Sun 10 Jul 2011

Tree Removal Seattle

Posted by admin under Tree Removal Seattle
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Greetings! Welcome to Tree Removal Seattle.

Yes, I realize that is an odd name for a website. But there is a reason for choosing this particular combination of words.

You see, when a homeowner in Seattle needs tree work done, such as tree removal, tree stump removal and stump removal instructions for Do It Yourself types or even emergency tree service, there is a pretty good chance you will get on the internet and search for Tree Removal Seattle or maybe Arborist Seattle in order to find a company to handle your needs.

I wanted you to find my website because unlike other sites that may pop up, I do not own my own tree service company. I am actually an impartial consumer who was once in a similar situation as you and had a difficult enough experience looking for and hiring a local Arborist that it motivated me enough to put up this little site to help protect you.

I was a Boy Scout, so I feel this is my civic duty in a way.

I’m not going to bash any tree service companies here but I will make a personal recommendation, based on my own research, of a professional that does tree work in Seattle and who you can trust to take care of you.

Also, I want to educate homeowners about their trees. Trees can have a significant impact on your property value, safety and the enjoyment of your landscape design. They can also affect your property insurance sometimes. Imagine if you could fell a tree and lower your insurance costs!  Could happen, especially if you have a large tree on or next to your property. Also, you may find that if you have a small tree you want to remove, you can do it yourself and save some money. You can even chip brush mulch your own tree and have your own mulch supply fertilizing your yard or garden.

So whether you are a do it your self type or just want to hire someone else to do the work you are in the right place, because you will learn enough to do either.

There was a time when I was like you, no idea what “felling” or “landscape bar” meant. There were terms like fertilizing snow and diagnostics pruning that didn’t seem to make one lick of sense.

No worries! I will cover all of this at Tree Removal Seattle.

Most importantly though, this site will help you hire a Seattle tree care professional that is honest and easy to work with. The last thing you want is an unlicensed “monkey man” up in your birch tree with a chain saw, rope, and storm damage crane who starts hacking away at the branches putting you and your family in danger.

Also, the prices Arborists charge are quite varied. You can easily get ripped off when hiring out tree work because most homeowners have no idea what these services should cost. It’s just not something you and I deal with that often.

And one word of warning. You cannot rely on an organization like the BBB (Better Business Bureau) to vouch for a company. Lots of people aren’t aware of this but the Better Business Bureau is not any type of official governing body like their name implies and they are actually paid by the businesses they represent! Can you say conflict of interest?

Here is a very eye opening story about the BBB that you might want to check out.

Hopefully after spending a few minutes at my site Tree Removal Seattle, you will be able to make an informed decision on who to hire for the job.
Tree Removal Seattle
P.S. My personal recommendation for tree service in Seattle goes to P&D Tree Service. They have been around for over 30 years. Give ‘em a call (2O6) 4OO-7522 and tell them Quin sent ya for a 10% discount!

Helpful Links:
DIY Tree Stump Removal
Tree Removal Seattle
Chipper Machine Safety
Tree Help

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Thu 14 Jul 2011

Tree Stump Removal – A Review of Common Techniques

Posted by admin under Tree Stump Removal - A Review of Common Techniques
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Have a look Tree Removal Seattle readers… an overview of stump grinding. It’s good to look into this now, since you are going to remove the stump of your tree as well, and it might not be included in your initial bid! You could always have it carved into an art piece as well, no removal required…

 

Here is a comparison of the different methods of tree stump removal.

Stump Grinding

Stump grinding is a using a machine with a circular wheel and teeth that shaves away a stump in a lateral motion. It cuts out the roots and organic material to six inches or more below grade level.

I recommend this method 99 times out of 100. Here’s why.

Chemical tree stump removal takes a long time. Years, if you allow the stump to decompose naturally. Months if you burn or chop it out. Stump grinding takes a day.

Chemical removal isn’t effective when temperatures are too cold because the tree stump won’t react to potassium nitrate, the active ingredient in chemical stump removers. On the other hand, grinding the stump can be done anytime of year.

