Felling a tree technique

[Keitai]

Not a big branch for this practice but cut 45 degrees up and down then horizontally from other side leaving hinge. Running off on horizontally cut side when it falls. Should fall where 45 degrees (groove) has been cut I believe. Is this correct?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sounds like a plan, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[Burnerman]

You are on dangerous ground (and maybe litigation too if things go wrong).
It's safer to de-limb the tree as far as possible, get a rope round it and pull......but we don't know what's in the way!
John

 

[Koolpc]

Use dynamite...

 

[Mike13]

All very well setting up the wedge gap where you want it to go, but you also have to consider where the center of mass of the whole tree above the cut is.
If it is significantly off to one side, that is where it is going to fall.
You may need to cutoff some of the higher up smaller branches first to be certain it falls where required, and not across the neighbours car.

 

[Munroast]

jeez - what a dangerous mess; Its leaning the wrong way now, look how the cut to the right has closed up. That could fall in any direction, and its too late to climb up and attach a rope.

and look at how high above the ground it has been cut, this is the work of an utter idiot - serious amount of weight up there, if it hits you when it falls it could easily kill you

I have a fair bit of experience in cutting down trees and I wouldn’t want to go any where near that - evacuate the area and wait for a windy day.

Seriously that is farking dangerous

 

[StephenStephen]

Another time, I'd be tempted to remove the panels from the fence individually, then the posts, dig a pit in the neighbours garden with a spade, make sure the spade is then clean and hit myself in the face with it.
(I'm assuming from the photo that you're attempting to demolish the fence, put a hole in the neighbours garden and land yourself in hospital)

 

[Murdochcat]

Leave it to a professional?

 

[johnny2007]

Take a painter pole, rope with choking knot at the end, put rope around thick branch as high as possible, discard the pole.
Then put the other end of the rope around something solid: a car, concrete post, etc.
Pull as tight as possible and if you have ratchet use it.
Cut the tree from opposite side of rope direction and every couple of inches tighten the rope a bit more.
Tree will fall in the direction of the rope.
Too late for any standard technique as you have it now.

 

[johnny2007]

Forgot to add, cut as much as possible of what's left there before taking it all down.

 

[robinbanks]

Should fall where 45 degrees (groove) has been cut

No. You're assuming the tree is perfectly balanced, and the slightest wind can alter that

Unbalance the tree in the direction you want it to fall by removing branches from the side you don't want it to fall, then cut your notch more than half way

Personally I think you'd be better off, given the apparent lack of experience, in taking it down branch at the time

 

[johnny2007]

No. You're assuming the tree is perfectly balanced, and the slightest wind can alter that

Unbalance the tree in the direction you want it to fall by removing branches from the side you don't want it to fall, then cut your notch more than half way

Personally I think you'd be better off, given the apparent lack of experience, in taking it down branch at the time

Agree.
Always safer to take down a "naked" trunk rather than a tree with unbalanced branches.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Make sure you have your insurance policy to hand.

You do have insurance?

 

[Keitai]

Make sure you have your insurance policy to hand.

You do have insurance?

Yeah. Felling up to 5 metres. This wasn't that thick or heavy. Photo must have given a false impression of weight.

 

[Gasguru]

Many policies (mine does) have clauses that specifically void the policy for negligence eg. felling trees without appropriate training & qualification could be deemed as such.