Getting rid of a dead or dying tree can be difficult. Especially when safety is a major consideration in the situation. It’s preferable to leave it to the professionals who have done this before. But, of those who still wish to do it themselves, in this article, I’ll be talking about how to remove a tree yourself.
Particular procedures must be followed after evaluating the tree to determine whether it is sick, dying, or completely dead. When you intend to cut down a huge tree, you will need a lot of room to allow the tree to lay flat when it is not there. As a result, you will need to evaluate the height and clear the surrounding space accordingly.
There are, however, more steps involving this process that you will need to know about in detail to learn how to remove the tree by yourself. This article will cover the three essential methods and the necessary steps under each method, involved in this process.
Removing A Tree: Step By Step Guide
When trees are cut down improperly, they might fall on people, buildings, or power lines, posing a danger. However, if you use caution when getting rid of your tree, it can be accomplished without the assistance of a professional. Below are the three methods that will give you a complete outline of how to remove trees.
Felling A Tree
This step requires you to take the necessary preparations before you fell a tree. This means that you need to prepare yourself as well as the surrounding area as felling a tree is a big chore and dangerous chore.
Step 1: Safety First
Before you cut the tree down, make sure you’re wearing the appropriate safety gear. To properly cut down a tree, you must gear up to avoid injury.
Put on gears such as helmet, safety goggles, hearing protection, and other necessary gears, depending on how big the tree is, before you fell it.
Step 2: Clear Out The Area
Then, you need to make sure the space around the tree is clear. Remove any dogs or children from the vicinity, and inform adults of your plans so they can maintain a safe distance.
Except for the one felling the tree, everyone else should keep a distance of at least twice the tree’s height.
Step 3: Pick The Fall Direction
Determine the direction within which the tree can fall. Choose a path for the tree that is most natural. The direction in which the tree falls affects how you will cut it, so make your decision immediately.
In the event of an emergency, devise two separate escape routes. If your tree falls along the predicted direction, use the first path. And if it doesn’t, choose the second.
Step 4: Begin Cutting
Make the cut an angled one into the tree’s side. As you stand, make sure your left shoulder is in contact with the tree.
Start by making a 70-degree cut with a saw or ax in the way you need the tree to collapse. Until the cut is roughly a quarter of the diameter of the tree, you need to continue cutting.
Cut horizontally by rotating your ax or saw sideways. Make a parallel back cut across the tree’s opposite side. To keep the fall equal and certain, cut an angle as flat as possible.
When you only have a hinge remaining that is roughly 1/10 the tree’s diameter, stop chopping. By leaving a tiny hinge, you may direct how the tree falls.
Step 5: Get Running
As the tree falls, plan your escape way. Take out your ax or saw and choose the first escape path far from the tree after you have left the hinge. Return only when it has totally fallen.
Take the second escape path far from the tree if it falls in your direction. If it does not fall over right away or is smaller, advance it on the hinge in the desired direction.
Take The Stump Out
The stump can be hard to remove as it is fixated to the ground. There are plenty of ways to do it though. Let’s take a look at them.
Using your hands
For trees that are smaller, dig out the stump by hand. If the tree is tiny, pull out the stump and expose the tree roots with a spade. With a root saw or ax, chop away the roots, then rip them out using a grub hoe.
Composting
Compost the roots if you wish to recycle them. You may need to attempt another approach if the tree stump is a bit too huge to get rid of using a shovel.
Chemical stump remover
For the easiest way, use a chemical stump remover. If your tree stump is so big that you can’t scoop it out, make 4 to 8 holes in it and fill each one with the remover.
Allow the chemicals to decompose the stump for 4 to 6 weeks before digging it out using a spade. Check the directions on the remover for an exact period between pouring in the chemical and pulling up the stump.
Burn it
If it’s legal in your region, burn the stump. If an open burning fire is allowed, pile scrap wood on the peak of the tree stump and light it. Make sure the fire is going until the stump is completely burnt out, then extinguish it and scoop out the roots and ash with a spade.
Make sure to always keep an eye on the fire and in case of an emergency, keep a fire extinguisher close by.
Using a stump grinder
The fastest approach is to use a stump grinder. Turn on the machine and set the grinder on top of the stump. Use it to completely grind the stump.
Remove any remaining grindings from the stump’s hole with a shovel, then fill it with soil until it’s fully covered.
Get Rid Of Small Trees For Transplant
This requires you to figure out how to take out the tree completely. The roots can be a bit tricky to take out at times. But following these steps you can easily do it.
Step 1: Water The Soil
Before the day you cut the tree, water the soil around it. Directly moisten the soil near the tree with a hose until it is moist.
This process will make the earth soft, making it easier to dig your tree out. It also maintains some dirt connected to the tree’s roots.
Step 2: Expose The Roots
Remove the dirt from the area around the upper roots. Shovel up the dirt from the roots closest to the trunk.
Keep on digging up the dirt until you make it to the root ball’s estimated length. It is the sphere of roots that you can replant somewhere.
Step 3: Dig Out The Roots
With a shovel, dig out the roots. Form the roots into a circle that will create the root ball of the tree. With pruning shears, remove any big roots that extend outside your mark.
If you are going to transplant the tree, be sure you do not pull out too many of the roots. Pull the root ball out of the earth by digging beneath it.
Step 4: Take Out The Root Ball
Hoist the root ball using a shovel. Have someone else work beneath the roots with a square of burlap. Replace the root ball in the ground and pull it out with the burlap. Continue to knot the burlap around the ball of the root until you are ready to transplant it.
This burlap is useful since it decomposes quickly. It protects and holds the roots together until you plant the tree. Then decomposes in the ground.
Now that you know how to remove a tree yourself, you can save up that extra money behind removing your tree. This task is a bit risky and quite a difficult job to do by yourself due to which you will require help from other people.
However, smaller trees are easier to uproot and transplant by yourself. Thanks for reading the whole article. Hope you can successfully remove your tree without any harm caused to you and others around.
