Downed Trees from Storm Damage

A Dangerous Situation

We've all heard of trees blowing over in storms and landing in places that cause grief to homeowners, pedestrians, and motorists. Most of us have witnessed or been part of the frenzy that occurs after it happens as well. Often somebody in the neighborhood will offer to help with the cleanup because he's got a great new chainsaw or a heavy duty truck that would be perfect for hauling the debris. It is this kind of spirit that makes a great neighborhood and a good neighbor. Getting outside, rolling up our sleeves, and getting our hands dirty is good for us and, let's be honest, it's really fun sometimes run chainsaws. Personally, I love the smell of 2 stroke oil in the morning.

But before rushing into something like this it is prudent to know exactly what you are up against. Recently my crew and I removed two trees in Northern, Virginia, that fell victims to Mother Nature's winter winds. In both cases the trees were broken on their main stems causing the tops to fall toward the house. In both cases, though, the part of the tree that broke away did not reach its final resting point, getting hung up on obstacles on the way down. Upon arrival to the first tree I encountered the usual crowd of neighbors discussing how to cut the tree into pieces that could be carried away. All of them were missing the fact that the tree had not yet completed its fall and still posed quite a danger to everything and everyone around it. Although the first half of its fall probably took only seconds, it took two hours to set the rigging above and around the tree to manage the second half of its fall. Onlookers were quite surprised to see how many factors had to be considered and how many forces were acting upon the tree. Four rope systems were employed from four different directions to guide the tree to a safe place on the ground.

Although it is sometimes obvious that a fallen tree will be a complicated problem to solve, it is not always so. Sometimes the fallen giant can appear to be down and posing no more threat. Unfortunately, these are lures that entice the well-meaning do-it-yourselfer to rush in. Most often when trees come down they land in ways that create tremendous pressure on their limbs. Cutting into these limbs, a saw operator can be surprised by the violent release of that pressure. If caught standing in the wrong position when cutting, you can be struck, pinned, or even killed by quickly shifting loads. This is how the majority of injuries and fatalities happen in tree work.

There's nothing wrong with firing up the chainsaw and going to work (provided you've learned basic chainsaw safety). But before you do, please have a professional examine the situation to see if there is something you may be missing. Pros are never offended by homeowners who want to do a little work themselves, but we'd all feel better knowing that it is safe to proceed.