How to Fell a Tree With Rope
- 1). Inspect the area around the tree. Estimate the height of the tree and try to see what items fall within its radius. Pay special attention to power or communications lines which may hang within the path of the falling tree.
- 2). Inspect the tree for possible weak points, dead wood or other structural problems which may cause it to fracture during the cutting process and fall in pieces. Take note if the tree tends toward one side or another or if it has a curve in the trunk which may cause it to fall in a particular direction. These factors may decide in which direction the tree must be cut.
- 3). Decide on a path to follow should something go wrong causing you to have to get out of the way in a hurry. Plan on a direction which is away from the expected tree fall at about a 45-degree angle.
- 4). Tie your pull line rope around the tree at a height sufficient to provide the leverage you will need to guide the tree. Do not tie the rope so high in the tree that the trunk is too weak to hold the weight of the tree. This would defeat the purpose of the pull line and may cause you to lose control of the felling direction. Tie the rope with a standard form double-knot.
- 5). Pull on the rope in the direction you wish the tree to fall as the cut is made. Pull only as hard as is necessary to shift the center of gravity of the falling tree in the proper direction.
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