Having trees in the garden is highly beneficial. Isn’t it? They add an aesthetic value to the home, provide a natural climbing frame for kids, and create privacy if the garden is exposed to passersby. However, you might want to remove a tree from the garden someday.
It may be because it is rotten or blocking a lot of sunlight. Canopytree.com.au are tree-removal professionals who will help you remove the trees safely from the garden. But when it comes to DIY removing the tree, you have to take care of some specific things.
It is because trees are enormous and need special attention while removing. Here are the ways to safely remove trees from the garden.
Wear the safety gear
Safety should be the highest priority while removing the trees. There are a few arborist gear items that will help you safely remove the tree. A logger’s helmet will protect you from injuries caused due to logging. Earmuffs and a face screen protect your eyes and ears. Safety glasses keep the dust out of your eyes. Try not to do the task all alone, rather take the help of another person.
Estimate felling zone
Do you know trees are taller than you think and will fall farther, much more than your expectation? You can estimate the position where a tree will fall by implementing the ‘ax handle trick.’ Hold an ax handle at your arm’s length and close one eye.
Then, move toward or back away from the tree until the ax’s top is even with the treetop and bottom with base. Your feet should be somewhat around where the treetop will rest after falling. Remember, it is just an estimation, so leave some extra space after calculating the felling zone.
Clear a cutting zone
Do not assume that if you are sure about the direction in which the tree will fell, you are ready to remove it. Cut a brush around the trunk by clearing two escape routes on the non-falling side. These need to be around 45 degrees away from each other, lying in opposite directions.
The thumb rule for felling trees is to make a notch that is one-fifth of tree’s trunk diameter in depth. The felling cut needs to meet the point’s notch. You will have to cut a notch on the trunk’s felling side.
Cut the notch
While cutting the notch, you need to make the top cut first and then move towards the bottom. Adjust your hand to keep control of the throttle with your thumb while making the bottom cut. If you can meet the top-notch, the wedge will drop out of the notch. But you will have to extend the cuts either from the top or bottom. It will help the wedge to drop free.
If you are removing a more than 18 inches diameter, make your notch cut and begin the felling cut. However, stop cutting as soon as you have penetrated enough to hit wedges behind the bar.
Make the felling cut
The back cut has to be parallel and with the apex’s notch. It needs to be followed by making the felling cut. As soon as the tree starts leaning, you need to pull the saw free and set the chain brake. You also need to walk away along with one of the escape routes and keep an eye on the tree. It will give you a chance to react if the tree does not fall the way it was planned.
Have a lookout
You will be safer if you have a trusted assistant with you who can make you aware of the tree’s direction in which it is falling. Alert your assistant to tap you as soon as the time comes to vacate the area. Walk away immediately if a branch is falling to save yourself from any injuries.
Cut branches at the trunk
After felling the tree, start cutting branches at the lower end of the trunk and then move towards the top. Try to stand on the tree’s uphill side whenever possible. Working from the trunk’s left side will allow effective use of the chain saw. It is because you can rest the saw’s side and bottom on the trunk. With this, you can slice off the branches with a pivoting motion.
Conclusion
Once the tree has fallen, do not forget to remove the stump. It is because an abandoned tree stump can lead to fungal root rots and honey fungus. So, you might agree that DIY removing a tree is quite a challenging task. But following the correct steps carefully can lead you to complete the daunting work.
