How to cut up a large tree trunk

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How to cut down a tall tree on the site: rules for removing large trees

Tree removal services: felling, felling and pruning

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Place an order: 8 (985) 768-64-02 We will answer the phone from 10:00 to 20:00

Tall trees in our area are not a unique phenomenon: under favorable conditions, many species of central Russia grow to heights of 30, 40 or more meters. Increased attention to them is associated with the danger that they can pose to people and buildings in the event of their fall. Especially if the tree is emergency.

Why do they fall?

The first , which is also the main cause of the fall of trees, including tall ones, is a poor, weakened condition associated with diseases and any other damage to the trunk or root system. A healthy plant is able to withstand serious loads like heavy winds, for example.

The second reason is a large windage. Large and tall trees grow in conditions of fierce competition with each other for a place under the Sun. They quickly stretch upwards, and therefore their trunks are usually straight, without branches in the lower and middle parts. The crown, on the other hand, is formed closer to the top and becomes the very “sail” that “catches” the wind, provoking the fall of the trunk.

Accurate cutting of large trees requires a lot of time and patience.

April 2014
Photo: Kaleriya Lapshina

Scotch pine, widely distributed from China to the British Isles, is a good example of great windage. On the territory of the European part of Russia, it can be found everywhere. How can one not recall the paintings of I. I. Shishkin, especially his famous “Ship Grove”, which depicts tall, slender mast pines, with cone-shaped crowns crowning the very tops!

Another reason for the fall can be the root system. Norway spruce, typical of the northern regions of Europe, has a superficial root system that does not securely hold the plant in the ground. Along with a trunk height of several tens of meters, this leads to poor wind resistance.

They decided to cut down the tall pine tree near the glass fence, just in case.

April 2014
Photo: Kaleria Lapshina

What tree is considered tall?

Most of the territory of the Russian Federation is forests: coniferous, deciduous, mixed. They are formed by plants of different species. According to the existing classification, all woody plants in our country, including central Russia, are divided into 9 groups according to height. The first 4 groups are a variety of shrubs: low, high - from 1 to 5 meters.

Here, for example, include: lilac, sea buckthorn, viburnum, mountain ash and other similar plants known to all of us. Following them (in ascending order) are some types of maple, pine, apple, birch, acacia - these are already trees, but they are considered low and medium in height - from 6 to 20 meters. The remaining three groups are high and very high.

Thus, are considered high if they outgrow the mark of 20 meters . In the Central European part these include:

• some types of poplars (pyramidal, white, black),
• Norway spruce,
• Norway and Ash maples,
• aspen,
• English oak,
• common ash,
• gray alder,
• warty birch,
• silver and heart-leaved lindens (small-leaved),
• Scotch pine and some others.

For different breeds, height is a relative concept. For example, an apple tree that does not reach the mark of 20 m can be considered high, but only among apple trees. In this article, we are interested in really tall trees, since the difficulties that arise when working with them are associated precisely with the large absolute height of the trunk.

In the city, it is convenient and practical to cut plants from an aerial platform.

March 2014
Photo: Kaleria Lapshina

Where and in what cases does it need to be removed?

In itself, such a tree is not a problem. But if it is emergency, it can cause great damage when it falls. A fallen tree easily tears the wires and knocks down the poles on which they are stretched, rams the roofs and destroys the walls of buildings, breaks vehicles and blocks the roadway. Not to mention the threat to human health and life! Therefore, in the city, such plants must be removed if they grow:

• near overhead power lines,
• next to residential buildings,
• playgrounds,
• car parks, etc.

Large and dry trees can often be seen in summer cottages. Sometimes they hang over the house, risking falling at the slightest breath of wind. In addition, dry trees are fire hazardous. Standing tall plants, not necessarily dry, can also pose a threat.

How to cut down a tall tree?

