Cuts and cuts technology when removing and caring for trees

With any type of tree removal, it is necessary to pay special attention to the technique of cuts and cuts when removing branches, and also to adequately calculate the volume of removal of living branches.

When pruning, you should:

• Prevent the infection of the tree with aggressive pathogens of rot and vascular diseases
• Minimize the area and the total amount of damage done to the tree
• Arrange the cuts so that it is easier to insulate the damaged area with wood.

Tree pruning rules

1. All cuts must be made with a well-sharpened tool.

With a poorly sharpened tool, grooves remain in the cut in which rot pathogens easily take root. For pruning trees, special garden saws with Japanese sharpening are best suited, as well as professional chainsaws for tree care, such as the STIHL ms192t and ms150t

2. In most situations, branch removal must be done in three steps

First cut . It is carried out from the bottom of the branch to a depth of no more than 1/3 of the branch diameter, at a distance of at least 20 cm from the trunk. The first cut is necessary so that when the branch breaks off, the bark does not lift up, right down to the trunk.

Second cut (rough) It is made from above the branch further (distally) from 3 to 15 cm (depending on the diameter of the branch to be removed) relative to the first cut. The cut is made until the branch begins to fall.

Third cut (finishing) The most important cut. Depending on the type of tree, the direction of growth of the branch, it is produced in different ways.

If at the base of the branch there is a pronounced influx (basal thickening), in this case it is necessary to remove the branch completely, while the cut should be carried out along the far (distal) edge of the basal thickening, without touching the folds of the cortex.

The basal enlargement contains a large amount of substances that resist the ingress of rot pathogens. Also, a cut is not allowed too far from the basal thickening , in this case the process of overgrowth of the cut with wound tissue occurs very slowly, which can also lead to the development of rot.

3. Processing of cuts.

In our region with high humidity, rot pathogens take root well in tree cuts. Therefore, after tree cutting, the cuts should be treated with various antiseptic agents. The most common means is bituminous varnish.

Technique of cuts (cuts) when felling a tree

How to cut a tree yourself

To cut a tree in the right direction, several factors must be taken into account :

• The natural inclination of the tree or the overweight of the crown of the tree in one direction or another.
• Wind direction and strength.
• Condition of wood and wood species.

If all factors add up well, namely the trunk is at an angle of 90 degrees or is inclined in the right direction, there is no negative crown overweight and the direction and strength of the wind does not interfere, then you can prepare for the felling of the tree.

First you need to prepare the tool and put on personal protective equipment. The chainsaw must be in good working order, refueled, it is necessary to check the tension and sharpening of the chain, if necessary, sharpen and correctly tension the chain.

Then you need to ensure the safety i.e. make sure that when the tree falls, there are no people or animals in the danger zone. To do this, you can fence off the place with a signal tape and place the attendants around the perimeter, in safe places.

Next, you need to clear the escape routes — that is, cut off the bushes, remove objects that prevent you from freely moving away from the tree at an angle of 45 degrees in the direction of the reverse fall of the trunk.

The next step is to make a side rough cut . This cut is performed parallel to the direction of the tree falling and serves to make it easier to navigate when performing the guide and main cut, as well as to reduce the diameter of the trunk.

tree doctor Then a guide cut is made . To do this, first at an angle of 90 relative to the lateral approximate notch, on the side of the tree falling, an inclined upper cut is made at an angle of 45–60 degrees, to a depth of no more than 1/3 of the trunk diameter. Then a horizontal cut is made which should converge with the upper one. It is important that both cuts close together and do not go deeper!

The felling cut is made last…. Depending on the conditions of the felling, there are many ways to make this cut. The simplest way is the following. The cut is made higher (5–10cm) relative to the horizontal cut in the guide notch. To start the cut is on the lateral orientation cut, by cutting the tire into the wood, while leaving the hinge (4–10 cm) from the guide cut. After the bar has entered the wood, turn the bar in the opposite direction to the other side of the guide notch and stop the cut, leaving the notch in the same way as on the other side. When the tree begins to fall, it is necessary to pull out the tire, turn off the saw and move to a safe distance through the emergency exits. If you have left the minimum hinge (4cm), and the tree does not fall, you need to insert wedges into the felling cut and tap them until the tree begins to fall.