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THE DANGERS OF DIY TREE CARE

man holding chainsaw attempting to cut a large branch of fallen tree

If you have a damaged or overgrown tree, you may be tempted to remove it or trim it yourself. But do-it-yourself tree care is risky for both you and your trees.

Here are some of the dangers associated with DIY tree care.


FALLING FROM LADDERS

Climbing and working on a ladder with a chainsaw is extremely dangerous. You could lose control of the chainsaw and fall. Hundreds die yearly from ladder falls, usually from three metres or less. Ladder work requires training and specialized safety equipment. You also need to know how to properly place a ladder and the correct type of ladder to use. Sometimes, high tree work requires a boom truck to be done safely.


LACK OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT & TRAINING

Ladder work requires harnesses and safety lines, items not found in an average garage. You should also wear a hard hat, steel-toed boots, safety gloves and chainsaw pants made of a unique material that jams chainsaw blades. You may also need a rope-and-pulley system to lower large limbs safely to the ground. All this equipment will cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Working without this safety equipment could cost you your life.


CHAINSAW INJURIES

Chainsaws are dangerous pieces of equipment. A leading cause of chainsaw injuries is kickback — when the saw jerks backward. Kickback happens if the chain hits a bolt or nail in the tree. You can quickly lose control of a chainsaw if you don’t know what you’re doing.


MISCALCULATIONS

When cutting down a tree or pruning large branches, you must correctly calculate how and when they’ll fall. You also need to make cuts at correct angles to ensure the limbs fall where you want them to and not onto your house, garage or vehicle. A tree evaluation and risk assessment can identify dangerous limbs. They can use bracing or cabling as an alternative method of stabilizing a tree.


UTILITY LINES

Trees that have grown too tall or toppled over in a storm risk interfering with utility lines, and you can get electrocuted removing and trimming these trees. If trees hit power lines, they could catch fire, and the fire can spread throughout the neighbourhood. Professional arborists have the training and tools to safely trim trees around power lines. Learn more about tree trimming and power lines.


DON’T RISK DANGEROUS DIYS – CALL ALBERTA’S ALL SEASON TREE SERVICE TODAY!

At All Season Tree Service, our team is highly trained and equipped to safely and skillfully deal with any tree problem, be it tree removal, pruning or storm damage tree services. We also offer residential and commercial customers in Edmonton and surrounding cities with 24/7 emergency tree services.

Contact us to schedule tree services today!

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