How To Cut Down a Small Tree On Your Property

If you want to figure out how to chop down a small tree on your property, it’s key to note that this work can be done by a home owner usually, but only with the right tools and safety procedures in place. It’s additionally necessary to know when you really should leave this task to tree trimming pros like us!

Home owners may possibly also take into consideration when it’s time to take down any tree from their property, including indications that it’s diseased and decayed or simply won’t develop. You might also consider some tips on how to ensure your property looks its best after you’ve cut down that small tree and what to do with all that wood too!

Safety First Long Before You Learn How to Chop Down a Small Tree!

Regardless if you’re planning on chopping a small tree down with no a saw or you have a large axe in the basement available to go, it’s vital to consider safety first! Even compact chainsaws can cause major harm if handled incorrectly, and splintered lumber often flies in any and all trajectories, also presenting the chance for injury.

Before you start, secure little ones and beloved pets far away from your worksite and look for unforeseen visitors often whilst getting the job done. Know your surroundings; look for overhead wires and other obstructions as well as uneven ground. Clear away rocks, fallen branches and twigs, and other hazards; cover holes and openings in the ground as needed.

Choose what’s called an escape route; this should be two different directions in which you can run if the tree should start to drop or move towards you. Rest often while working to ascertain your surroundings and be certain that you and any helpers are safe and avoiding distraction, and that your escape routes are always clear.

Next, note your clothing. Wear clothes made from thick, durable cotton, flannel, or wool so that they repel small wood chips and bits. Select a button-up shirt with long sleeves and keep everything buttoned all the way, to cover as much skin as possible!

Also, wear heavy, resilient cotton or denim trousers and steel-toe work boots with ankle protection. Get thick cotton work gloves and heavy-duty eye protection, and a hard hat! When using a chainsaw or any power tools, protect your hearing with proper earplugs or coverings, and wear chainsaw chaps or leg protection. Long hair should be drawn back neatly and kept out of your face and eyes.

As even a small tree can cause extreme property harm, avoid parking your car near that tree and eliminate items near your workspaces, for instance, a lawnmower and other such equipment. You might even cover a nearby fence and landscape design features with a thick tarp, to help limit damage from falling branches.

Before chopping a small tree down with a chainsaw, check the chain brake and throttle. If using an axe, make certain the axe head is secure and the handle in good condition, without splitting. Never use any tools that look aged, worn, in shabby condition, or otherwise broken. Check your axe or saw on a small stump or log before addressing a tree that needs cutting, so you know every little thing is in good condition and ready for use.

Planning for How to Cut Down a Small Tree

Your primary step in actually chopping down a small tree with an axe or chainsaw is to find the target, or the intended direction of the fall. Note if the tree has a side or back lean; typically a lean, as well as overhead hazards, determine the tree’s “bad side.” You’ll need to avoid this bad side during the last or felling cut.

Start cutting the tree with a face cut, lined up with the target and perpendicular to the ground. This face cut determines how the tree will fall once cut entirely and should work about 1/3 of the way through the tree trunk. Next, you’ll want to add in a hinge cut; this is a wedge cut, normally at a 45-degree to 70-degree angle downward, toward the face cut.

These cuts should start small and get bigger as you progress through them, but don’t cut through that hinge! You’ll need to take out that wedge when it’s large enough to weaken the tree. As you create this wedge, you might need to make a small cut on the side of the tree opposite the face cut and insert a wedge or shim. This reduces the risk of the tree falling opposite the target.

Search for hazards and make sure that nobody remains in the way before you make the final release cut and take out the wedge you’ve created. If the tree doesn’t fall as expected, continue to make small cuts along that wedge so you keep weakening the trunk.

Tips for Cutting a Small Tree Down Without a Saw

You can chop down a small tree without a chainsaw; it requires more physical labor but this is how trees were felled for centuries before chainsaws were invented! First, acquire felling wedges. These wedges are inserted into your cuts as you make them, preventing your axe blade from getting pinched in the process. They also put added pressure on the cut trunk, encouraging the tree to fall.

Before you start cutting a small tree down with no a saw, inspect it thoroughly. The vibrations created by chopping at a tree loosen dead and decaying limbs, which can quickly fall on you or any helpers nearby! Start felling your tree by removing any loose or obviously damaged branches. Use heavy-duty pruning shears on small branches if it’s unwieldy to operate an axe around the tree’s top.

