How to Cut Down a Tree
Have some trees that need to come down? Not sure how to do it? Luckily, if you have a chainsaw, it’s easy!
The process of cutting down trees is called felling.
This is can be a very dangerous process, so be sure that you are taking all of the necessary precautions before attempting to cut down any trees.
Proper Attire for felling trees:
- Chaps
- Hearing Protection
- Steel toe boots/other adequate foot protection
- Long sleeves
- Eye/face protection
- Head protection
Getting Started:
When you are preparing to fell a tree you will need to complete a few preliminary steps before you get to the actual tree cutting.
First, you should take a look at the tree, see what way it is leaning naturally and decide which way you are going to drop the tree.
Next, after you have decided what direction the tree is going, you should clear a space for it to fall into, cut down smaller trees, remove brush and shrubs etc, you don’t want anything getting damaged by the trunk or the branches.
Now you should prune the tree, if necessary. Remove the lower branches if they are there to give yourself enough space to work to cut the tree down.
Finally, plan you escape route! The tree is going to come down, fast, so you are going to have to get out of the way quickly. Have a route planned where you can be out of the way of the trunk and branches. If you want to be extra safe, have two routes planned, just in case things don’t go quite as planned, which is always a possibility!
So now you know what way the tree is going to fall, you have a clear path, the tree is pruned and you have an escape route, it’s finally time to cut down the tree!
To cut down the tree:
Make a directional notch in the tree:
- First, you need to make a cut at about a 45 degree angle downward into the trunk of the tree, this cut should come to an end about 1/4 of the way into the tree.
- Next, you will make the undercut, this cut should come from below, cutting upwards toward the end of the first cut to make a notch. This cut should come to an end in a point with the back end of the top cut.
Be sure everyone is out of the way and your escape route is clear.
Now its time to drop the tree…
- Make a cut from the opposite side of the tree directly into the point of the wedge you created.
- This is known as the felling cut, this will cause the tree to fall into the direction of the notch you previously cut.
Once you complete the felling cut, be ready to move! The back end of the tree can move backwards over the stump and branches may fall.
Run towards your path of escape at this time to be sure that you are safe from any falling branches from the tree you cut or from any that may be knocked down off of other trees.
Now that the tree has fallen you are going to want to cut the limbs off so that you can cut the log up however you like!
To limb the tree:
- After the tree has fallen you will want to cut the limbs off of the tree.
- The best way to do this is using a pulling chain on the chainsaw, this means to use the chain on the underside of the bar, sawing downward on the limb.
- Be sure you are in a sturdy and balanced stance with the saw near your body
- You can rest the chainsaw body on the fallen tree or your leg and use the chainsaw as a lever so you don’t have to constantly lift and move the chainsaw, this is also good because you want to keep the guide bar as close to the tree as you can without having to lift and readjust.
- When you move be sure the chain is not moving
- Watch out for kickback! Do NOT cut with the nose of your chainsaw!!
It’s a lot of work to cut down a tree, but if you follow the safety precautions and use the right techniques, you should have a smooth sailing operation!
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