Do you need to cut down a sick tree on your private property? Find out below what you need to take into account in order to avoid any mistakes when felling trees!
Unfortunately, sometimes removing affected trees is a necessary step due to the spread of plant diseases or for garden safety. This is an important matter that gardeners should approach very carefully and responsibly as it involves some risks. On the one hand, tree felling is not always permitted from a legal point of view and must be discussed with the neighborhood in the case of boundary trees. On the other hand, this can cause possible damage to the surrounding garden area and vegetation. To prevent such problems, it would therefore make sense to find out about the process in advance and take the right security measures. The following information and tips can help you.
What factors to consider before cutting down a sick tree?
In most cases, owners have either recently purchased a property with such obstacles or have not maintained their garden area for years. As a result, tree roots have grown profusely under and above the garden soil, causing the one various problems in terms of garden maintenance. But before you grab the chainsaw and yoursCut trees, it is advisable to take all precautions. You should therefore also familiarize yourself with the legal regulations in order to avoid expensive fines. Here are some important factors to consider before tree felling:
- In the event that you cut down several or one diseased tree, you must first agree with your neighbors if they are located between the yards of two private properties. Only then must permission be obtained from the municipality before felling a tree if there is a tree disease or an emergency situation.
- However, they have the discretion to remove tree branches and roots. This also applies to diseased or dried-out home-grown ornamental or fruit trees, as well as to those that pose a danger.
- As far as the exact time of tree felling is concerned, the general rule is the period from the beginning of October to the end of March. You may only cut down a diseased tree outside of this period if it poses a health risk to people. For example, if trees have been damaged by lightning or storms, you can intervene, but you must report this to your local municipality.
- It is advisable to remove trees in winter so that the dry wood can be used as fuel in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
- In view of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, tree felling can be either restricted or prohibited, even in private gardens. It is therefore necessary to find out about the regulations in the relevant municipality in advance.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the legal details and safety precautions, you can start felling trees. To this end, you may consider the following advice.
Tips on the correct procedure when felling trees
So that the whole thing can be done without any problems, it is important to first assess the situation and the condition of the tree. In the event of a severe pest infestation or irreversible damage caused by a tree disease, uprooting or felling the tree would usually be the only option. As already written above, the winter months from December to February, when trees are driest, are the ideal time for this. If it is a complex logging operation, it is sensible to hire a professional service or logging company to do it. Otherwise, there are a few safety precautions to take before felling a tree, and here are the most important of them:
- First and foremost, it is important to obtain the proper safety equipment, including eye, head, hand, and other body protection.
- The next step is to clear the surrounding area and keep bystanders away from the work area. Remove all tripping hazards and any other obstacles that would complicate the work process.
- The use of suitable tools, such as an axe, chainsaw or other cutting tool, is also crucial for efficient tree felling.
- It is always advisable to seek professional help if you have no experience with it before. This means you can minimize potential risks even in the most dangerous places.
- Next, you should plan the direction of the fall to ensure no damage is caused when you cut down the diseased tree. Particular attention should be paid to the inclination of the tree trunk, as well as the size of the tree crown, the wind direction and the nature of the surrounding area.
- As for the condition of the tree, you should check whether any potentially dangerous branches could fall during construction. You should also prepare the garden area for follow-up work.
- Also note that felling against the direction of the tree's slope usually requires more strength and special equipment.
- The leftover wood must also be disposed of properly; as mentioned, you can also reuse it as firewood.
How to follow step by step instructions for felling a tree?
Tree felling can actually be a delicate process for the inexperienced. This requires extreme caution as large volumes and weights come into motion during the process. This should therefore not get out of control in order to prevent any dangers. Get advice and choose the right technique and the means best suited to your situation in order to carry out the procedure without causing any damage. Only by considering all the factors and taking the safety measures can you proceed to the actual woodcutting. To do this gardening job properly, you can follow the sample steps outlined below.
- Before you begin, make sure there are no pets or people near the tree you want to cut down.
- Obtain only the necessary equipment such as an axe, chainsaw, ladder, pruning shears, wedges, heavy-duty gloves, eye protection, helmet, hearing protection and rope. It is also advisable to have a first aid kit ready in case of emergencies.
- Also make sure that the direction of fall of the log will be an appropriate distance and that you have an escape route. Then use the ladder to remove potentially dangerous branches with the pruning shears.
- Depending on the diameter of the tree, you can first make a quarter-deep 70-degree cut with the chainsaw in the direction of the tree fall.
- The next step is to make a notch using an ax or saw it out with a chainsaw. To do this, turn the chainsaw sideways and cut horizontally to create a notch.
- Switch sides and make an opposite felling cut, leaving approximately 10% of the tree trunk. So that the felling wedge fits into the cut and the chainsaw does not jam, you must cut out enough wood material and have space.
- Now tie the rope around the tree trunk and insert the wedge into the felling cut.
- Hit the ax over the wedge and finally carefully pull the rope to fell the tree.
What to do after felling a tree?
After you have cut down the tree, you should alsoRemove tree stump. You can do this using a chainsaw or other methods, depending on the condition of the wood and its roots. Otherwise, you can remove the residue from the felled tree as follows:
- First, perform a type of limbing by removing all branches from the tree trunk with a saw or manually.
- To avoid damage to surrounding vegetation, you can use a garden shredder and shred the remains. This way you can also use the wood material asUse mulch in your garden.
- Next, cut the tree trunk into approximately 40cm sections to use as fuel or to discard. To protect your chainsaw, you can first saw off three quarters of the trunk, turn it and complete the cut.
If you need to cut down a large tree, it requires experience and expertise, which is why you should always err on the side of caution. Hopefully, the information and guidance provided here has given you a better idea of tree removal. Although you can save money by doing it yourself, you should not dare to remove trees yourself without the appropriate equipment and the necessary experience.
