CUTTING DOWN A TREE (The Right Way)

I cut down many trees for many years before finding out that if the tree is leaning on your house, outbuilding, or fence, homeowners insurance will pay to have someone with the proper equipment come and remove the tree. Yea, there is a deductible, but it often would have been worth paying the deductible to have the job done and the mess hauled away. Mostly I cut deadfall for firewood and I'm usually doing that far away from any building or fence. I have found that an 18" gas saw seems to work best for most of the stuff I need to cut. A longer bar is heavier and more difficult to use when cutting limbs. More than 95% of the work for any tree is the small stuff that needs to be cut and hauled somewhere. Storm damaged or downed trees around here are usually Virginia pine. For firewood we have maple, black walnut, cedar, and poplar.

TREE CUTTING VIDEOS

Yes, there are many pictures and videos that show how to make a proper directional cut to drop a tree. Basically, the first cut is on the side facing the way we want the tree to fall. Make this cut going down on a 30 degree angle and only go about 1/3 of the way through the tree. The second cut is a horizontal cut on the same side that will intersect the bottom of the first cut. This removes a wedge. The third and final felling cut is horizontal, from the back side, opposite the wedge that was removed. This should always be a horizontal cut slightly higher than where the first two cuts met. The felling cut should stop short leaving an uncut strip that will act as a hinge keeping the tree attached to the stump until it is nearly all the way down. This method leaves a nearly flat stump with a narrow strip of torn material.

The first two cuts are not going to cause a healthy tree to fall. No guarantees if this tree is rotten or leaning, the first cut may be all it takes for the tree to fall. Many times the felling cut will bind the saw when the tree tries to fall backwards. Wedges can be hammered into the cut to force the tree to tip the other way. This is why the felling cut must be a horizontal cut. Wedges bear on end grain and it is much less likely the tree will split and continue falling the wrong way.

For many reasons I rarely put all trust in a directional hinge cut as described. Most of the trees I cut are storm damaged, leaning or otherwise far less than the perfect trees in the videos. Many of the trees I cut are almost guaranteed to do something unexpected. In addition, there may be a fence, house, shed, or something else I'd rather not drop a tree on. I often use a logging chain, come-along, or winch to control any fall that may go wrong. Throw a rope over a branch, then pull a logging chain up and wrap it around the tree. A slip hook will allow the chain links to pass thru and make a tight loop around the tree. Connect the logging chain to a come-along or winch cable. The come-along can be tied-off to the bottom of another tree that happens to be in the right direction. A winch cable should be run through a pulley, so my vehicle is off to one side or behind the fall. Tension the chain while watching the top of the tree. When the top branches start to move, stop. Now proceed with making a notch and the felling cut with no worry that this fall will go anywhere other than intended.

TOOLS REQUIRED

This is another excuse to buy tools. In addition to personal safety equipment and proper work clothing, some specialized tools make the job of felling trees easier and safer:

ROPES - These come in many sizes and types. A good rope has many uses. If a rope is used for logging, always remember that any rope, no matter how thick, will store energy like a rubber band when under tension. All ropes have some stretch. When the rope breaks, that tension is instantly released with lethal force. A 1/2" rope may be strong enough for most things, but is way under-sized for any logging work.

Many winch cables are now synthetic. You can pack a lot more length on a winch spool than you can with steel cable. Synthetic is much lighter, but not as durable as steel cable. Make sure the working load limit of your rope is more than the double-line pull for your winch. Working load limit is usually 1/3 the ultimate breaking strength.

CHAINS - Good transport/logging chains are at least 3/8" to 1/2" grade 70 or higher. Chain does not store energy like a rope. Make sure the working load limit is more than the chain will be subjected to. Get several different lengths with an assortment of hooks.

HOOKS - Both grab hooks and slip hooks have their uses. It is good to have an assortment of both types. Clevis type hooks can be quickly changed by removing a cotter pin. Grab hooks have a narrow opening that will stay on the link they are attached to. Slip hooks have a rounded opening and should have a spring-loaded safety latch that keeps them from falling off. As the name indicates, slip hooks allow the chain links to slip thru the hole. Do not attach any hook directly to a length of any type of rope. Hooks go on the ends of a rope and only hook to other hooks or chain.

WINCH - A winch or Come-A-Long can help ensure any tree falls right where you want it.

PULLEY BLOCK - Two or three pulley blocks that match the size wire or synthetic rope on the winch. Pulley blocks can be used to change direction and/or to multiply the power of the winch. An 8000 pound winch with a double line pull is 16000 pounds. That's enough to pull some trees over without making any cuts.

L O O K BEFORE YOU CUT

Most chainsaw work will be cutting limbs and smaller stuff. This may be where a chainsaw is the most dangerous. Reaching, off-balance cuts are more likely to cause injury. It is easy to get in a hurry and make mistakes. Small branch or tree, every cut needs to be planned. Gravity and tension will cause splitting when the saw is part-way through or the cut can pinch a saw so tight you will need another saw to free the first one. Many cuts should be made in two steps to reduce splitting. Make the first cut on the side that appears most likely to pinch the saw and cut less than 1/3 of the way through, then finish the cut from the side that appears to want to open up.

Is this a good, straight, healthy, live tree? Good trees are much easier and safer to cut down. Trees that are rotten, twisted, or dead are much more likely to do unexpected things. Look for dead branches, especially a branch that is just hung up in the tree. A dead branch will often fall long before the tree starts to move. Don't get clobbered by a branch while sawing a tree. Where exactly do you hope the tree will fall? What happens if the tree decides to go Left, Right, or completely opposite the way you think you can make it fall? Blowdowns that are hung up in other trees may be the most dangerous of jobs to clear. There are places on our property where blowdowns are so tangled it isn't safe to attempt to cut anything. I've been working around the edges of one area for close to 10 years. There is often no way to predict how much tension might be on a particular length of trunk or which way it may spring as it is cut. Add one or two other leaners and things quickly become completely unpredictable. Experience can provide some assurance, but an unexpected gust of wind at the wrong moment can easily start any tree falling completely the wrong way. Stuff Happens.

One huge mistake is to assume any tree will fall in the direction it appears to be leaning. I've often discovered that most crooked trees are actually fairly well balanced in some odd way that seems to defy logic and gravity. A crooked tree is far more likely to do something unexpected. Wind can ruin the best of plans. A light breeze can swirl and change direction. One minute all seems well, then a shift of wind and the tree sways. Study the area around the tree. Decide where best to bring the tree down, so it can reach the ground without becoming tangled with other trees or hitting buildings. Move your car completely our of the way. Look for overhead power lines. Power lines are a show-stopper for sure. Call the power company and let them deal with any tree near their power lines.

Plan safe routes away from the tree. Plan at least two routes angled to either side going in the opposite direction of the intended fall. The tree may do something that makes your first exit route unsafe. Clear brush, vines and branches and other trip hazards from the escape paths. Make sure any helper knows the plan and has routes to get away. If forced to run, drop the saw away from the direction you are going as you begin to move.