Peak bagging, real or myth?

From the previous few postings I get the impression that damage occurs to the tree with every climb? If that is the real fact them Famous trees like Diana and Nimrod would be dead by now since thousands of people must have and continue to climb them regularly. A careful and controlled ascend into a a canopy should not do that much damage to a strong generally healthy tree. If the tree is in poor condition due to stress, damage to the roots or storm damage etc, then I can see how climbing it regularly without proper safeguards (Friction savers, etc) could increase the amount of damage and hasten the natural decay of the tree.

It depends on the age and health of the tree. I assure you, when I was much younger, nicks, damagers, bruises, etc. healed much faster than they do now.

Older trees will not regenerate as quickly as younger ones. Therefore, more care is necessary I would think.

At least that is my experience - and we grow trees.

A Couple of Quotes from the Treebuzers site:
1st Quote by Sizzler:
"Here's a question, i set a line in an oak at my old man's house to practice. the TIP was at 45 ft so the limbs were a little on the small side. my TIP was plenty strong, but after climbing it about 10-15 times over the course of a few days i started to wonder if each time i was further weakening the limb so i pulled my rope. is this a justifiable concern or is the limb probly just as strong as it ever was? or, is there no way to say since you havent seen the tree? thanks!!
2nd Quote by Leon:
I'd guess that the limb is just as strong. In fact, when trees are subjected to repeated stress by wind, or their own weight, they grow extra wood to compensate for it. If you were to climb daily on the same limb for a year you might find a relatively greater growth of new wood on that limb than on similar nearby ones. Of course, if you're climbing on the same TIP that often make sure you're using a cambium saver of some sort.
end of quotes

Totally agree - if it is a healthy tree, it will react to the stress and get stronger, if it is a tree at the end of it's life - which would be the biggest of the trees - you might really be asking for it.

Down here - when a tree drops starts dropping limbs, we cut them down. They are goners within a year or so.

But tropical forest are very different than in the North.

Rereading the above post - if you were to just keeping climbing the same point many times in a few days - the tree isn't going to put on enough growth to matter and you could be stressing the wood. It really depends on the type of wood how much abuse it will take.

Some woods are brittle and can will bust up on you. Ash comes to mind up North.

If someone was climbing 14 times in a few days - there isn't anything that a tree is going to do to build up - even with Miracle grow!

If you take a limb (small) and keep flexing it in your hands - it will eventually start breaking the fibers.

I think the time period is the key and the type of tree.