Instructions for Cutting Down a Large Tree

Learn how to cut down a large tree.

Cutting down very large trees is best left to a professional arborist, but that is not always a practical solution. If you have experience cutting down medium to large trees and are in an area away from buildings or power lines that can be damaged, you can cut down a large tree yourself by following a few safety precautions. Conduct thorough research into the project and obtain the correct arborists' tools before attempting.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Yard clothing
• Closed-toe boots
• Safety eye goggles
• Tree saw
• Rake
• Chainsaw
• Felling wedge

Instructions

1. Clear the vicinity of the tree, raking aside debris and moving fallen branches or other objects. Clear a tree-felling path about 25 percent longer than the tree itself.

2. Saw a triangular wedge out of the trunk that goes a quarter to a third of the way into the diameter of the tree trunk and is about 4 to 5 inches thick. Cut the wedge on the side facing the direction you want the tree to fall. This should be the side facing a slope, if there is any slope to the area surrounding the tree, or on the side of the tree that leans the closest to the ground.

3. Step to the opposite side of tree trunk from the notch and place the chainsaw a few inches above the horizontal wedge you sawed out on the other side. Start chainsawing the tree down in a 45 degree angle toward the ground to meet the notch on the other side.

4. Place a plastic felling wedge into your cut behind your chainsaw to prevent the weight of the tree trunk from crushing down on your saw (thus halting your sawing).

5. Remove your chainsaw when it cuts nearly all the way through to the wedge on the other side. Yell "Timber!" and give the tree a push away from you.

6. Step away as quickly as you can as the tree falls in the opposite direction.

Tips & Warnings

• Check frequently, both visually and audibly, to ensure no one has come into the area.

• Felling large trees should be done by someone with lots of experience, as it is a project that can cause great bodily harm without the proper education, information and experience with the equipment -- especially the chainsaw.

• Ensure no excessive wind is blowing that could alter the direction in which the tree should fall.

• When cutting a tree on a slope, stand on the hillside of the slope, away from the direction the tree leans.

References

• California Master Gardener Handbook; Dennis R. Pittenger; 2002
• University of Minnesota Extension: Safe Chainsaw Operation

Resources

• YouTube: Using a Felling Wedge to Cut Down a Large Tree