Cutting Down Small Trees Yourself

Dealing With Small Trees

If you want to know how to chop down a small tree on your property, it’s key to note that this work can be done by a property owner for the most part, but only by using the most suitable equipment and safety techniques in place. It’s also key to know when you should really leave this work to tree trimming professionals!

Household owners may possibly also think of when it’s time to get rid of any type of tree from their property, including indications that it’s unhealthy and decayed or simply won’t develop. You might also consider some tips on how to ensure your property appears its best after you’ve chopped down that small tree and also what to do with all that lumber as well!

Safety First Before You Learn How to Chop Down a Small Tree!

Regardless if you’re thinking of cutting a small tree down without a saw or you have a large axe in the basement all ready to go, it’s essential to remember safety first! Even compact chainsaws can cause major harm if handled incorrectly, and splintered lumber often flies in any and all trajectories, also risking accidents.

Before you begin, protect young children and pets far away from your worksite and check for unanticipated guests frequently while working. Know your environment; look for overhead wires and other interferences as well as uneven ground. Remove rocks, fallen limbs and shoots, and other dangers; cover holes and openings in the ground as required.

Choose what’s called an escape route; which should be two different directions in which you can run if the tree shall start to drop or slide towards you. Break often while working to ascertain your surroundings and make sure you and any assistants are safe and avoiding interruption, and that your escape routes are permanently clear.

Next, consider your attire. Wear clothes constructed from thick, durable cotton, flannel, or wool so they repel small wood chips and fragments. Select a button-up shirt with long sleeves and keep every little thing buttoned all the way- cover as much skin as possible!

Also, wear tough, resilient cotton or denim trousers and steel-toe work boots with ankle protection. Get thick cotton work gloves, heavy-duty eye protection, and a hard hat! When using a chainsaw or any power tools, protect your hearing with proper inserts or coverings, and wear chainsaw chaps or leg protection. Long hair should be drawn back neatly and kept out of your face and eyes.

As even a small tree can cause major property harm, avoid parking your car near that tree and take away items near your workspaces, like a lawnmower and other such tools. You might also cover a nearby fence and landscaping features with a thick tarp, to help minimize damage from falling branches.

Before chopping a small tree down with a chainsaw, check the chain brake and throttle. If using an axe, make sure the axe head is secure and the handle in good condition, without splitting. Never use any tools that look outdated, worn-down, in poor condition, or otherwise damaged. Evaluate your axe or saw on a small stump or log before dealing with a tree that needs cutting, so you know every little thing is in good condition and ready for use.

chainsaw

Planning for How to Cut Down a Small Tree

Your 1st step in actually cutting down a small tree with an axe or chainsaw is to decide on the target, or the intended direction of the fall. Note if the tree has a side or back lean; typically a lean, together with overhead hazards, determine the tree’s “bad side.” You’ll want to avoid this bad side at the time of the last or felling cut.

Start cutting the tree with a face cut, lined up with the target and perpendicular to the ground. Doing this face cut decides how the tree will fall once cut entirely and should work about 1/3 of the way through the tree trunk. Afterward, you’ll want to add in a hinge cut; this is a wedge cut, commonly at a 45-degree to 70-degree angle downward, toward the face cut.

These cuts should start little and get larger as you work through them, but don’t cut through that hinge! You’ll need to take away that wedge when it’s large enough to weaken the tree. As you create this wedge, you might need to make a small cut on the side of the tree opposite the face cut and insert a wedge or shim. This reduces the risk of the tree falling opposite the target.

Search for dangers and make sure that no one remains in the way before you make the final release cut and take off the wedge you’ve created. If the tree doesn’t fall as expected, continue to make small cuts along that wedge so you keep weakening the trunk.

Tips for Cutting a Small Tree Down Without a Saw

You can chop down a small tree without having a chainsaw; it requires more physical labor but this is how trees were felled for centuries before chainsaws were invented! First, acquire felling wedges. These wedges are inserted into your cuts as you make them, preventing your axe blade from getting pinched in the process. They also put added strain on the cut trunk, encouraging the tree to fall.

Before you start cutting a small tree down with no a saw, inspect it very carefully. The vibrations created by cutting at a tree loosen dead and decaying limbs, which can quickly fall on you or any assistants nearby! Start felling your tree by removing any loosened or obviously damaged branches. Use heavy-duty pruning shears on small branches if it’s unmanageable to operate an axe around the tree’s top.

