How to Remove a Tree from Your Yard?

People who have a yard also have some trees to maintain the beauty of their garden. Trees improve the visual appeal of your yard, but sometimes you need to remove them due to some reasons. Some people remove trees from their gardens due to pest attacks and diseases while others remove them as they need the land for some other purpose.

Although it is best to call a professional tree removal service like Fort Worth tree maintenance to cut a tree, people with some skills and experience can do it themselves. This post shares the steps to remove a tree from a yard.

Collect the safety gear

The first step for tree removal is to collect the right safety gear as it keeps you safe from the risk of falling tree and branches. You need a helmet to protect your head from the falling branches. The earmuffs and safety glasses to keep the eyes and ears protected for dust and debris. Moreover, you can wear some cushions under your clothes to protect your body from injuries by the falling branches.

Create an estimate of felling zone

Every tree has a felling zone that is the area where a tree can fall after cutting. The falling region is circular, and the person needs to create at least two escape routes before cutting the tree.  You can use a scale or straight stick to estimate the felling zone.

To estimate the felling zone, stand with your face towards the tree and hold a stick in your hand in front of your face. Now, look at the top of the tree and the head of the stick and move back or forward until the top of the stick and tree comes in a straight line.

The base of the stick and base of the tree should also be in a straight line. You might need to move back or forward several times to bring the top and bottom of the stick in line with the tree. When you do it right, the tree will fall up to the position where you are standing. As it is a rough estimate, the actual felling zone might be a few feet larger than you think.

Clear the felling zone

After estimating the felling region, you need to clear the area to prevent any damage from falling of the tree. Cut the shrubs, bushes and remove any items under the tree within the felling zone. If the tree is already tilted to one side, it would fall on that side in 95 percent cases. You need to create two escape routes in the felling zone that you can use to escape when the tree is about to fall.  It is best to create the escape routes at an angle of 45 degrees and away from the line of falling.

Blocks in the felling zone

Sometimes there are things like a room, building, a structure, statue in the felling region that you cannot remove. In such cases, it is best to call a tree removal experts Chicago instead of cutting it yourself.

Plan the notch

You need to plan the notch at a spot on the trunk from where you will run your saw or axe to cut the tree. The notch should be made at a comfortable height as you can always shorten the stump by cutting it afterwards. Make a 70 degree cut on the side of the trunk facing the direction you want the tree to fall.

Cut to a depth of the 1/5th of the diameter of the trunk. Make the next cut horizontally to meet the first cut to create the notch. Make sure both the cuts meet at a point that is not more than 1/5th of the diameter of the stem.

Make the felling cut

To create the felling cut, you need to move to the opposite side of the notch and cut horizontally slightly above the previous cut. Cut deep enough to create enough space to insert a wedge. Then insert the wedge and continue with the same cut until 10 percent of the stem is left, or the tree begins to fall.

Escape safely

When the tree begins to fall, it will make a sound. You need to get away using one of the escape routes.  Once the tree fells down, you can remove the branches with the saw starting from the base. Cut all the branches and put them in loader truck to transfer. You can carry the entire trunk or cut it into small parts before transporting it to the required place.

Final Words

The steps mentioned above are useful for cutting a tree from a yard. After removing the tree, don’t forget to clean the area by picking the small branches, leaves and debris. Use a garden rake to clean the small wood pieces and debris from the field. Following the above steps, anyone with some skills and experience can remove a tree from a garden.