Cutting down trees, also known as felling trees, requires proper planning, the right skills and a high degree of training. This is a potentially risky job that should only be handled by experienced professionals. If the tree is not too large, you could consider handling the task yourself. Here we take a look at how to cut down a tree with a chainsaw.
Steps On How To Cut Down A Tree With A Chainsaw
1. Wear Appropriate Safety Gear
Safety isn’t something you can take for granted when you are felling trees with a chainsaw, and you need to take it seriously. There is specific safety gear you must wear anytime you use a chainsaw in your work, especially when you are felling trees, such as:
- A logger’s helmet
- Earmuffs
- Face screen
- Safety glasses
- Kevlar chaps
2. Check the Chainsaw
This is the very first thing you must inspect while understanding how to cut down a tree with a chainsaw. Verify that your chainsaw has either been sharpened or has a new chain and fresh oil.
3. Inspect the Felling Area
Check the surrounding area very carefully. Some things you should keep an eye out for include fences, vegetation, buildings and other structures and power lines. You would want the tree to reach the ground clearly once you have felled it.
4. Estimate the Felling Zone
This step of cutting trees with chainsaws involves planning out the tree’s fall. Most trees will have a specific natural fall direction, and their shape, size and lean are the factors that affect this aspect. Conduct a careful assessment and calculation before you start felling the tree. Keep in mind that trees are always much taller than you think, which also means they reach much further once they are felled, than you expect.
5. Examine The Tree
It’s crucial to examine the tree for decayed or dead sections that could potentially break off. Also, check for hanging vines or loose branches that could interfere with its fall, or might pull away debris from surrounding trees.
6. Plan the Path of Retreat
This is another crucial aspect that you must plan well in advance. Determine what your path of the retreat will be once the tree falls. Exactly where will your crew members/helpers stand? All of these are vital points to consider and plan while using chainsaws to cut trees, and you must communicate these clearly with everyone present at the site. Clear away all the surrounding vegetation or brush as needed.
7. Make the Proper Notch
When felling trees with a chainsaw, the standard rule is to ensure that the notch’s depth is one-fifth of the diameter of its trunk. It’s essential to ensure that the angle is right and that the felling cut meets the notch point correctly. Once the tree begins to fall, that hinge will help to guide its fall in the desired direction.
8. Use Wedges on Bigger Trees
When felling a tree that’s over 18” in diameter, make the notch and start the felling cut. Once you have penetrated far enough, stop and pound wedges just behind the bar. Leave the bar inside the cut with the chainsaw running; however, lock the chain’s brake and then firmly tap in the wedges. You can finish the cut after that. Wedges help keep the saw from becoming pinched inside the cut in case the tree starts to lean backwards.
Another crucial step of tree cutting with a chainsaw is to have an assistant standing just a few feet behind you. Their main job would be to watch for falling branches and keep an eye on the top of the tree; they should let you know once the tree begins to fall.
Following these steps on how to cut down a tree with a chainsaw will ensure that you cut down the tree with minimal risk to you and anyone present on site.