You additionally need to consider if the tree is bending heavily is loaded down with large limbs along one side. No matter your efforts, that tree is quite likely to fall in the direction of its lean. Plan accordingly and begin by removing the treetop rather than felling it at the trunk, to avoid property destruction.

Once you’ve shortened the tree and removed it off as many branches as needed, you can make the same face and hinge cuts you might with a chainsaw. Add your felling wedges to the face cut as you go, tapping them in with the backside of the axe head. Similar to using a chainsaw, don’t cut through that hinge but allow the weight of the tree do the work in felling it for you!

When Is It Time to Chop Down a Small Tree?

Both matured and smaller landscaping trees add lots of aesthetic interest to any property; sometimes, they may even increase your property’s overall value. Trees also offer shade to the ground, keeping it from getting scorched in the summertime, as well as a nesting place for birds that may well eat typically troublesome insects all over your yard.

While trees offer lots of advantages for your residential or commercial property, there are times when it’s better to eliminate them! An arborist can advise you if a tree is rotted beyond recovery and repair; occasionally, however, a tree might be so rotted within that its bark begins to peel and branches dry out, both of which are signs that it’s time to cut it down. Trees infested with termites and other damaging insects might also need removing, to protect the rest of your real estate.

If you have a tree on your real estate that just refuses to thrive no matter how often you have it pruned or otherwise nurtured, it may not be native to your area! Like florals and other plant life, trees often grow best in their native habitat; trees that thrive in cold weather may wilt under the blazing, tropical sun, as one example. If your property’s tree is having a hard time and not native, it’s not likely to ever do well and should be removed.

There is also nothing against removing a tree just because you don’t like its aesthetics or placement on your real estate. A tree in the way of your building plans, view of the horizon, or an exterior window should be taken away, so you enjoy your property and your view from both indoors and out!

How to Enhance Your Property After Removing a Tree

Your might find your outdoor area looks a bit bare and far less lush once you chopped down a small tree, and especially if you remove any large, mature trees or other landscaping features! One way to add lots of visual interest without blocking the view is by flowering shrubs; try lilac bushes or honeysuckle for both color and a beautiful aroma in your backyard.

If your home’s outside surfaces now appear a bit dull and drab once you remove trees near the house, add flower boxes under the windows and paint the home’s trim a crisp white. Decorative shutters also add an impressive touch and help break up long, boring exterior walls.

For more aesthetic interest along your property, consider some hardscape elements. Landscaping refers to items that grow such as flowers and shrubs, whereas hardscaping includes items that don’t grow, such as brick, concrete, and rock. Retaining walls protect real estate from excess moisture or erosion, but can also be decorative, providing a bit of height and depth to your space. Stacked brick perimeters and outlining also add lots of visual interest as well as some separation between your landscaping and lawn.

What to Do With That Wood Following Cutting Down a Small Tree

After you’ve dropped that tree, what to do with all that wood? One particular significant guideline is to ensure the tree was healthy and free of diseases and bugs before you burn that wood or put it in your household rubbish. Transporting infested wood can mean moving those harmful bugs with it so they just move on to another tree!

Your local area may also have building regulations or other regulations that determine what you can do with timber cut from your residential or commercial property, to contain hazardous smoke and fumes. Some softwoods also do not burn effectively; you might discover that your planned bonfire generates more smoke than flames, or that you battle for hours to try to keep the flames going.

If you’re unsure the condition of the tree you just felled or have no way of taking care of that timber, call a tree trimming expert or tree removal service. They will readily identify the wood types, health condition of the tree, and if the timber is salvageable. They will also know with local standards and policies that affect how to dispose of that lumber!

If the wood is safe for disposal, you might take into consideration renting a wood chipper. This makes easy work of breaking down that lumber so you can bag it up and put it in the rubbish or take it to a local dumping site. Use extreme caution when using a wood chipper and make sure you break down that tree into manageable pieces before feeding it into the chipper.

When You Don’t Know How to Cut Down a Small Tree
If you’re not sure how to cut down a small tree, depend on the services of a tree removal company near you! Keep in mind that tree trimmers specialize in removing trees of all sizes and varieties, not just mature trees. They can make quick work of trimming and digging up landscaping trees and understand how to contain termites and pests when getting rid of infested trees, ensuring your property is protected.

A tree removal company can additionally suggest a native tree that might flourish on your real estate or a more appealing tree species. Their advice ensures your property looks its best and you’re happy with the end result for years to come, so give them a telephone call if you’re unsure how to cut down a small tree in your lawn.

Leave a Comment





Call For Free Quote!