Does your property have a dead tree that needs to get taken down before it winds up falling down all on its own? Waiting for it to possibly fall into your home, on a car, or a nearby structure, the best course of action is taking it down just as quickly as is practical. Keep reading to learn how you can do exactly that:
Prior To Cutting The Tree Down
Prepare all the equipment you need. Get your worker’s gloves on, don long-sleeved clothing, and put on a helmet and protective eyewear. You also need to inspect the chain on your chainsaw, adding oil if necessary.
Remove as many of the tree’s limbs as you can in advance suggests an arborist in Austin TX. A long-handled pruning saw is what you need to cut down any limbs too high to reach. That’ll narrow down the impact zone where the tree might make its final fall. You’ll also enjoy easier cleaning up after the fact.
Try to plan in advance where the tree will fall by identifying the lean of the tree. You also need to plan your evacuation zone, so you’ll avoid danger when it starts falling down.
If the tree proves too close to a home, pool, fence, or other structure, then call in a tree removal service and let the professionals handle it.
Actually Cutting Down The Tree
Start cutting into the tree’s base with a steep downward angle. You should cut a minimum of 75 percent into the diameter of the tree. For instance, a tree whose diameter measures 28 inches would need a cut of 21 inches.
Your next cut is going to be instead horizontal. This time, you’ll keep cutting until you physically reach the first cut. What you’re doing is creating a notch of approximately 70 degrees in angle. This notch is what’s going to control what direction the tree winds up falling in.
Your next step will be cutting the back of the tree just a bit higher than the bottom of your front-facing notch. When the diameter only has about 10 percent remaining intact, you need to stop cutting. The still-intact portion is known as the hinge, and you need this in order to guide the tree safely in the appropriate direction.
The tree’s lean is likely to start forcing the tree to go down in the same direction as the front-facing notch is. So, once you’re done doing your cutting on the back of the tree, put down the chainsaw while putting some spring in your step, especially in whatever direction your intended safety zone is.
Yell out ‘Timber!’
Once The Tree Is Cut Down
Start your chainsaw backup to cut off remaining limbs. After that, you can slice the trunk into easily manageable pieces you can dispose of.
Renting a dumpster of equivalent size is often the best way to get rid of all the waste. You can have a company drop this dumpster off, leaving it for you to load all the pieces into, before they pick up the filled dumpster and getting it all off your property. That’s teamwork! Finally, consider planting a new tree to replace the old one, unless you have other plans for that spot.
It can be stressful to even scary to remove a dead tree, but it’s actually quite a simple process once you know the steps. Or save yourself a headache and outsource this chore. Find out the average cost to remove a large tree.
