Tree cutting can be dangerous, especially if you have no idea where it will fall from. Knowing where a tree will fall from is important to avoid risky accidents.
Whether you are cutting the tree yourself or hiring tree services, it’s important you know where your tree will fall. Not sure how you will go about it? Here are several ways to tell where a tree will fall from.
Is it leaning?
If a tree is leaning towards one side, the chances are high that it will fall in that direction. If you’re planning on cutting down a tree, examine the tree from all angles and check in the direction where it is leaning the most.
You can also check whether there are any dead branches at the top, indicating that there’s been a recent movement in the trunk or roots due to wind or other reasons.
The direction of the wind
The direction of the wind is one of the most important indicators to tell where a tree will fall. The tree’s trunk faces the wind, even though its branches may be blown in other directions.
When hiking through a forest or walking along a path, look where the trees lean when the wind blows.
This could indicate that there’s more wind blowing from that direction than from others, or it could mean that there’s something wrong with that tree, such as rot or disease, making it a weak point and hence the most likely direction to fall from.
The slope of the ground
An important factor in determining where a tree will fall is the slope of the ground. If you’re cutting down a tree and it starts to lean in one direction, it may be because the ground underneath it is sloping in that direction.
If this is the case, you’ll want to cut the tree from the opposite side so that it leans in the opposite direction. This will ensure that it doesn’t fall on top of your house or other nearby buildings.
The exposure of the roots
A tree’s roots can tell you a lot about its future behavior. If the roots on one side of a tree are often more exposed than those on the other side, and you can see them, they’ll likely be weaker when they’re under pressure. Trees with deep roots tend to topple over onto their sides in storms, while shallow-rooted trees break into pieces and scatter.
The height of the tree’s crown
The height of the tree’s crown is a good indicator of where it will fall. If the tree has been cut to a stump, look at the cut surface.
The top of the stump usually shows where the tree was growing. If you are trying to decide whether a tree can be safely felled, this is an excellent way to tell if there is enough room to fall without damaging anything or anyone.
The presence of obstacles
Trees tend to fall in the direction of least resistance — away from obstacles that might stop them from falling. This means that if there is an obstacle, such as buildings between you and the falling tree, it’s likely to come down in front of you instead of behind you.
The size of the tree
According to tree removal services Chevy Chase, the large tree tends to fall in the direction it leans. If it’s growing out of an angle or has a root structure that’s growing toward another trunk, it may fall in that direction.
Bottom Line
Trees don’t fall in a vacuum. They fall in the context of their environment, so knowing something about that environment can help you anticipate where a tree will land if it falls.
