Practice These Safety Tips When Removing a Tree From Your Yard
Removing a tree is often necessary when it is in the way of your backyard landscaping design, it is growing too close to your home, or because it is diseased or dying. If you decide to remove it yourself, you need to be very careful and follow these important safety tips.
Be Careful Around Power Lines
One of the primary dangers of removing a tree is that they are often too close to power lines. This puts you at risk of getting electrocuted when you are using power tools for tree removal too close to live power lines. Even if you don't think the wires are live, assume that they are and practice caution. Not only could it cause electrocution, which may be fatal, you could kill the power to the entire neighbourhood. It is best that you only remove trees that are a safe distance away from power lines and leave the others to the professionals.
Look at Weather Reports Beforehand
The ideal temperature and weather to remove trees is in mild weather with no excessive wind and no chances of rain, snow, or hail. You will be up on a ladder while removing a tree, which means it could get slippery if it is too wet, and you could become unbalanced on an especially windy day. You also want to be careful about getting too hot in case it takes a long time, so try to choose a cool or overcast day for the tree removal. When you are on the ground removing the tree, you also need to be careful about inclement weather, as branches could fall down and harm you if it is bad enough.
Wear Safety Gear
Removing a tree requires the use of tools that can be dangerous if you aren't protected. You also need to protect yourself from the tree itself, such as from falling branches or limbs. Some basic protective gear to have on during this home project includes:
- Hard hat
- Safety glasses
- Hard boots
- Gloves
- Pants and long sleeves
- Hearing protection
Inspect Trees For Instability
Some trees put you at a greater risk of injury because they are already in an unstable condition. This is common when a tree has severe disease or is dying. The tree is likely already starting to crumble in certain areas, which means when you start removing it, it might collapse prematurely. Look for areas of the tree that might be unstable and be extra careful working around those areas. Trees that are severely decayed should be removed by a professional, like one at Heritage Tree Care.
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