Removing old trees

Sometimes you may have to face the stressful task of taking out a tree that you have had around for many, many years. Reasons for tree removal are many, the tree gets too close to buildings, or maybe gets a terrible pest infestation or disease, making the tree weaker and more likely to fall, or maybe the tree is just too old and weakened to leave it standing. There are cases when power companies will come in butcher a tree because the power lines are going through it. Whatever your reason, when it comes time to take down a tree that has been growing for many years, it can be a sad time, but it’s best to take the tree down rather than let it fall on your home or your neighbor’s.

The main thing that most gardeners, nurseries and landscapers will recommend is that you hire a professional to take the tree down if it is an extremely large tree. If it is a medium size tree that is not close to anything like fencing or buildings or other trees, you are probably safe to take it down yourself. But make sure that you plan it out before you start to cut. Plan on which direction you need a tree to fall in, measure so that you are sure the tree will clear any obstacles and then you can plan on taking down the tree. You will need to get together all the tools that you need, such as a chainsaw, ropes, rakes, gloves and above all, make sure you use protective eyewear. Flying wood chips can do serious damage to your eye or even cause loss of sight. Once you have everything assembled, along with a few good friends to hold the ropes, you can start to cut. You will need to cut a sideways “V” into the trunk to be sure that the tree falls just as you have planned it to. Don’t cut a straight line into the tree, this can cause the tree to roll to either side and make in more uncontrollable. If your friends are holding the ropes and the cutting process goes as it should, the entire process of taking down the tree should be very uneventful. The trunk, however, presents another problem altogether. The recommendations are to use a tree removal company to handle the stump.