Feb 26 2008
Removing Old Trees
Sometimes a tree gets to the point where it is necessary to say goodbye to it. It can be a painful choice to make, but sometimes the tree gets too close to the house, gets too diseased, gets an incurable infestation of some pest, or grows too tall and gets close to a power line. If any of these things occur, its best to do the right thing and get rid of the tree. Although you might have spent hours and hours getting the tree to where it is today, it is almost dishonorable to the tree to allow it to suffer in bad conditions.
Once you have made the choice to remove the tree, you need to plan its removal. I can’t begin to count how many windows I’ve seen knocked out or cars I’ve seen crushed because of poor planning in the tree removal process. Decide what direction you want it to fall, and accurately measure to make sure it will fall completely clear of anything else that it could possibly cause damage to.
Once you have the falling direction planned out, you should climb up the tree and tie two long ropes near the top. Anchor them on the opposite side of the one that you want it to fall towards. This will allow you to adjust the direction the tree is being lowered in, just in case it starts leaning towards anything it could destroy.
Now that you’ve taken all the necessary precautions, you are ready to begin chopping. If you plan on using a manually operated saw or axe, please step back and consider how insane that is. Chopping down a tree by hand will take you forever, and will not even begin to be as accurate as using a chainsaw. If you don’t have a chainsaw, you shouldn’t even consider doing it without one. Ask around with your neighbors and see if anyone has one that you could borrow. If that doesn’t work, rent or buy one from your local home improvement store.
Before you start chopping away at the tree, you should wear proper eye and face protection in case any wood chips fly towards your eyes. I had a friend who blinded his right eye while cutting down a tree, so I hope all of my readers do not make the same mistake as he did. Whenever you operate a power tool, always be sure to wear proper protection for any exposed parts of your body.
When making the cut, you do not want to just cut a straight line into the tree. It is best to cut a sideways “V” into the tree. This is because if you cut the straight line, the tree will end up rolling to one side or the other. If you cut in a “V”, the tree will be able to fall in the exact direction that you want it to fall. Occasionally it might be a few feet off due to human error during the cutting process, but if you have some strong friends pull on the ropes you tied, you can line it back up with the path you wanted it to take. The entire process shouldn’t take more than an hour.
Removal of the stump can be slightly more difficult. You have several choices; you can rent out a stump chipper that will completely destroy the visible section of the stump. Or you can spend countless hours digging it out. Digging out the stump is much more thorough, but takes forever. If you have kids this shouldn’t be a problem. Kids often find the thought of digging fun, and are excited to go outside and dig all day long with their friends. This was the method I used, and I had the entire stump out within a week. Keep in mind that my stump was about 1 foot in diameter, and digging probably won’t work for stumps much larger than that.
16 responses so far
I have a few trees I need to remove! Thanks for the great tips man!
I’ve got 2 trees that need to go but I have been putting them off because I like them. This article got me thinking about it again. Maybe it’s time….
Have 3 60foot monsters to come down myself, the stumps are going to be over 48inch around. Will be fun. Thanks for the article
“Sometimes a tree gets to the point where it is necessary to say goodbye to it. It can be a painful choice to make”
^^absolutly. especially when you consider all the time and effort on our part to get the tree to where it is, (or was, in it’s prime).
Very good read. For digging the stump out, if you don’t need the it out immediately, you can also drill several holes into the stump, then pour poison down the stumps. After a few weeks of adding poison, it’ll be much easier to pull out.
I have 2 trees that should be removed, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I have a patio and these trees have just started growing from nowhere. First they were just 1 inch sprouts but they have grown like mad. One of them is now blocking the door to the storage room. The other is way to close to my outside wall, but is as tall as my second story window. I can’t kill them, just hoping it will be ok.:)
You forgot to add or if the wind blows it down. We had a nice shade tree in our front yard until a big wind storm knocked it over. Thankfully, it missed our house and the next door neighbor. The only problem with the stump was that it weighed a lot. Finally we had the remaining roots dug out and pulled it out with a truck. Still miss that tree, especially with the summer heat coming.
Thanks for the useful information. We have a tree in our backyard that we need to take care of. The roots are starting to effect the foundation of the house! Now I know what to do, step by step. Thanks!
sorry for OT, but I found your site searching for garden blog themes. Did you do that by yourself of is it a template which is available for dl somewhere?
I tried removing a medium tree myself this spring and was a major headache. Next time I’ll hire someone who knows what they are doing and willing to haul away the wood. Nice article thanks!
I think Im past the point of making this a do it yourself project, it stinks to get old
Its sad to cut them down, but it is even worse if they come down on your house during a bad storm. So in the end saving a tree might mean losing your home
“If you plan on using a manually operated saw or axe, please step back and consider how insane that is.” — LOL!
I removed a tree a little under a year ago, but left the stump behind.. now we have half a dozen 8′ tall new growth limbs shooting out of the stump. Any suggestions on what I should do to prevent new shoots from forming?
I have been really interested in planting and caring for trees lately. I have been reading your blog and your tips are really helpful. Keep up the good work.
great, i may practice it
If your tree gets to be larger than 1 foot in diameter you may also consider trading the ropes in for cables. And do be carefull. When a large tree decides to fall it is going to go where it wants!
It is best hiring a professional to get rid of old trees.