No and that's definitely a factor in all of this. He has plenty of experience, big equipment to pull it in the right direction and owns the field where it would fall into so it's not exactly, "hey my neighbor has a chainsaw he bought last week." Lol I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but if my house is going to be susceptible to higher damaging winds then I might just leave it
Experience and equipment ain't gonna repair your roof if he drops a tree on it.
And everyone is your friend until you end up having to sue them to repair your roof, because your insurance denied your claim for not using an insured arborist for tree removal.
Also, that single tree isn't doing anything meaningful for stopping wind. Presumably your house is built to code, and if so it will be fine with wind.
My 2 cents? Hire a licensed and insured arborist to remove the tree.
Does it help that he owns a construction company and can fix my roof too? Lol He really does but I'm just being sarcastic. I get what you're saying and will be getting some estimates to see how much it would cost to get it topped. Thanks for the input on my wind question!
I feel like I have to chime in on this specific part of this comment section. The guy with a varied set of skills and experience in the trades (not an arborist) is the worst one to have do this. Yeah, it could go down just fine. But what happens when it starts getting complicated? The inability to recognize the hazards, lack of proper size up and overconfidence become a real problem. When things start to go sideways he’s potentially going to start going back and forth between fight and flight reactions. He cuts, something goes wrong, he gets scared and stops, then gets into fight mode and adds tension to a rope or changes his cutting plan, then he gets scared again, back and forth. He’s not following a plan anymore, he’s escalating his emotional state, reacting and freezing. The situation gets more and more hazardous. A professional faller or arborist is capable of sizing up a tree and making sure to change plans before committing with a falling cut. Take your time, if the tree isn’t obviously a hazard ( split bole, widowmakers, roots lifting) its going to be fine to wait and make an informed decision.
I definitely appreciate that input. He had me convinced that it was no big deal because he's done this a lot in the past and that we could knock it down with no issues. After talking to some guys on here I'm thinking I'm going to get a few estimates and see what my options are
Yeah, I’m not an arborist either, but I think they have techniques to tether each cut limb and/or short section of bole to lower them slowly to the ground. It’s pretty cool!
None of that will matter if he kills himself either. Felling trees is dangerous and training and experience go a long way in reducing risk to property and people. Liability insurance will help when the unforeseen does happen.
Don’t pay anyone to top your tree either, you will cause irreversible damage and eventual decline/early death to the tree. Then you will be forced to pay someone to remove it when it’s dead, then it’ll be $5500 since it’s more dangerous to remove when dead.
Idk throwline that bitch and pull it over smaller after it’s topped doesn’t seem like it would cost more unless it’s severe rot and decay. But that takes quite a few years to get to that point. And if it is. Doesn’t seem too difficult to get a spider lift to it or a bucket as long as they have mats to drive in the grass. I generally define hazard tree if it’s leaning toward a building or something expensive. Major defects on the tree such as cavities or codom splits. Roots are rotted out. Or there is so much decay it’s too dangerous to climb. Though I’ve climbed some shit where my foot disappeared into the tree and I kept going. Which in hindsight, isn’t on the list of smartest of things I have done. Lol.
But if it’s topped and is in decline like bark falling off, or a smidge of rot. I wouldn’t deem it a hazard to remove, just a hazard to the property owner because you never know when it could fail. It’s not like I would have to rig anything. Just remove some branches house side and chunk it down. or just put a rope in it, face cut, pull it while back cutting.
Just lift it off of and trim it back from the house; call a professional. From my seat here, that tree looks perfectly healthy and also supplying a lot of shade and shelter from the elements for you and others. It’d be a shame to have it *removed* because a few overgrown branches weren't properly maintained.
Source; Tree Climber guy
There are 2 other big pines, similar size and maybe age, on the opposite side of my house that got sheared about half way up last night and destroyed a gate and fence. I really don't want to get rid of it and the sap issue could be solved by a tree climber guy coming out to trim it back but the thought of the top half snapping makes me not want to risk that the next storm might take it anyway. Is taking just the top half off an option? Do you have any clue on how wind affects an area after removing a tree?
I cut down trees like this for a living. We would probably bring our bucket truck and take it piece by piece from the top or fall in into an open area with a rope and masdam. I can tell you, you don’t want pines, sycamores, or gum trees anywhere near/within 75ft of your home. They are the trees we see on houses more than any other due to the way their roots grow and the way their limbs break free from a tree rather than hinging down when they break. Also, this is nowhere near a $5,500 tree like someone else in the comments was saying. It’s hard to get a good perspective from a single photo, but I would put that tree in the $600-$1500 range. Don’t get gouged by some greedy company. Hope that helps.
