Tree Felling
Felling trees is a main part of what we do as Tree Surgeons, however, what is the difference between Sectional and Directional Tree Felling?
Directional felling essentially means taking the tree down in ‘one go’.
Directional felling will usually take place in large gardens or woodlands where there is enough space to carry out work and not cause any unnecessary damage or risk. Our team will only use directional felling where appropriate - this may be because the environment allows, or due to the tree’s physical state, such as being affected by decay or disease and therefore aerial operations are not an option. This means when a tree may have such major defects that the arborists are unable to climb it due to safety, as the risk will outweigh the overall outcome of the job.
Once the tree is felled the team will dismantle the tree on the ground and process the branches either via the use of a woodchipper, or by stacking them neatly in order to boost the local ecology. The wood can then either be stacked or removed depending on the specification from the client.
Sectional felling is to dismantle the tree in sections. We use modern aerial-rigging techniques to take down the tree using safe, considered and controlled methods. Our tree surgeons are trained to use the most advanced rigging equipment, facilitating a safe and ergonomic removal and mitigating any risk of damage to property.
Sectional felling is used in tricky urban environments where the tree must be lowered under control. A systematic approach must be taken when taking trees down sectionally no matter how big or small. Ropes and specialist rigging equipment is used in order to reduce the risk of damage to anything close to, or below the tree.
Is Directional Felling safe?
Many clients ask us about the safety of directional felling and, of course, there are obvious risks if not carried out correctly. However our arborists hold certifications of the highest industry standards, including first aid at work, which means in the very unlikely event there was an issue, they would be confident to deal with it swiftly and confidently, and as such those risks are mitigated. Of course, the safety of our workers and clients is of the utmost importance and we will always fully assess any risks before undertaking a job. In any case, there are usually many other options we can look into, such as sectional felling via the use of a MEWP (mobile elevated work platform) This would allow our team to safely work on the tree in order to get the desired outcome.
