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News Flash!
News Flash!
Fall is here and the leaves are almost off the trees so its time for a little outdoor cleaning. I know what your thinking, you already know how to remove leaves form your yard and gutters. What I'm talking about is getting rid of that old dead tree. In my case it's a dead Hemlock.
This past decade the Northeast has lost a lot of beautiful Hemlock trees to wooly aphids. If you see some white gunk where the needles meet the branches than you most likely have wooly aphids. Unfortunately there's little you can do. I spent $320 to have one of my bigger Hemlocks sprayed only to have it come back a couple years later. I called the guy who sprayed them and his response was "there's no permanent cure". Wish he had told me that before I spent the money. I would have put the tree out of its misery earlier.
To fell a large tree you need a good working, lubed and sharpened chain saw. Great excuse to buy one if you don't already have one. Now I'm not going to teach you all about a chain saw, that would take up all of my article space and then some. That's what owner's manual's are for. They are long, lengthy and boring but I insist you read yours and become familiar with the safety, operation and maintenance of your chain saw before you ever use it.
If you already know how to fell a large tree then I apologize, but you'd be surprised how many accidents happen every year to people and houses because some one just takes a chain saw and starts slicing through a tree. Believe it or not there is a technique that will allow you to control and drop a tree in a desired direction. Now if your tree is near power lines or close to your house you may want to call a professional. However, if you can see a clear line, path and place for the tree to fall and land, then oil and sharpen that chain saw and lets have some safe fun "Texas" style.
First lets talk about some basic safety. Wardrobe; wear long sleeves and pants, nothing too lose fitting that may get caught in the chain saw, eye and ear protection, steel tipped shoes, leather gloves and a hard hat. Clear your work area around the tree and cut off any branches around the bottom of tree and those that may be in your way up the tree.
Make sure there is enough clearance for the tree to fall. Try to make clear a path of two tree lengths from anything. Plan a retreat path in opposite direction of the fall, of course.
CHOOSE YOUR CUTS CAREFULLY, they determine the direction of the fall.
The WEDGE METHOD is most commonly used to fell large trees. A wedge is cut on the side of the tree in your chosen direction of the fall. Start by cutting the top of the wedge first, cutting through 1/3 of the diameter of the tree in an angled downward direction to the apex of the wedge. Now come back and cut the bottom portion of the wedge cutting on an up angle to meet the end of your first cut, 1/3 the diameter of the tree, to form your apex angle of the wedge. (See photo) After this you should be able to remove the wedge from the tree.
Now you're ready to make the felling cut on the opposite side of the tree. Make a cut about two inches higher than the center of the wedge. (See photo) If done properly this should leave enough uncut wood between the felling cut and the wedge to form a hinge. This hinge should prevent the tree from falling in the wrong direction. Look for signs that the tree is ready to fall such widening of the felling cut, any movement or crackling noises. When any of these signs begin leave the area following your planned retreat path and yell "TIMBER" as loud as you can...because you know you've always wanted to.
Bucking is the word used for cutting up a fallen tree into logs. There are several methods depending on what you plan on using your tree for. Once again this could be an article on to itself but your chain saw owner's manual should cover most of these. After the New Year I will be starting a free reference and referral web site that will give you more information and details such as "Logging a Tree" and "Care and Maintenance of your Power Tools". Until then "TIMBER!"
By: Lisa Alexander
Certified Eco Broker®