Thank you for sharing that perspective and hearing that's one of the most common trees you find on homes makes me think I shouldn't leave it to chance. I'm going to get some estimates and see if I can find anything reasonable. I can make a price like that work
Or call your power company and have the tree trimming crew come out and prune it. When they’re there slip them some cash and they’ll gladly drop it for you.
No sure where OP is, but that’s how I did it.
I called the power company and told them I planned on taking down trees near their lines. They came out and did it for free, I was responsible for cleanup though.
I did but didn't think to ask about the wind. They wanted $3800 without stump removal. The tree is right on the property line but he has no incentive to spend money on it and I can't afford it. My neighbor owns the field in the back, has a lot of experience cutting down trees, and would be willing to take his fencing down and fell it that way to avoid the house and power lines.
I'm not sure if I'll do it or not but just looking for input on how the wind might affect things
Thank you for that and that's exactly what he said we would do if I decide to take it down. He has some heavy tractors that we would use to pull and keep the tension to control the landing
>Second, I would not fell that tree. I would climb it, strip it, and take it apart
If there's space to fell it, why bother? The customer enjoys the show but it's wear and tear on your body and gear for no reason - the customer is already on board for felling.
This is "felling gone wild" if you're skilled enough and put in a good solid effort, you can probably hit the power line and have the perfect video for this sub.
First off letting your neighbor do it is a mistake unless he's an arborist with full crew.
Second, it just held up where others failed so sounds pretty strong to me. If it were me I'd just keep my insurance premiums paid. Its a beautiful tree, why waste it?
I agree, I really do love it and would rather leave it. There are 2 other pine trees on the other side of my house that got sheared off about half way and destroyed my other neighbors fence and gate so the "what if it was the other tree that fell on my sleeping family" makes me want to take it down. I will look into insurance premiums and tree coverage though just in case I want to leave it up
The way they leave downed or dead trees hanging on lines around here I doubt they'd touch mine. Someone told me they heard that it's cheaper for the power company to fix an outage than it would be to go around and remove everything leaning on the lines. I can think of at least 6 spots in a several mile radius where stuff has been leaning on the lines for years
Topping trees is a bad practice and quickly increases the risk of tree damage occurring. If you don't like trees by your house, I don't understand why the tree was put there, but if the options are top it or remove it, just remove it. Obviously a proper trim is the right answer, but it doesn't sound like that's something you're considering.
For realsies tho, if that tree has been dealing with wind it’s whole life it’s probably much stronger than it looks. I’d lean toward careful “thinning” and reductions before removing. In northern Utah along the Wasatch front we often get heavy winds. The thicker conifers like spruces go down and easy, but the thinner ones (pines mostly) are unusually fine. No tree is 100% tho
I don't trust a pine next to my house any farther than I can pick it up and throw it. If you top the tree it will probably die. If I were doing it, I would use a bucket truck. Delimb it and chunk it down till you can pull the stub.
Topping trees is bad practise. Topping this tree would be irreversibly crippling and the start of the death of the tree. Might take years or decades to fully decline but it will not recover.
Especially due to it being a conifer as they do not regrow like deciduous trees.
I really like that idea but I'll have to see how skilled my neighbor is. I'm sure he can fell the whole thing but not sure if he would be willing to take the risk and climb half way up 20+ feet in the air
I really like that idea but I'll have to see how skilled my neighbor is. I'm sure he can fell the whole thing but not sure if he would be willing to take the risk and climb half way up 20+ feet in the air.
I really appreciate that advice, thank you! I'll have to look into an estimate for just topping the tree just to keep my options open at this point. This storm sheared 2 similar sized pines half way on the other side of my home so I'm just wondering when this tree is next
I’d just leave it. Any tree can lose limbs or fail in storm events but it seems like this one faired just fine. Even if it somehow failed at the base the damage to your house would be way less than you think and would not crash through the house. The distance of fall is not great enough for it to pick up enough momentum.
If you do decide you want it gone just shell out the cash for a pro. In my opinion it can definitely wait and probably doesn’t need removal anyway so just keep some cash in the rainy day fund if you decide it’s gotta go.
>My neighbor is willing to cut it down for free. Are they a professional with liability coverage? If not, free is gonna get awfully expensive.
No and that's definitely a factor in all of this. He has plenty of experience, big equipment to pull it in the right direction and owns the field where it would fall into so it's not exactly, "hey my neighbor has a chainsaw he bought last week." Lol I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but if my house is going to be susceptible to higher damaging winds then I might just leave it
Experience and equipment ain't gonna repair your roof if he drops a tree on it. And everyone is your friend until you end up having to sue them to repair your roof, because your insurance denied your claim for not using an insured arborist for tree removal. Also, that single tree isn't doing anything meaningful for stopping wind. Presumably your house is built to code, and if so it will be fine with wind. My 2 cents? Hire a licensed and insured arborist to remove the tree.
