How to Cut Down A Tree with A Chainsaw Safely!

| Last Updated: March 15, 2021

How to Cut Down A Tree with A ChainsawI know it’s not right to cut down a tree. I personally am a plant lover and enjoy green a lot. But sometimes, a particular tree might become extremely dangerous on your property. There can be a number of reasons, for example, leaning towards your home, rotting or likely to fall anytime. And eventually, with a broken heart, we decide to cut it off.

Well, I am here to talk about a safe tree cutting method. Of course, in some cases, it is better to call an expert. Suppose you want to cut the tree in opposite to the leaning. This may make you unsure about doing it yourself. For such scenarios, call a professional.

Proper Way to Cut Down a Tree

You may discover a lot of guidelines that are tried and tested by experts. I’ll include some of them below, have a look!

Figure Out Fall Spot

You should start planning for the fall. Measure the tree height. You can see where the tree can fall without having to hit your car or house. Also, you need to careful that it should not fall over your neighbors’ properties.

You can figure out the size of trunk as well and see if a chainsaw is right for this job. If you have a corded or cordless electric chainsaw, a trunk more than ten inches of thickness might feel too much. In that case, simply use a gas-powered chainsaw.

All I am saying is your chainsaw should be the right size to do this job. Once the direction of tree falling is settled, go for lean checkup. You would need some effort to bring the tree down safely.

You should check if any government approval is needed to cut the tree down.

The Area Needs to Be Clear!

Get all children and pet out from area you’ll be cutting the tree. Be sure to check the surrounding very well. Someone might end up running in the path of tree falling. So, it’s wise to use some sort of warning sign and make people aware that you are working in that area.

This needs to be done in any space, no matter if it’s a forest or open areas such as the street.

1. Tree Preparation Is Important!

Small branches might come into your way while you try to cut the tree. So always prune those and also consider low branches that might affect.

Always consider the direction of tree falling. Simply observe the tree with heavier side carrying more branches. Consider the wind as well and if there is any sort of leaning toward a particular direction.

Once you figure out the spot where tree falls, simply clear that space well. Do the same for areas residing in a 45-degree angle. This will become a retreat path.

You can put a safety rope around the tree above. This is where you are going to make the first cut basically. Always make it go toward the anticipated direction. There should be a tiny amount of tension for rope.

You can also use a red flag or similar manner to mark the area. So that you have a clear vision while cutting it. There will be no entangling.

2. Understand Fall

You should cut out a wedge in fall direction. Do so with 50%-80% through the tree. It should be at your waist height and this is known as face notch. This level is usually easier and comfortable to handle. You should check for any rot or diseases that exist in the wood. This is the right time to do so.

By observing any rot, you’ll be able to ensure if the tree is weak and that will have a direct impact on how it falls.

3. How To Cut It!

Walkthrough the target tree to the opposite direction. Now to meet the upper portion of wedge cut, make a slice at back. You should not cut all way through at this point. You need to leave a little bit. This way the tree will not fall while you’re still using chainsaw.

Gradually the tree will begin to fall. You should quickly move back and make the area clear. Turn off the chainsaw while stepping back.

Now using a safety rope, wedge and block simply pull the tree. This will lead to breaking and making it fall. You should warn people while the tree comes down.

It’s smart to have an escape route. There should be no tripping hazard and it should be at an angle.

You should never cut all the way through because of safety. Experts are always on this job and so they may try cutting all way through. However, you are doing this rarely. So, it’s safe to do it in a careful manner. But at the same time, it’s up to you.

How to Deal with Leaners

Some trees are just like cocked bow that is ready to make a disaster with their kinetic energy. It may result in a very horrible nightmare if you with less knowledge try to take it down by another side of leaning.

So, I personally will never encourage amateurs to try this complicating method of a tree falling. You can hire someone expert to deal with it.

Safety Is Not A Joke!

When dealing with trees and running chainsaw, a fool will consider safety as a less important thing. Please take it seriously. I have witnessed a lot of mishaps due to the indifference behavior of many experts as well. Here are a few points regarding it:

  • To keep you safe from major logging injuries and falling branches, always wear the right size helmet.
  • Use proper earmuffs and face screen. This process will make them worse if you don’t wear the right gears.
  • There is going to be a lot of dust flying. So, make sure to wear right safety glasses.
  • Sometimes you may drop the bar against your leg while using a chainsaw. To stop it instantly make sure you have Kevlar chaps.

Verdict

Taking down a straight growing tree has completely different dynamics and it is also way to simpler than dealing a leaned one. So always be well prepared with the type of tree you are cutting down. Your cutting techniques need to be extra vigilant to keep the whole thing safe.

Bottom line here is, it’s okay to try this yourself but only when the tree is not in a dangerous position. For a leaner, go for a pro.

That makes me come to the very end of today’s discussion about cutting tree. I hope you enjoyed the topic. If you are confused about anything regarding tree cutting, let me know in the comment section below. I’ll try my best to help you out! Signing Out on That Note!

Useful Tools you may need

Related Articles

Below are some related articles you might find interesting: