So You Want To Fell A Tree
Safety First
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “More people are killed while felling trees than during any other logging activity.” Therefore, safety must be of prime importance when considering chopping down a tree. Protective clothing should be purchased when you buy your chainsaw. Cutting trees with a chainsaw is particularly hard on the eyes and ears so always use protective glasses and ear plugs or a noise canceling headset. Steel toe boots and non-slip gloves are recommended, as is a face shield to protect from flying splinters.
Pay Attention to the Weather
Do not attempt to fell a tree on a windy day or if gusts are due later in the day. This is definitely one time when a surprise breeze at the wrong moment will NOT be welcome, and could, in fact, be deadly.
Trim As Many Branches Off As You Can Safely Reach
The more branches you can safely trim off while the tree is still standing, the better chance you have of the tree falling cleanly where you want it to go. Every branch that is left on the tree can catch on branches of other trees, power lines, or even nearby structures and pull the tree in a direction you had not intended for it to go. Professionals know how to climb the trees to do this kind of trimming, called “limbing”. But if you have a rotting, dying tree, you may be limited in what you can trim safely from a step ladder, since the added weight of you being in the tree may cause it to fall prematurely.
Always Try For a Clean Landing
Avoid felling a tree onto other stumps, large rocks or uneven ground. This will prevent cracking and other damage to the tree. A cracking tree can throw dangerous splinters or limbs through the air and injure bystanders or break windows.
Determine Which Way the Tree Should Fall
This should be easy, but not always. Visualize the fall path in all directions and identify those directions that are free of other trees or structures. Fell the tree in a direction that will minimize the chance that the tree will roll or slide.
Always Observe the Lean Of A Tree
Nearly all trees lean in a particular direction and it is generally easier and safer to fell a tree in the direction that it is already leaning. This results in a cleaner fall and allows gravity to do the work But if your tree leans even slightly toward the house or other structure, you may want to secure a guy line, either a cable or a rope, near the top of the tree and have a helper guide the falling tree away from the structure on its way down.
Cut a One-Piece Watermelon Wedge
You will be making a V-shaped wedge cut that looks something like slicing a watermelon into 6 pieces the long way. This “face cut” wedge is made on the face of the tree, which is the leaning side of the tree, or on the side facing the direction that the tree is to fall. Remember, how the tree will fall depends on where the felling cuts are made, and if you need it to fall in a precise way or into a precise area, your wedge cut has to be precise, too.
Make the 2-Part Face Cut
Start with the bottom cut, or undercut, which is the first of two cuts that result in your watermelon wedge slice. Start this wedge by first sawing the bottom notch-cut at about waist height. It should be roughly parallel to the ground, and the cut should go halfway through the diameter of the tree.
Make the second wedge cut on the face at a slanted angle of about 30 to 40 degrees and stop when the cut reaches the end point of the first cut. Now you can remove your wooden watermelon slice from the trunk.
Make the Final Back Cut
The backcut is the third and last cut and is made on the opposite side of the tree from the face notch. The backcut leaves a hinge that helps to control the fall of the tree. It is the cut that is the most dangerous. Be careful not to cut too fast if you are inexperienced. It is a good idea to cut for one or two seconds and then stop to look around and see what is going on with the tree. You can take too much off of the opposite side that you can’t see and lose the tree to any direction it wants to go.
Start the backcut directly opposite of the V-notch on the other side of the tree and at the same level as the notched corner on the face. Make the cut flat along the horizontal plane. Don’t cut all the way to the notch, but stop sawing at the point where it will leave a hinge width that is about 1/10 the tree’s diameter. This hinge is to prevent the trunk from twisting.
Wedge It to Fell It
Hopefully, the tree is still stable at this point and not on its way over. If it is falling, GET OUT OF THE WAY! If not, then trim a wedge from waste wood, and move your chain saw to a safe distance from the tree. Tap the wedge into the saw cut and continue tapping the wedge until the trunk begins to tilt. Then yell “Timber!” if you want to, while backing away FAST to a spot 20 feet away at a 45 degree angle back from where you were just standing and let gravity take over.
Get Out Of The Way!
The direction of safe retreat is at a 45 degree angle from your cutting position, preferably uphill. NEVER move away directly behind a falling tree because the bottom of the tree may kick back beyond the back of the stump during the fall and you can be seriously injured. Never turn your back on the falling tree either, but back quickly away to a distance of about 20 feet from the falling tree. Position yourself behind a standing tree if possible.
Finally, saw the stump off close to the ground unless you are planning on digging it out rather than use any of the other stump removal methods in “Getting Rid of that Tree Stump”.
Mark Dunne is a successful freelance writer providing advice on your a number of topics like
Concrete Articles and Drywall Plaster if you have time drop by his site for some tips and information. http://www.diystuff.com
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