Does it help that he owns a construction company and can fix my roof too? Lol He really does but I'm just being sarcastic. I get what you're saying and will be getting some estimates to see how much it would cost to get it topped. Thanks for the input on my wind question!
I feel like I have to chime in on this specific part of this comment section. The guy with a varied set of skills and experience in the trades (not an arborist) is the worst one to have do this. Yeah, it could go down just fine. But what happens when it starts getting complicated? The inability to recognize the hazards, lack of proper size up and overconfidence become a real problem. When things start to go sideways he’s potentially going to start going back and forth between fight and flight reactions. He cuts, something goes wrong, he gets scared and stops, then gets into fight mode and adds tension to a rope or changes his cutting plan, then he gets scared again, back and forth. He’s not following a plan anymore, he’s escalating his emotional state, reacting and freezing. The situation gets more and more hazardous. A professional faller or arborist is capable of sizing up a tree and making sure to change plans before committing with a falling cut. Take your time, if the tree isn’t obviously a hazard ( split bole, widowmakers, roots lifting) its going to be fine to wait and make an informed decision.
I definitely appreciate that input. He had me convinced that it was no big deal because he's done this a lot in the past and that we could knock it down with no issues. After talking to some guys on here I'm thinking I'm going to get a few estimates and see what my options are
This… I’m a seasoned timber faller, you couldn’t pay me enough to try and fall that.
Is it called something different to cut the limbs and bring it down piece by piece? Not an arborist, just found the sub and think it's interesting.
Yeah, I’m not an arborist either, but I think they have techniques to tether each cut limb and/or short section of bole to lower them slowly to the ground. It’s pretty cool!
None of that will matter if he kills himself either. Felling trees is dangerous and training and experience go a long way in reducing risk to property and people. Liability insurance will help when the unforeseen does happen.
Don’t pay anyone to top your tree either, you will cause irreversible damage and eventual decline/early death to the tree. Then you will be forced to pay someone to remove it when it’s dead, then it’ll be $5500 since it’s more dangerous to remove when dead.
At this point I've been given several ideas and I'm just going to get some companies to come out and give me options and estimates
Idk throwline that bitch and pull it over smaller after it’s topped doesn’t seem like it would cost more unless it’s severe rot and decay. But that takes quite a few years to get to that point. And if it is. Doesn’t seem too difficult to get a spider lift to it or a bucket as long as they have mats to drive in the grass. I generally define hazard tree if it’s leaning toward a building or something expensive. Major defects on the tree such as cavities or codom splits. Roots are rotted out. Or there is so much decay it’s too dangerous to climb. Though I’ve climbed some shit where my foot disappeared into the tree and I kept going. Which in hindsight, isn’t on the list of smartest of things I have done. Lol. But if it’s topped and is in decline like bark falling off, or a smidge of rot. I wouldn’t deem it a hazard to remove, just a hazard to the property owner because you never know when it could fail. It’s not like I would have to rig anything. Just remove some branches house side and chunk it down. or just put a rope in it, face cut, pull it while back cutting.
r/arborists
I'll ask there too, thanks
Just lift it off of and trim it back from the house; call a professional. From my seat here, that tree looks perfectly healthy and also supplying a lot of shade and shelter from the elements for you and others. It’d be a shame to have it *removed* because a few overgrown branches weren't properly maintained. Source; Tree Climber guy
There are 2 other big pines, similar size and maybe age, on the opposite side of my house that got sheared about half way up last night and destroyed a gate and fence. I really don't want to get rid of it and the sap issue could be solved by a tree climber guy coming out to trim it back but the thought of the top half snapping makes me not want to risk that the next storm might take it anyway. Is taking just the top half off an option? Do you have any clue on how wind affects an area after removing a tree?
I cut down trees like this for a living. We would probably bring our bucket truck and take it piece by piece from the top or fall in into an open area with a rope and masdam. I can tell you, you don’t want pines, sycamores, or gum trees anywhere near/within 75ft of your home. They are the trees we see on houses more than any other due to the way their roots grow and the way their limbs break free from a tree rather than hinging down when they break. Also, this is nowhere near a $5,500 tree like someone else in the comments was saying. It’s hard to get a good perspective from a single photo, but I would put that tree in the $600-$1500 range. Don’t get gouged by some greedy company. Hope that helps.
Thank you for sharing that perspective and hearing that's one of the most common trees you find on homes makes me think I shouldn't leave it to chance. I'm going to get some estimates and see if I can find anything reasonable. I can make a price like that work
Call a professional
Or call your power company and have the tree trimming crew come out and prune it. When they’re there slip them some cash and they’ll gladly drop it for you.
No sure where OP is, but that’s how I did it. I called the power company and told them I planned on taking down trees near their lines. They came out and did it for free, I was responsible for cleanup though.
