In landscaping, tree removal is a vital task that contributes to property maintenance and appearance. Often, tree removal enhances safety on your property because diseased, overgrown, or otherwise damaged trees pose hazards. But you need to make sure the removal itself poses no dangers to you or anyone else.
Tree Removal Requires Skill
If you’re not familiar with how tree removal works, you might think the process is simple. Using a chainsaw or another power tool, a worker topples and removes the tree. However, it is not that easy. Cutting a tree with a chainsaw is not done haphazardly. Deliberate accuracy in the cutting angle is crucial for performing the job correctly and minimizing failures that could lead to catastrophe, such as property damage if a falling tree lands on a house or car. Worse, the tree could hit someone, causing severe injuries or even death. So, the team cutting the tree must know the proper angle to exploit.
Precision Is Key
A critical aspect of safe tree removal is directional felling, a method that involves making two primary cuts. The first is the notch, and the second is the back cut. The notch is usually a 70° wedge cut from the section where you want the tree to fall. This occupies a significant portion of the trunk’s diameter and creates a hinge that determines how the tree falls to the ground.
Improper Cuts and Angles Are Dangerous
We do not recommend this job for novices. The do-it-yourself approach could result in choosing incorrect angles that cause imbalances. Even a notch that is too shallow, or another seemingly minor issue, may fail to provide the necessary directional control that leads to a mostly predictable descent. The tree might even split vertically, throwing debris into the air and creating serious hazards.
Others might mistakenly cut the hinge too deeply and cause the tree to fall unexpectedly. A premature collapse would create a dangerous situation, as it can occur without warning, putting anyone nearby at risk. The tree must fall on a proper course, or else it could crash into a person, animal, or structure.
Controlled Felling Leads to Controlled Falling
The back cut is the other vital element on the opposite side of the notch, designed to sever the wood while leaving the hinge untouched. The combination of directional felling cuts creates the proper angles to increase controlled falling. And control is critical. Without it, no one can say for sure where the tree will land.
Incomplete Removals
Even if no one suffers any harm and there’s no property damage, improper angles can still cause you other problems. The job might result in incomplete removals, with stumps or roots remaining. Such an outcome will likely lead to regrowth or pest infestations, both of which bring their own troubles. Once again, tree removal is best left to experts, as experienced arborists have the knowledge needed to determine appropriate cutting angles.
If you need help with tree removal in Carson City, NV, contact American Arborists to speak with one of our technicians.