How to Cut Down a Birch Tree

A birch tree can add shade and class to your yard, but when it starts to age and die, it may be time to cut that old tree down. Cutting down a large tree can pose some serious danger to you and your property--it's more than just cutting across the trunk with a chainsaw. It takes careful observation and good sense for cutting down a birch tree to be a safe process.

Things You'll Need

• Chainsaw
• Gloves
• Safety goggles

Instructions

1. Examine the surrounding area of the tree for any obstacles that might suffer damage as the birch tree falls. This may include a fence, your car, electrical wires and other trees. Move aside portable obstacles if necessary.

2. Examine the tree as well. Does it lean off to one side at an extreme angle? If the tree leans a certain way or has heavier foliage on one side than the other, it may fall in an unexpected manner.

3. Choose the safest path for the tree to fall based on the placement of your property. Try to work with any of the tree's natural angles. If the tree leans to the south, attempt to make the tree fall to the south if possible.

4. Clear away any brush around the base of the tree that may interfere with the felling. You need to have a clear line of retreat if the tree falls in the wrong direction.

5. Cut into one side of the trunk with your chainsaw to create the "undercut." Cut one fourth of the way into the trunk at a straight horizontal angle. Create the cut on whatever side of the tree where you would like to see the tree fall. For example, if you want the tree to fall south, start this cut on the south side of the trunk.

6. Make a second cut 6 inches above the first and angle it downward so that it reaches the end of the first cut. This takes out a large chunk of one side of the tree that makes it more likely that the tree will fall in the desired direction.

7. Cut at a straight horizontal line into the tree on the opposite side of the undercut. Make the cut just a little above the first line of the undercut. This is the "back cut."

8. Stop your chainsaw before it passes all the way through the trunk. Leave a few inches of wood between the back cut and the undercut (this is the "hinge" of the tree). The pressure that the gap of the undercut makes should soon buckle the tree, leading it to fall in the desired direction. Step away from the tree as it starts to fall for your safety.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear goggles and gloves any time you operate a chainsaw.

References

• University of Missouri: Felling, Bucking and Limbing Trees