If it is necessary to cut down a tall tree, the trunk of which is strong enough to support an adult person - in our case, an arborist equipped with a chainsaw and other necessary equipment - the method of felling the tree in parts is used. The specialist climbs the trunk, first removes all the branches and the top, and then cuts the trunk into separate logs, which he either throws down or gently lowers on a rope. Depending on customer requirements.

The pine tree in Obninsk turned out to be too tall for machinery. I had to call an arborist.

September 2013
Photo: Kaleriya Lapshina

It is difficult to work in holiday villages, where the territory of household plots is limited, as a rule, to six acres. Because only six acres can be located, in addition to a residential building, “a million more necessary and valuable” things. This includes flowerbeds, garden beds, and lawns with gazebos...

Therefore, the problem arises - how to cut down a tall tree on the site without damaging the owner's property, evenly distributed over the entire area? Under these conditions, all parts of a large tree: branches, fragments of the trunk - carefully descend after being removed on a rope. They are picked up below, thereby keeping the site safe and sound.

Thin tall trees

These cases need to be told separately. The work of removing them is often complicated by the inability of the arborist to climb them: the trunk can bend or, in general, break under the weight of a person. Therefore, an aerial platform is often used to fell such plants. If it is not possible to use it: the terrain does not allow, there are no entrances to the object, the neighboring growth is used. An additional rope is hung on them - a safety rope. In addition to all this, thin trees are sometimes felled entirely, under the root.

The thicker the tree trunk, the longer it takes to saw it.

September 2013
Photo: Kaleriya Lapshina

Difficulties and dangers

The dangers of removing tall trees are primarily related to their height. Falling from them can result in serious injury or death. Therefore, when working with large trees, the specialist first assesses their condition: healthy or emergency.

The threat (accident) is often hidden from view. The tree may be diseased, but the disease is seemingly asymptomatic, as it happens in humans. Only a specialist is able to accurately determine the condition of the plant and take into account all the risks. The life and health of a tree climber depends on the correct diagnosis.

Such a tree is also dangerous because the wind load on it is greater than on low ones. Even in good calm weather, the wind blows at high altitude. It swings the top like a pendulum, complicating the feller's work.

When cutting down a tall tree, all the actions of an arborist, even the simplest ones, are multiplied by the height - this is the main danger when working on such objects!

How do we do it?

Nuances of tree removal in the Moscow region

Remember - the work of an arborist is very dangerous, it requires skills, knowledge and experience.

We specialize in tree removal. We take on any orders: we can solve the problem if the branches are located directly above the house and need to be carefully cut, we can safely cut rotten trunks, remove trees that have fallen on buildings.

Read more

Thoughts are material!

Naturally, it all started with agreements and preliminary planning.

During the day, three teams at four sites cut down thirteen trees and cut dry branches from several pines!

Read more

All articles

Trade terms

Broken top of a tree

Can lead to sad consequences. When falling, be sure to hit the most valuable item in your area.

Read more

Arborist

An arborist is a professional who has the technical skills, gained through experience and appropriate training, including climbing, to oversee the treatment of trees and other woody plants in residential, commercial, and public landscapes.

More details

Call for more information:

8 (985) 768-64-02

Related services:

• removal of logging residues.

how to cut down a tree on a plot in parts?

Tree removal services: felling, felling and pruning

17 years old
is on top!

Place an order: 8 (985) 768-64-02 We will answer the phone from 10:00 to 20:00

Before we talk about how to cut down a tree in parts correctly, let's decide in which cases it is dangerous to fell the whole tree, at the root. According to the instruction " on labor protection for a feller and a lumberjack ", the territory within a radius of 50 m from a tree is a danger zone. And all because when felling a tree from the root, even by an experienced feller, the sawn trunk can fall in any direction. For example, due to a sudden gust of wind or, albeit small, rot inside it.

The fibers weakened by rot in the "undersaw" - the part of the cut left untouched by the chainsaw - are torn before healthy ones and change the trajectory of the fall of the tree, regardless of the feller's calculation. It happens that, falling entirely, one tree knocks down another, and the radius of the affected area is greater than the height of the felled tree. Felling a tree in parts reduces the likely risks to a minimum.

