What Is Tree Felling?

Tree Felling is the removal of timber trees and other woody stems. This is done for many reasons. For example, trees can be damaged or killed by severe weather, which makes them a safety hazard and requires their felling. Some trees may also be dead or dying due to disease, which is another reason for their felling. In addition, a tree may be leaning dangerously or growing into buildings and power lines, so it must be felled to avoid collapse or damage. Finally, trees can be home to pests like mites and moths that will damage other plants in a yard.

Felling trees can be beneficial to wildlife as well as people. The trees will provide shelter and food for birds and mammals, and their branches will support other plants and animals. They can even provide shade, which is useful in hot and dry climates. Trees also help to keep soil in place, prevent floods, and regulate the Earth’s climate. Deforestation, however, can cause problems like soil erosion, flooding, and loss of biodiversity.

Before felling a tree, you must identify hazards and create a harvest plan. This will include identifying wind-throw and slope issues and communicating these to the felling crew.

You must also clear the area around the felling site and determine the direction of the fall. This is important to ensure that the tree will not be blown away by wind and land in a dangerous position. You can use a plumbline to measure the direction of the fall, or you can simply look at how the tree grows. If you are using a chainsaw, you should use a modified undercut (see fact box) rather than the traditional notch cut. The modified undercut provides more room for the tree to fall and is easier on the sawyer.

If the felling is within a private garden, you do not need a licence. If it is outside of a garden, you will need a licence if the woody stems to be removed are 8cm or greater in diameter measured at 1.3 metres from ground level, unless an exemption applies.

Open space felling involves removing certain trees from woodland to allow the growth of sub-canopy natural regeneration or for woodland management purposes such as rides, glades, tracks, and forest roads. This type of felling is typically considered as restocking, although there may be instances where compensatory planting is required instead.

Tree felling can also be undertaken for commercial reasons. Larger timber trees are often felled to make way for new developments, such as homes or roads. In some cases, tree felling is required to comply with planning regulations or to facilitate construction. It is also sometimes necessary to protect property from wildfire or to create a habitat for wildlife. Tree felling can be a very hazardous activity, and you should only attempt it with the proper equipment. Inexperienced or untrained individuals can be seriously injured or killed by falling debris or being struck by a falling tree.

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