Palm trees, hickory pines, and oak trees may make good landscape features for your home, but there are times when these tall trees become a nuisance or even a hazard. If a tree has become pest-infested, has been close to uprooted by a storm, has been struck by lightning, or has become too tall for comfort, removing the tree will help to protect your home and neighborhood.
Whereas most people would contact an arborist to cut down their trees for them, with the right preparation, precaution, and set of tools, you may be able to do it yourself. The only time you’ll need a professional arborist is if the tree you want to cut has a girth greater than 16 inches or threatens to strike buildings, wires, and other obstacles if it will fall. If your tree appears weak or hollow, it might be also better to get the assistance of the arborist to prevent an accident. Barring all these conditions, you can make use of this step-by-step guide to help you cut down that dangerous tree.
Tree-cutting is regulated in many states. So before you cut that tree, check the legal and safety requirements with the local authorities so that you comply with regulations.
Observe how the tree looks like. How wide is it? Is it about to fall one side? Is it leaning (or is about to lean) towards the electric wires? Would anything be caught in the branches of the tree as it is about to fall? Factor your observations into your subsequent planning and decisions. Measure how tall the tree is and use its height as a means to determine how large the fall area around the tree could possibly be. That would mean the radius around the tree. Clear out all obstacles such as wires, vehicles, and equipment, as well as people staying within that radius. If there are obstacles that you cannot simply carry or push away, however, you will have to determine the direction where your tree can safely give way. Identify paths of escape to prevent yourself and anyone else from getting injured.
If any of your tree’s heavy branches are in danger of breaking even before you have the chance to cut it safely or during the cutting of the tree itself, then you have to bind those branches unto the tree’s trunk using a long sturdy rope. Form a lasso around the potentially hazardous branch. Tighten the lasso and coil the rope around the branch. Use the free end of that same rope to coil the rope unto a nearby sturdy branch. Pull the free end of the rope from the sturdy branch and coil it around the base of the tree’s trunk.
Before starting to cut the tree, make sure that you protect yourself with the appropriate safety equipmentsuch as gloves, a safety helmet, and goggles. Then, turn your chainsaw on to make a V-shaped notch along the side of the tree which you have determined will fall towards a safe direction. To make this notch, make a diagonal cut downwards until you reach half of the tree’s girth. The depth of the cut should only be one-quarter to one-third of the tree trunk’s diameter. After the first diagonal cut, make a second diagonal cut on the same side of the tree starting from or towards the part of the tree where it would meet the end of the first diagonal cut. You should have a resulting V-shaped notch which is called the undercut. Then, remove a wedge of wood from that side of the tree.
The back-cut would serve as the final blow which would cause the tree to finally tumble. Go to the opposite side. Begin the back-cut at a height slightly above the apex of the undercut’s V-shaped notch. From that point, rip a horizontal cut 8 inches deep into the tree. Make sure to leave a space between the back cut and undercut, preferably equal to a tenth of the tree’s diameter. That space will become a piece of wood that will serve as the hinge that would allow the tree to fall naturally towards the direction you have set using the undercut. The larger trees will fall on their own while smaller trees may need a little push to get started. Move away from the tree’s fall radius as soon as the tree begins to fall.
Chop the hinge and the remaining tree stump into chunks of wood using an axe. Carry the blocks of wood away and keep going until the tree stump has been reduced to the ground.
To avoid attracting termites and other insects, you have to also remove the tree’s roots. Dig the surrounding soil where the tree’s roots are, pull and cut all the remaining roots, and tackle the rest of the stump with the axe.
If you’re looking for a professional tree removal service, Brett Tree Service is your best option. We provide a wide range of options that can take care of any tree-related issues on your property. Contact ustoday for a free consultation.
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