The arborist cut down the tree carefully.

Photo: Igor Molchanov

Accurate removal of trees in parts can be done in different ways. And the more options an arborist knows, the easier it is for him to adjust the technology to a specific situation. However, the most simple and common is the following method.

The arborist, using special equipment (harness, steel spurs on the legs (gaffs in professional jargon), rope wraps, carabiners, descender and rope) climbs along the trunk. As he rises, he saws off branches and branches. Depending on the situation, the cut branches either freely fall down (if there is nothing under them), or gently descend on a rope. In the second case, a partner helps the arborist under the tree. And in general, it is safer to work together.

Basic arborist equipment: harness, gaffs (on the legs), harness (around the trunk), rope and a chainsaw.

Photo: Igor Molchanov.

The arborist can climb quite high up the trunk, depending on the strength of the tree. It is better to lower the sawn off crown on a rope. Otherwise, during the fall, the slightest breeze will carry it not at all where we would like.

The remaining post is sawn into logs from 30 - 40 centimeters to several meters long. The size depends on:

• From the area of ​​free space under the tree.
• From the specific gravity of the wood: the larger it is, the shorter the logs should be. This makes it easier to throw them accurately.

From a height of 18-20 m, an experienced arborist confidently enters the area under a tree measuring just a meter by meter. True, at the same time, the partner must remove the fallen logs to the side. Then the next ones will not fly off from the previous ones by ricochet. If you throw logs on a pillow of sawn branches, then not a single dent will remain on the ground, paving stones or lawn!

The finer the arborist upstairs has to cut, the slower the work speed. It happens that, when cutting down a very thick or heavy tree in parts, you have to cut off thin “pancakes” from it or saw logs along the fibers right on the trunk.

Before starting work, the following factors should be assessed.

• Wood condition. Dry or live? Are there any signs of an accident: tilt, rot, hollows, etc.? On the one hand, dry wood is lighter. On the other hand, the tree must be strong enough. It must withstand not only the weight of the arborist - an error compared to the weight of the tree - but also the dynamic loads that occur when lifting and sawing off at least the top of the head.
• Barrel diameter. The thicker it is, the shorter the blocks will be.
• Type of wood. For example, dense wood of oak or birch is much heavier than the same volume of pine or linden. And dry birch is more dangerous than dry pine. The birch bark does not pass water. The tree stands as if wrapped in polyethylene, and therefore the dried birch becomes rotten and brittle very quickly. By the way, for the same reason, in order to save birch for firewood, it is better to chop the “stumps” right away, at least in half.
• Season. In winter, living trees shed water, wood becomes lighter. The ground below them freezes, and therefore can withstand a large load.

However, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times! For example, after watching a two-minute video: “The profession is an arborist,” filmed about our work by Channel One for the Good Morning TV show.

Now you imagine the process of felling trees in parts. In no case do not try to cut a tree yourself, without having mastered the specialty of an industrial climber and feller! It is easier, safer and, ultimately, cheaper to turn to specialists. You can find prices for this service here.

Nuances of tree removal in the Moscow region

Remember - the work of an arborist is very dangerous, it requires skills, knowledge and experience.

We specialize in tree removal. We take on any orders: we can solve the problem if the branches are located directly above the house and need to be carefully cut, we can safely cut rotten trunks, remove trees that have fallen on buildings.

Read more

Thoughts are material!

Naturally, it all started with agreements and preliminary planning.

During the day, three teams at four sites cut down thirteen trees and cut dry branches from several pines!

Read more

All articles

Trade terms

Broken top of a tree

Can lead to sad consequences. When falling, be sure to hit the most valuable item in your area.

Read more

Arborist

An arborist is a professional who has the technical skills, gained through experience and appropriate training, including climbing, to oversee the treatment of trees and other woody plants in residential, commercial, and public landscapes.

Learn more

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