Finally, chemical stump remover only works for a seasoned stump. For a freshly cut tree stump, you will have to wait for a year or apply Round Up to accelerate the seasoning process. Again, stump grinding can be done right away.

If you do the stump grinding yourself, ask the rental shop for the number to the local utility line locating service. This service is provided by local utilities and they will come mark any underground lines.This prevents damage or even explosions while grinding the stump.

It is also important to mind any underground sprinkler lines. Use a plywood shield to protect surrounding car windows, home windows and wear safety goggles and a hard hat. The stump grinder will kick up rocks and other debris that can break glass and heads!

Sometimes, the stump will be to close to sprinkler lines or concrete patios and walks. This will force you to use another method.

Burning a Stump Out

Chemical tree stump remover will accelerate the natural decomposition of the stump and prepare the stump to be burnt out. I’ve seen this method used mostly by farmers. Be sure to for residential restrictions on burning.

The active ingredient in chemical stump remover is potassium nitrate, commonly known as saltpetre. Popular brands include Bonide Stump-Out, Spectracide Stump Remover and Green Light Stump Remover. Reviews vary for each product but I tried to link to retail sites that offer feedback from users of these products.

Here are the step for burning a stump out.

1. Drill several 1 inch holes in the top and sides of the stump. Make sure the holes in the side meet the holes drilled from the top and are drilled at a slight downward angle. This will allow the potassium nitrate to not leak out.
2. Fill each hole with 4 to 6 oz. of tree stump remover and the remaining space with water.
3. Let the stump stand for 4 to 6 weeks. You will notice it softening.
4. Fill the hole with kerosene or fuel oil. Never use gasoline!
5. Let it stand until the fuel oil is completely absorbed into the stump, about 4-5 weeks, depending on the size.
6. Ignite the stump with charcoal briquettes. The stump will now burn with a smoldering red glow clear down to the roots. It may take several days.

Chemical Stump Removal

You may not be able to burn a stump in your neighborhood so natural decomposition may be your final choice.

After it has seasoned for a year, you follow the steps above for treating the stump with the chemical stump removal product of your choice. You can double the amount of holes and product to increase the efficiency of decomposition.

After waiting 4 to 6 weeks, you can then start to chop out organic material using an axe and shovel. Keep in mind that this process is only effective in the warm months of the year.

There are other methods I’ve seen such as digging it out with a backhoe. In my experience, unless there is a serious mitigating circumstance, stump grinding is the best method.

About the Author

David Merriman owns ArborScape, a tree stump removal service in Denver, CO
He is an ISA Certified Arborist and writes about lawn care and tree care. He also runs a tree care answer engine called Ask an Arborist.

Helpful Links:
Tree Removal Seattle

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Sun 10 Jul 2011

Tree Service Equipment

Posted by admin under Tree Service Equipment
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This section of the Tree Removal Seattle site is dedicated to all the equipment you will likely need if you are planning on doing any of your own tree care.

Chain Saws:
I have had a few different kind of chain saws, electric and gas powered. The obvious benefit to gas powered tools in general is that they are portable and don’t require an external power source. Electric saws are better for small jobs and light trimming. Here are some consumer reviews on chain saws -http://www.consumersearch.com/chainsaws

Landscape Bar or Flat Blade:
This is a multi-purpose tool that makes it easy to do certain things relating to tree care and stump removal. The main things being digging up roots and helping to fell a tree that needs extra persuasion after doing all the cuts with a saw.

Here is an article that talks about using one of these to remove a stump.
http://www.essortment.com/yourself-landscaping-remove-tree-stump-54746.html

Spade:
This is just your average “flat” shovel that most people have in their garage or shed.
Note that this is different than the Tree Spade below which is a machine designed to move whole trees around.

Pruning Tools:
This is pretty self explanatory since most people have used a pruning tool atlas a few times in their life. Here is a link about pruning and near the bottom it explains the various tools and best uses when it comes to landscape design.

Machinery (you can rent most of this stuff).

Here is an article by Troy Bilt about machine pruning. Remember pruning near power lines is hazardous so keep an eye out!

