Last Updated on December 4, 2023 by Kimberly Crawford
If you need to clear the area of a tree or protect the lives of your loved ones from the catastrophic consequences that old trees in an emergency condition can cause, take the time to find a professional tree removal service provider who will suit you.
The specialists provide a range of services from felling, cutting, and removing trees by various methods, depending on the circumstances. For many years, they have cleared various types of sites from trees using the removal methods with hanging, without hanging, completely (with a natural slope or using guy guides), and also by felling completely on rope railings.
In the process of removing or cutting wood, it is important to pay attention to the fact that when felling a tree from the root, the area of the site allows the plant to fall freely, without any fences. The experienced craftsmen create a stick at the beginning of the tree trunk and then allow the plant to fall along a given trajectory.
For areas that allow the tree to fall only on a certain area, they use this area. To do this, a cable or a guy is fixed at the top of the tree trunk, after which a gash is created at the base of the trunk and, under the tension of the trunk, the plant falls to the required area.
If there are buildings, structures or power lines around the tree to be removed, then only professionals in their field should remove them. After all, this method is based on the felling of trees in parts.
This method is exclusively handled by a team of experienced and qualified specialists who can carry out such operations on a canopy. Industrial climbers (arborists) are specialists whose profession includes three specialties at once.
If the working area allows you to remove the tree only in this way, then you need to provide for the fact that the passage of truck cranes or towers also requires territory and free passage.
In the past few years, most of the densely populated cities have needed “sanitary felling” of trees. It provides for the removal and cutting down of old trees and trees that are in an emergency condition, so as not to allow them to damage power lines, buildings, structures, as well as not endanger human life.
Clearing the territories from trees infected and damaged by various insects plays an important role in the ecological state of cities. Moreover, it will preserve the life and development of young plants that exist nearby. During the sanitary felling of trees, it is very important not only to remove the trunks but also to uproot the tree stumps.
What Everyone Needs To Know About Plant Accidents
To protect yourself from an emergency tree, it is not at all necessary to cut down all the plantings in a row. But you will have to carefully examine each of them in spring or autumn.
With the onset of cold weather, after the foliage has fallen or after the snow has melted, when large-sized trees have not yet been covered with fresh greenery, the state of branches, bark, hollows, and other “markers” of emergency trees is visible. Yes, and after hurricane winds, storms and storms, it would also be good to inspect the large-sized trees growing nearby. While doing this, pay attention to:
Breed
Aspens are prone to necrosis (death of parts), so they break more often and belong to especially dangerous large-sized trees. In ash and maple, the branches normally move away from the trunk a little, forming a small “spear” – they are also in the “risk zone”.
State
A healthy tree is completely devoid of dry branches. Accordingly, the crown is completely lush and green. But the abundance of green leaves is by no means an indicator of the health of the plant.
This is because a sufficient amount of nutrients necessary for the existence of leaves enters through the cadmium and bark of the damaged branches. In this case, the inner part of the wood of the branch may well be rotten or shriveled up.
Trees are living organisms. This means that with age, they are more susceptible to diseases and deformities.
Related: 6 Common Tree Diseases In The Midwest
Tree Crash Markers
Large meters with the following signs can be added to the emergency list:
- cracks;
- dead branches or trunks;
- small angles of branches from the trunk;
- necrosis;
- defects in the root system;
- a weakened skeleton.
Potentially dangerous trees include plants with dry branches only because such branches cannot bend. In other words, they are simply not able to withstand even moderate wind loads. Particularly dangerous branches are considered completely dry or at least partially broken off dried branches.
Longitudinal and transverse cracks also translate trees into the category of emergency ones. Deep transverse cracks, which cannot be strengthened, are especially terrible. As for the longitudinal ones, they are dangerous only when they are too deep or, even worse, through.
In combination with other defects, for example, a forked trunk or a small angle of deflection of branches, any longitudinal cracks are extremely dangerous. Well, of course, the occurrence of cracks located nearby, on the trunk, also speaks of the accident rate of the tree.
Related: 42+ Types Of Trees With Names, Facts, and Pictures (Tree Species A-Z)
Why Is The Small Angle Between The Trunk And The Branch Dangerous?
A small angle of branching is a clear sign that the branch is poorly fused with the trunk. The small distance between them leads to the formation of a “pocket” from the bark. And such a phenomenon speaks of questionable strength in this place.
Also, the ingrown bark often plays the role of a wedge. And, as a consequence, with a significant wind load, these branches simply break off the trunk and fall. Biologists argue that the small-angle rarely occurs on its own, from the “genetics” of the tree. More often than not, it is the result of unprofessional pruning of branches or the tops of a large-sized tree.
