Tips for Safe Tree Pruning

The summer season is fast approaching and it’s that time of the year people are looking to do a bit of landscaping on their property. Most people take this time to deal with their trees by cutting off dead branches, removing underbrush, and checking to see if the branches are a safe distance from their home. Tree cutting is an excellent way to ensure your trees stay healthy for years, but unless you’re doing it yourself or having us take care of it for you, here are a few tips to keep in mind to stay safe.

Use the Right Tools

When it comes to Orlando tree pruning, not everyone is familiar with the tools you’ll need to cut off dead branches. People assume you just get a chainsaw and go to town and while it’s one of the pieces of equipment you do need to get started, you also shouldn’t start working without the right safety gear. The chainsaw should have at least 3.5 horsepower and a twenty-inch bar, which is the length the blade will be able to penetrate.

Remember not to overlook those safety glasses, either! Even professionals like us need these while we’re working since debris will be flying everywhere when cutting down branches or a whole tree. Knee-high safety boots or heavy leg protectors are also a necessity to help us safe when pruning trees professionally. You should also have a rope that is roughly three times as long as your tree is high, it serves as a backup in case of an emergency.

Gathering Information

You may have the equipment, but you’re not quite ready to start tree cutting yet since you’ll have to start gathering information about the job at hand. First off, if it can be avoided, don’t cut the tree down yourself, have a few friends help you. This is just in case something goes wrong and even if they can’t lend much assistance, having someone nearby in case of an emergency is a good idea. There is a risk of the tree falling in the wrong direction and you don’t want to be alone in the unlikely event you or your home, fence, etc. get damaged and there’s no help available.

Find out how tall the tree is and from there decide in which direction you’ll want the tree to fall, measuring out the height on the ground. This will give you a rough estimate of where the tree will land, called the “fall zone”. Clear out this area of any debris and anything else that could be damaged like a car, children’s toys, the doghouse, etc.

One end of your rope should be tied around the middle of the tree or right above the middle before you start to work. Hand the other end of the rope to your friends and direct them to stand outside of the fall zone so they don’t get hurt. You’ll want to cut a V-shaped notch into the tree which will help to guide it to this zone so it doesn’t fall in another direction.

If you’re not looking to remove an entire tree, Orlando tree pruning is a great option for people who want to keep their leafy friends around the home healthy. Most trees that are cut down are either dead, dying, or diseased to the point where they may be in danger of infecting other plants in the vicinity. Pruning dead and diseased branches help to keep a tree healthy and ensure it’s able to keep standing. This also serves to cut away any branches that might fall down in a strong storm and possibly onto your home or vehicle, so it’s a win-win for both parties.

Be careful when tree pruning and if you’re unsure of proceeding, give us a call and we’ll take care of the job for you. We want everyone to be safe when it comes to working around trees and sometimes it’s a good idea to just let us handle the job.