Stump Grinders:
As the name implies this machine grinds stumps. Some of them look like an overgrown chain saw that ate too much “stump”. Wikipedia has an interesting article about stump grinders.

Chippers:
This is where wood chips come from, if it wasn’t obvious enough. Put a branch in one end and presto! Wood chips come flying out the other end. Here is a good site about chipper safety.

A Tree Spade is actually a machines for moving trees. Some of these can get pretty big. The can scoop up a tree and all its roots!

Rent or buy?

When I was in the process of making Tree Removal Seattle I knew this question would come up, since most people don’t know what these machines usually cost.

Most bigger tree care machinery is available to rent, if you have a rental store in your area. It’s obviously better to rent if you can, since most of the big tree service machines are quite expensive. And lets face it, you aren’t going to go out and buy a storm damage crane! Unless you have some other use for it, such as rescuing the neighbors cat who always gets stuck in that same tree… every week!

Anyways, the one tree tool I recommend you buy is a gas powered chain saw with a decent size bar (the bar is the cutting portion of the saw). This can come in really handy in an emergency and if you live in a windy area, chances are that close to home you could be faced with a downed tree or large branch that blocks a main road, limiting or completely stopping you from getting where you need to go. If you have a a chain saw you wont have to call an emergency tree service or wait until your city officials get someone out there to remove the tree or branch. And you might just be the town hero!

A quick note Treehelp is a great place to get relevant info to all things tree. Also I recommend you check out this website if you have a garden. It has good info relating to trees and gardens.

Well, I hope you found this section of Tree Removal Seattle useful. Have fun out there!

Helpful Links:
Tree Removal Seattle

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Sun 10 Jul 2011

How to Fell a SMALL Tree Yourself

Posted by admin under How To Fell A Tree
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In this section of the Tree Removal Seattle website I’m going to write up a quick tutorial on how to properly fell (cut down) a SMALL tree.

As you may have noticed I put SMALL in capitol letters for the title of this page. Obviously the bigger a tree, the more difficult and risky the task will be. So for this how-to article you should stick to a tree that is no more than 14″ in diameter. Your chainsaw should be longer than that by at least 5 inches.

Also take into consideration the height. If it is tall enough to fall and break something, like that nice deck you just had built last summer, it might be a good idea to just “leaf” this one alone and call the pros.

Ok… enough with the lame humor, lets fell a tree!

To do this you are going to need a chainsaw, safety glasses (best to keep those wood chips on the ground and not in they eye) and some time.

Prep:
First start by clearing all obstacles around the tree so that you can move easily and escape quickly if needed and to have a safe place to stand while the tree falls.

Second, remove all the lower hanging branches.

Third, cut and remove where the roots near the base of the tree connect to the trunk. This gives you the true diameter of the tree. You can leave some roots at the back for support if you want.

Felling:

The first cut on the front of the tree is called the sink cut. It controls the direction of where it falls. This a 2 part cut like taking a wedge out of a cake. Remember this isn’t your birthday so don’t go taking a huge “slice” like you would out of your birthday cake! It should be less than 1/4 of the trees diameter.

You want to cut downwards at 45 degrees or 60 degrees if downhill. Make sure the chainsaw blade is 90 degrees to the direction you want the tree to fall.

The second part of the sink cut should be completely horizontal and meet the previous cut perfectly. Pay attention to this!

Now you can remove the wedge you just cut out.

And now… the cut that will cause the tree to fall. This is done on the opposite side (the back). Cut through from the back towards the sink cut just a little higher up. Make sure you are standing to the side of the tree while doing this. Stop cutting when you all that separates the chainsaw blade is about 1/10th of the trees diameter. That’s called the hinge. Expect the tree to start to fall now, so quickly go to your safe spot you designated earlier.

What if it doesn’t fall? DO NOT cut further. Instead use felling lever or wedge. If using a wedge stick it in the final cut (the back) and pound it in with a sledge hammer. If using a lever, stick it in the back and pull up. Your tree should be down in no time!

Reference material:

http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/practical-guides/felling-a-small-tree/

Here are some other helpful links:
Tree Removal Seattle

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