Darcy Fowler
Learn the essential steps to safely chop down a garden tree, from assessing risks and gathering the right equipment to proper cutting techniques and managing the fall. This guide prioritizes your safety and helps minimize potential hazards, ensuring a controlled and responsible tree removal process.
As the old saying goes, safety first. When tackling any form of high-risk procedure, it’s important to assess what could go wrong. When chopping down a tree, the main risk is obviously when the tree falls. Be sure to assess the surrounding area; make sure there’s no way any humans or pets can access this area until the job is complete.
Other safety considerations include protective equipment (including a helmet, goggles, and steel-toe cap boots) and the weather.
You’ll need to assess your tree to determine which direction is the most natural way for it to fall. You should also look for damage, as this can also impact which way the tree will fall. Damaged or weak trees will be more easily impacted by the wind. Whichever way you are hoping for your tree to fall, always have an escape route in mind just in case things don’t go to plan.
Once you’ve completed the necessary safety assessments, it’s time to gather your tools, the most important being your chainsaw. If you don’t currently own a chainsaw, you may want to consider hiring a petrol or electric chainsaw for the job.
Other tools you may require for chopping down a tree include:
• Felling wedges
• Loppers
• Saw
• Ladder
• Rope
A notch cut is sometimes referred to as a face cut and is used to control which way a tree falls. Your notch cut should be on the side of the tree where you want it to fall. While there are different types, the most common is the conventional notch cut.
A conventional notch is cut at an approximately 45° angle, made up of two cuts. Your first cut with your chainsaw will be angled and your second one will be horizontal. You’ll want to cut about a third of the way into the tree trunk.
Once you’ve got your notch, you’ll need to move to the other side of the tree to cut your felling cut. This is sometimes referred to as a back cut; you can use a chainsaw or an axe for your felling cut.
The felling cut is what causes your tree to fall, so cut slowly. As soon as your tree starts to lean, you’ll need to retreat to a safe distance. You may also want to use a felling wedge to make this part easier.
Limbing is the process of removing branches from a tree. Again this can be performed with a chainsaw, axe or even a hand saw depending on the size of the branches. When removing branches, start from the base of the tree if branches slope downwards and start from the top if they face upwards.
Bucking is the process of turning your tree into logs which can then be used for other purposes, which could be anything from building a log cabin to simply throwing on to a fire. On the other hand, it may just make your life easier when it comes to discarding.
If possible, use a sawbuck. This is used to hold the tree off the floor, making it easier to cut. If you are cutting a tree that is lying on the floor, take care not to cut into the ground if using a chainsaw.
