree will be accessed.
A fair question to put to any crew is how they will get into the tree. A rope-and-saddle climb, a lift or a crane lets the tree stay unmarked; a plain answer on method is a good sign about the rest of the job.
Sources
- International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Why Hire an Arborist (read October 17, 2026)