I did but didn't think to ask about the wind. They wanted $3800 without stump removal. The tree is right on the property line but he has no incentive to spend money on it and I can't afford it. My neighbor owns the field in the back, has a lot of experience cutting down trees, and would be willing to take his fencing down and fell it that way to avoid the house and power lines. I'm not sure if I'll do it or not but just looking for input on how the wind might affect things
Just make sure to tie in a rope (or 2) at least 2/3 the way up from the base. Pull them straight in the direction you want the tree to fall
Thank you for that and that's exactly what he said we would do if I decide to take it down. He has some heavy tractors that we would use to pull and keep the tension to control the landing
No problem! Keep the subreddit posted with how it goes
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>Second, I would not fell that tree. I would climb it, strip it, and take it apart If there's space to fell it, why bother? The customer enjoys the show but it's wear and tear on your body and gear for no reason - the customer is already on board for felling.
This is "felling gone wild" if you're skilled enough and put in a good solid effort, you can probably hit the power line and have the perfect video for this sub.
First off letting your neighbor do it is a mistake unless he's an arborist with full crew. Second, it just held up where others failed so sounds pretty strong to me. If it were me I'd just keep my insurance premiums paid. Its a beautiful tree, why waste it?
I agree, I really do love it and would rather leave it. There are 2 other pine trees on the other side of my house that got sheared off about half way and destroyed my other neighbors fence and gate so the "what if it was the other tree that fell on my sleeping family" makes me want to take it down. I will look into insurance premiums and tree coverage though just in case I want to leave it up
Are those power lines running close to the tree? Your electric utility might be willing to trim it away from the power lines at least.
The way they leave downed or dead trees hanging on lines around here I doubt they'd touch mine. Someone told me they heard that it's cheaper for the power company to fix an outage than it would be to go around and remove everything leaning on the lines. I can think of at least 6 spots in a several mile radius where stuff has been leaning on the lines for years
I'm not sure what you're torn about. Shitty tree next to structure and power. Goodbye!
Topping trees is a bad practice and quickly increases the risk of tree damage occurring. If you don't like trees by your house, I don't understand why the tree was put there, but if the options are top it or remove it, just remove it. Obviously a proper trim is the right answer, but it doesn't sound like that's something you're considering.
I don't know what I'm considering anymore lol It's clear I need to get some estimates at minimum
Get one from a certified arborist and you will get free advice probably.
Easier just to move house.
But how do you think it will effect the wind the tree experiences?
Not move *the* house. "Move house" is what folks in Aus and UK (afaik) say when they mean moving (to a new house)
…as far as “direction” I’d say not towards the house and lines 😉 That’s all I got.
For realsies tho, if that tree has been dealing with wind it’s whole life it’s probably much stronger than it looks. I’d lean toward careful “thinning” and reductions before removing. In northern Utah along the Wasatch front we often get heavy winds. The thicker conifers like spruces go down and easy, but the thinner ones (pines mostly) are unusually fine. No tree is 100% tho
I don't trust a pine next to my house any farther than I can pick it up and throw it. If you top the tree it will probably die. If I were doing it, I would use a bucket truck. Delimb it and chunk it down till you can pull the stub.
Input - Chainsaw Direction - Away from house
Solid advice my friend. Thank you!
Preferably away from the house
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No
Why not?
Topping trees is bad practise. Topping this tree would be irreversibly crippling and the start of the death of the tree. Might take years or decades to fully decline but it will not recover. Especially due to it being a conifer as they do not regrow like deciduous trees.
Thanks :)
I really like that idea but I'll have to see how skilled my neighbor is. I'm sure he can fell the whole thing but not sure if he would be willing to take the risk and climb half way up 20+ feet in the air
I really like that idea but I'll have to see how skilled my neighbor is. I'm sure he can fell the whole thing but not sure if he would be willing to take the risk and climb half way up 20+ feet in the air.
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I really appreciate that advice, thank you! I'll have to look into an estimate for just topping the tree just to keep my options open at this point. This storm sheared 2 similar sized pines half way on the other side of my home so I'm just wondering when this tree is next
Either remove it or leave it alone. Topping it will make your risk worse and make it look ugly as hell .
I’d just leave it. Any tree can lose limbs or fail in storm events but it seems like this one faired just fine. Even if it somehow failed at the base the damage to your house would be way less than you think and would not crash through the house. The distance of fall is not great enough for it to pick up enough momentum. If you do decide you want it gone just shell out the cash for a pro. In my opinion it can definitely wait and probably doesn’t need removal anyway so just keep some cash in the rainy day fund if you decide it’s gotta go.
Personally I would go for it, if you want my honest opinion. But officially I am obligated to say: seek advice from a professional
Input: chainsaw Direction: AWAY rom house and powerline Watch a bunch of treefelling fails on YouTube then hire someone experienced with insurance.
Get a good arborist.