We’ve all seen those hilarious video clips where an enthusiastic homeowner has hired a chainsaw and felled a huge oak tree that didn’t quite fall where planned and ended up on top of the new car or embedded in the living room. While these clips always raise a giggle, they also make us wonder what the man was thinking when he decided to drop the tree himself, and to partly answer that question, in a vast majority of cases, weight distribution was not taken into account, and once the final cut reaches a critical point, the tree can easily twist and take a totally different path, sending 30 plus tons of timber hurtling towards the ground!
The Professional Approach
While it might seem like the easiest – and most convenient – way to fell a tree, doing so in a confined area requires an awful lot of skill. A professional arborist such as ASL Tree Services, could drop a large tree on an X, but that would require the specialist going up the tree to create the right weight distribution by lopping off certain branches and boughs. If a large tree must be removed and there are structures nearby, no professional arborist would take the easy route, with a single well-placed cut, as there is always an element of risk. The professional way to remove such a tree is to take it down section by section, and this can safely be done using a crane. The targeted section would first be roped and then hooked up to the crane, which would take the weight as the tree surgeon makes the cut, and once the section is free, the crane operator would carefully lower the branch onto the ground or a waiting flatbed truck.
Power and Communication Lines
If a large tree is in a residential zone, the chances are power and communication cables are present, and removing the tree must be done very carefully. Should a large tree fall across tense power cables, this could cause a domino effect, pulling down the pylons one by one, as the sheer weight of the trunk stretches the power lines, and with cars parked on both sides of the street, you have a recipe for disaster! The other danger is a high voltage power cable snapping and this could cause a fatal accident, and with high voltage cables flying around, anything can happen.
On Site Inspection
If you have a tree on your property that you think might pose a danger, you should make contact with a local tree felling contractor, who would be fully insured and would have both the equipment and the experience to carry out the work safely. If you don’t know the whereabouts of a tree surgeon, an online search is the best place to start, and once you have made contact, the expert would be happy to inspect the tree and give you his professional opinion.
When you consider the enormous weight of a large tree, it makes perfect sense to call in the professionals to remove it, and with their expertise and experience, the tree can be safely removed without damaging the surrounds.