If you’re like a lot of homeowners, you might think that you can prune or remove those overgrown or dead trees that are plaguing your yard yourself. You might think that it will be a cinch to cut down that one branch or that you can save money and time by felling that little tree yourself. However, tree removal AND tree pruning are two DIY projects better left to the professionals. Here’s why.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 100 people are killed by falling trees each year. Falling trees and limbs, as well as people falling out of trees, are also the most common cause of injuries at home. Because they haven’t had proper training or don’t have the right equipment, homeowners often don’t know which direction a tree or limb will fall when they cut it. The homeowner or people nearby can then be injured. A tree trimming service or a tree removal service, on the other hand, will have the know-how and proper equipment to get the job done safely.
You might think that you can take care of a single branch or small tree yourself, but homeowners often misjudge the size and weight of trees or limbs. In fact, a single tree can weigh up to 50 tons. When something that large falls on your home, your car, or your neighbor’s property, there can be significant damage. A tree removal service will have insurance to take care of property damage if it were to occur when they do the work.
Most likely, if you’re planning to trim or remove a tree, you will be the only person doing the work. If that’s the case, your simple DIY project is going to take a long time. Trimming or removing a tree takes a lot of trips up and down a ladder to check your work, move to different spots, or to get equipment. You’ll also be spending a lot of time doing cleanup. You will either have to cut the tree up into small pieces for green removal or rent expensive equipment, like a woodchipper and stump grinder. A tree removal service will have a large crew with the proper equipment that’s able to work much quicker than one person can.
The equipment required to cut down a tree or branches can be expensive and difficult to use if you aren’t trained. You will probably need a chainsaw, axe, wedge, ladders, safety gear, and maybe even a bucket truck, crane, dump truck, woodchipper, or stump grinder. These larger machines can be necessary when a tree is large, hard to access, or in power lines, all of which would be easier, more cost-effective, and safer if left to professionals.
Not only is the actual tree cutting difficult, the cleanup will be just as difficult. As already mentioned, you may need extra equipment, such as a woodchipper or stump grinder. That’s because you’ll probably want the downed tree and stump removed, which require either a woodchipper and stump grinder or hours of cutting and digging by hand. Stump grinders often create flying debris, which can also cause injury or damage. If you don’t have equipment like a dumptruck, crane, or bucket truck, you may not be able to lift the parts of the tree you’ve cut down, remove them, or even reach them in the first place. You would have to spend hours or even days cutting the tree up into small, manageable pieces; whereas, professionals already have the necessary equipment and the training to use it.
So, if you’re thinking about a DIY approach for those unruly or already dead trees and branches, you may want to think again. You can actually save time and money, as well as be less likely to cause damage or injury, by calling in the professionals.
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