You also want to take note if the tree is twisting heavily is loaded down with large branches along one side. No matter your attempts, that tree is very likely to fall in the direction of its lean. Plan accordingly and begin by removing the treetop rather than felling it at the trunk, to avoid property damage.

Once you’ve shortened the tree and removed it off as many branches as needed, you can make the same face and hinge cuts you might with a chainsaw. Add your felling wedges to the face cut as you go, tapping them in with the back end of the axe head. Similar to using a chainsaw, don’t cut through that hinge but permit the weight of the tree do the work in felling it for you!

When Is It Time to Chop Down a Small Tree?

Both full-grown and modest landscaping trees add lots of aesthetic interest to any property; in many cases, they can even increase your property’s overall value. Trees also offer shade to the ground, keeping it from getting burnt in the summer, in addition to a nesting area for birds that might eat typically annoying insect pests around your yard.

While trees offer loads of positive aspects for your residential or commercial property, there are times when it’s better to get rid of them! An arborist can tell you if a tree is blighted beyond treatment and repair; occasionally, however, a tree may be so rotted inside that its bark begins to peel and limbs dry out, both of which are signs that it’s time to cut it down. Trees infested with termites and other damaging bugs might also need removing, to protect the rest of your real estate.

If you have a tree on your property that just refuses to flourish no matter how frequently you have it pruned or otherwise nurtured, it may not be native to your area! Like flowers and other plant life, trees often grow best in their native habitat; trees that thrive in cold weather might wither under the scorching, tropical sun, as one good example. If your property’s tree is having a hard time and not native, it’s not likely to ever do well and should be taken out.

There is also nothing wrong with eliminating a tree purely because you don’t like its presence or placement on your property. A tree in the way of your building plans, view of the horizon, or an exterior window should be taken away, so you enjoy your property and your view from both indoors and out!

How to Enhance Your Property After Removing a Tree

Your might notice your outside area looks a bit bare and far less lush once you cut down a small tree, and especially if you remove any large, mature trees or other landscaping features! One way to add lots of visual attraction without shutting out the view is by flowering shrubs; try lilac bushes or honeysuckle for both color and a lovely aroma in your backyard.

If your home’s outside surfaces now appear a bit barren and lackluster once you remove trees near the house, add flower boxes under the windows and paint the home’s trim a crisp white. Decorative shutters also add an eye-catching touch and help break up long, boring exterior walls.

For more visual attraction along your real estate, consider some hardscape features. Landscaping refers to items that grow such as flowers and shrubs, whereas hardscaping includes items that don’t grow, such as brick, concrete, and stone. Retaining walls protect residential or commercial property from excess moisture or erosion, but can also be attractive, providing a bit of height and depth to your space. Stacked brick borderlines and edging also add lots of visual interest as well as some separation between your landscaping and lawn.

What to Do With That Wood Following Cutting Down a Small Tree

After you’ve chopped down that tree, what to do with all that wood? One particular significant recommendation is to be sure that the tree was healthy and free of health conditions and insects before you burn that timber or add it in your household rubbish. Moving infested wood can mean ferrying those harmful parasites with it so they simply move on to another tree!

Your area could also have building codes or other policies that control what you can do with wood cut from your property, to contain damaging smoke and fumes. Some softwoods also do not burn effectively; you may notice that your planned bonfire makes more smoke than flames, or that you have a hard time for hours to keep the flames going.

If you’re not sure the condition of the tree you just felled or have no other way of taking care of that wood, call a tree trimming expert or tree removal service. They will quite easily identify the wood types, condition of the tree, and if the lumber is salvageable. They will also know with local regulations and policies that have a bearing on how to dispose of that wood!

If the wood is safe for disposal, you might take into consideration renting a wood chipper. This makes quick work of breaking down that timber so you can easily bag it up and put it in the trash or take it to a local dumping site. Use extreme caution when using a wood chipper and make sure you break down that tree into workable pieces before feeding it into the chipper.

When You Don’t Know How to Cut Down a Small Tree

If you’re uncertain how to cut down a small tree, count on the services of a tree removal company near you! Remember that tree trimmers specialize in removing trees of all sizes and varieties, not just mature trees. They can make quick work of trimming and digging up landscaping trees and know how to contain termites and pests when removing infested trees, ensuring your property is protected.

A tree removal company can additionally recommend a native tree that might flourish on your real estate or a more eye-catching tree species. Their advice ensures your property looks its best and you’re happy with the end result for years to come, so give them a phone call if you’re uncertain how to chop down a small tree in your lawn.