Caring for Your Trees

What to Do Before Cutting Down a Tree

Trees are important to the ecosystem, but if the tree's condition is not salvageable or poses a potential risk to the surrounding, it likely necessitates removal. To facilitate this, you must ensure that your yard is favorable for a successful tree removal exercise. Thus, it is wise that you schedule an inspection with an arborist at a tree removal company to assess the tree removal site and prepare it properly to facilitate a safe and efficient process. Read below for four ways to prepare for your tree removal effectively:

Examine the Tree

It is crucial that you engage an arborist for a tree examination to diagnose the tree's condition. To ascertain the breadth of work and the tools needed for the exercise, the contractors will determine the species of tree being felled and its width, height, and age. For instance, older trees have strongly established roots while newly planted ones have a shallow root system, which means that older trees generally require more effort to remove. Additionally, through tree evaluation, an arborist estimates how long the removal exercise will take and develops a plan to work within that time to avoid delays.

Protect the Tree's Surrounding Area

The arborist performs a risk assessment to ascertain the likelihood of branches falling during tree removal and the consequences of such an outcome. Thus, the professional identifies potential hazards and ways of mitigating them. For example, if your tree's location is near power lines, they liaise with your utility company to de-energize or shield the cables for the duration of the tree removal. Additionally, they move items such as furniture and garden accessories from the tree's vicinity to prevent damage from falling limbs.

Formulate a Plan for the Staging Area

The tree removal worksite requires sufficient space to place foliage branches and then drag them to the chipper, in addition to parking areas for heavy equipment. Furthermore, the driveway should be clear to provide room for equipment and vehicles hauling wood. Ensuring these areas are clear beforehand helps avoid disrupting your household's routine as the contractors access the worksite. Besides this, keep in mind that the cleared felling zone should be twice the tree's height and allow extra space in case the tree falls in an unanticipated direction.

Inform Your Neighbors

Tree removal is a potentially massive undertaking characterized by a lot of noise that may be disruptive to your neighbor. In addition, your tree could encroach onto the neighbor's property, posing a risk of property damage if sections of the tree fall over the boundary line. Accordingly, it would be best if you gave notice to your neighbors so as not to agitate or alarm them.

Tree removal is undoubtedly safer and more effective when you adhere to proper preparation before the exercise. Therefore, you should hire an arborist before your tree removal for the necessary preparations and, subsequently, a successful felling.