If the main branch (with a small fragment) or trunk is cut at a right angle, then the remaining part will poorly support the growing branches that develop along the cut line. Professionals consider trees with a weak connection of branches to be dangerous, in which:
- branches grow on a supporting trunk;
- a forked trunk or weak branch is combined with any defects, for example, cracks;
- there is a serious violation of the structure and a weak connection of the branches;
- the healthy wood thickness is less than 1/6 of the trunk diameter at the measured location;
- necrosis affects 1/2 of a branch or trunk;
- necrosis is combined with a crack, a weak connection of branches or a cavity;
- strong roll is evident;
- more than 50% of the roots are damaged;
- there is significant damage to the root nodes.
Tree Removal Services
All approaches to tree removal can be divided into two categories: cutting a plant in whole or in parts.
The first method is simpler, but it is not always possible to use it. There must be a certain fall space; otherwise, it becomes dangerous to resort to.
Cutting down trees in parts is most often in demand in the yards, where there is no free space for the safe fall of the plant. Then it becomes necessary to contact professional climbers. Their help is invaluable, as it guarantees the complete safety of property and safety.
How Is Dead Wood Cutting Done?
There are 4 ways to remove dead trees:
- Simple saw cut
- Cutting down a tree using a guy
- Removal in parts with the dumping of the sawn branches down
- Saw cut in parts using a curtain.
A simple removal of a tree is carried out when it begins to lean to the side and there is a lot of free space around. How is the work going? A wedge is placed on the side of the slope, and the tree is finished on the other side. Thus, it is possible to correct the direction of its fall. The method is the simplest and cheapest, but it is not always possible to resort to it.
Related: 7 Best Tree Stump Killer Reviews and Buying Guide
Cutting Down A Tree With A Guy
It is assumed that there is free space next to the plant. The method consists in the fact that a specialist fixes a cable at the top of the tree, and then, using a system of blocks, pulls the tree in the direction of the desired fall.
On one side, a wedge is made, and on the other, the tree is finished. Then the rope is pulled and the tree can be safely removed. The advantage of the method is that it is possible to calculate the location of the fall of the tree with an accuracy of two meters.
If the whole tree cannot be uprooted, they resort to cutting down in parts. Before that, the trees are pruned.
Sawing A Tree With Dropping Parts Down
It is necessary to provide space for dumping sawn branches. The climber climbs to the top and removes branches that can serve as an obstacle to the fall.
A preliminary cut is then made to guide the fall. After that, it remains to finish the barrel. The method poses a danger to the terrain, and therefore the dumpsite is covered in advance with protective flooring.
Removing A Tree With Hanging Parts
This is a neat and time-consuming method of cutting down a tree. The climber climbs to the top, cuts off the branches, and prepares the way for the parts to fall.
A cable with a carabiner is fixed at the top, thanks to which the elements of the tree are lowered using the cable. This is the most expensive and dangerous method of removing a tree for a specialist.
You can cut the shoots with a height of 3-4 meters yourself, but what to do with tall trees? In this case, you can resort to the help of specialists. The service providers will eliminate any risks to property and people when cutting deadwood.
How To Remove A Tree From A Site With Your Own Hands
Let’s say a tree grows in such a place that, having fallen, it will not harm other plantations and property (including yours). Plus the diameter of its trunk is less than 20 cm. In this case, you can safely cut it yourself. For this you will need:
- shovel;
- axe;
- hacksaw;
- rope;
- comfortable shoes, gloves;
- hand winch (optional, but desirable).
Once you’ve prepared everything you need, cut off the large branches first. Then cut off the trunk (leave a meter and a half from the ground). Next, dig in the remaining trunk in a circle at a distance of 0.5 to 1 m. Chop off the encountered roots with an ax. If it is more convenient, cut them with a hacksaw or chop them with a sharpened heavy shovel. With these tools, it is easy to work with roots as thick as an arm.
If you have to fell trees with a larger diameter, you are unlikely to be able to cope with the work on your own – the roots will also be quite large. Therefore, initially decide whether it is better to invite arborists to remove a large tree from the site?
But if you decide to cope with a large-sized one on your own, but after cutting off large root branches it is still indestructible, do the following. Dig in deeper, chopping off smaller roots along the way.
The closer the tree is dug into the table and, accordingly, the roots are chopped off, the easier it is to feel the plant.
Now invite a stalwart assistant who will tilt the tree, holding the trunk higher. At this time, you prune the remaining small roots, gradually approaching the central, growing vertically (if any). So you need to act until the tree falls.
If it is difficult to tilt the size, tie a rope around the barrel. Using the winch (5 meters away from the tree), try to force it to move from the vertical position. When carrying out the demolition of trees, first estimate where it is better to put the trunk so as not to damage the trees and property growing nearby.
Conclusion
Cutting down trees on your own site during construction requires special skills and care. After all, services for non-professional felling of trees in the city can cause damage to nearby buildings. Therefore, if you need to cut down a tree, you should seek help from qualified specialists.
The tree removal service providers offer professional arborists services based on proven modern technologies.