Removal of trees in the suburban area: possible risks and ways to minimize them

For many of us, the villa site is the place where we spend a lot of time. In summer it is very pleasant to sit in the shade of trees, enjoying the fresh air and pleasant coolness on a hot day. But a tree is a living organism that grows old or can get sick. The reason for this may be economic activity, leading to damage to the root system, or epidemic of bark beetle. And then the day comes when you need to remove the tree, which became a problem.

If you decide to cut the tree yourself, then you need to think through the whole sequence of actions even before the beginning of the work. The main difficulty in removing a tree in a dacha is that the land plot is a small, limited area, in addition to the tree being removed, there is also a fence on one side and a summer water pipe on the other. Between them - a house, outbuildings, other trees. And all this must be preserved intact.

In this article, we'll look at the typical risks that arise when a tree is deleted at a dacha, and we'll show you what can be done to avoid them.

Perhaps you think that the removal of trees in the suburban area begins at the moment when you pick up a saw. In fact, everything begins much earlier - with a regular inspection of trees, assessing their condition. The main mistake at this stage is inattention to the state of the trees. If you miss a moment, you risk getting an emergency tree, which itself can collapse under a gust of wind or just uncontrollably fall apart.

The tree is selected, you are ready to start the cut. Check if the path of retreat from the tree is ready, if something goes wrong. The risk of injury to the sawmill increases many times, if he does not have safe ways to move away from the tree. Avoiding this is simple - remove all obstacles before starting work.

In order not to damage property or buildings, when deleting a tree, it must be taken into account that you could be mistaken when visually estimating the size of a tree. To avoid the risk of damaging the buildings with the branches of a fallen tree, it is necessary to add 3-5 meters to the estimate, possibly estimating the height and span of the branches as well as the tree's forward movement relative to the stump.

At the stage of tree felling, the main risk is the fall of the tree in the wrong direction. This is the most common problem, to the emergence of which can lead to several reasons.

The first reason is an incorrect estimate of the weight of the tree, massive branches are not taken into account, which, if dropped, can affect the direction change. If you are not sure that the tree will fall in the right direction - insure yourself, use a brace from the rope to correct the direction of the fall.

The second reason - it was not taken into account that the tree is, in fact, a large sail. Therefore, a strong gust of wind can change the direction of its fall. Therefore, postpone the felling of the tree until the day with calm weather.

The third, and, perhaps, the most common reason - errors in the technique of making cuts when felling a tree. Saws are performed at different heights, from opposite sides of the tree. The main point - the internal parts of the wedge-shaped cuts should be strictly parallel to each other. Failure to comply with this condition may lead to the fact that instead of breaking and falling, the tree will start to twist. Avoiding such problems will only help understanding what needs to be done and experience.

At the stage of execution of the cuts, the tree cleavage risk must also be taken into account when felling the tree. This can lead to an incorrect depth of performance. The required depth depends on a number of external factors: the inclination and bending of the trunk, the tree species.

In addition to the main risks listed above, there are a few more, related to the safety of the execution of felling operations. Some of them are associated with the use of tools of increased danger, such as saw or electric saw. The other part - with the position of sawmill at the time of work. For example, using a ladder resting on the tree being removed. At the moment of separation of the main part of the tree, the remaining part can work as a catapult and throw you along with the ladder and tool to the ground.

Remember that the removal of trees in the suburban area is dangerous work, requiring careful approach and careful preparation. Adherence to basic safety rules will help you minimize risks and perform work without sacrificing property and health risks.