My name is Georgia, and I love to write. As an avid gardener, I have spent hours writing about gardening, but in this space, I wanted to turn my attention to trees in particular. I recently added a number of fruit trees to my garden, and I have old oaks in front of my house which have suffered and survived through a range of mishaps. If you want to learn ideas for taking better care of your trees, you have stumbled onto the right blog. Welcome to this space, please explore and share this blog with your friends if they inspire you.
If you want to do your own tree lopping, you need to keep safety in mind. Cutting high branches with a sharp and heavy saw can be a relatively hazardous endeavour. To keep yourself as safe as possible, keep these tips in mind:
1. Keep Both Feet Planted Firmly
When tree lopping, you need to be as stable as possible. Ideally, both of your feet should be planted firmly on the ground. This stabilises you if the chain saw kicks back.
If you need to cut high branches, don't climb into the tree, and reach haphazardly toward branches with your chain saw. Instead, use a stable surface such as scaffolding, and stand with both feet planted firmly on that surface.
2. Sharpen Your Chainsaw
Before you start tree lopping, check the sharpness of your chainsaw blade. If your blade is dull, you have to put a lot more pressure on branches to cut them. The extra weight or pressure on your chainsaw can make you unstable and cause you to fly forward.
3. Create a Caution Area
So that falling branches don't hurt anyone below the tree, create a caution area. Buy some caution tape, and hang it around the perimeter of the area beneath your tree. This way, people won't accidentally walk under the tree as you are working and get hurt. In lieu of tape, use safety cones to outline the area.
4. Wear Head Protection
If someone is helping you lop the tree and they are standing on the ground, they should wear protective head gear. Similarly, if you are in the tree, you should also wear protective head gear. If any loose branches are unsettled as you are lopping the tree, they will not hurt your head if they hit you. Additionally, protective head gear can help protect your head if you fall.
5. Use Harnesses
Even if you are standing on scaffolding and wearing protective head gear, you still need to take extra precautions from falling. A harness is the ideal solution. A harness wraps around your body, and if you fall, you spring up rather than hitting the ground.
6. Don't Have Your First Chainsaw Lesson in the Tree
If you have never used a chainsaw before, you should not have your first experience while high in a tree. Instead, make sure that you have practised quite a bit and feel confident with it. If you decide you're not ready, consider contacting a professional tree lopper for assistance.
Share13 January 2016
