How do you fell a walnut tree? And is that even allowed? We get to the bottom of these questions in our guide.
A walnut tree usually cannot be felled without permission
Felling a walnut tree - is that allowed?
That cannot be answered in general. The tree protection statutes vary greatly from region to region and are sometimes even handled differently from community to community. In any case, it is often forbidden to cut down a walnut without a permit.
There are often specifications regarding the circumference of the trunk, the thickness of the branches and the age of the tree.
Example: Depending on the municipality, you do not need a permit for a tree whose trunk circumference is a maximum of 60 to 100 centimeters (deviations possible!).
We recommend that you inform yourself in good time at the responsible office in your area - and, if necessary, obtain approval. Should this be necessary, it is crucial to have a valid reason for the felling (danger to you and/or third parties, death/illness of the tree, etc.).
How to fell a walnut tree
If you want, have to and are allowed to fell a walnut tree, it is best to follow our instructions.
Preliminary remark: If possible, use a lifting platform (also available for rent). However, it often does not work because of the local conditions (unsafe position, not enough space, etc.). Then unfortunately you cannot avoid taking down your walnut tree bit by bit with a high ladder and good climbing technique (secured!).
Do not trust yourself to this difficult task, rather hire a specialist!
safety instructions
- A normal garden ladder is not enough, walnut trees are usually much too high for that. Never tie two ladders together! You need a tall, stable ladder.
- Never work without a fuse! Quality harnesses and ropes are essential. You may be able to borrow supplies from a mountaineer, firefighter, or even better, a professional tree climber. Never use 0815 hardware store ropes (the high load class only applies to the idle state, but when the branches fall, the fall acceleration and leverage are added, which increases the weight enormously).
- Never use a two-hand chainsaw while standing on the ladder. You only have two hands, and one of them is reserved for the ladder (to hold on to).
- Basically, you should urgently refrain from using a chainsaw if you have no experience with it. Then it is better to use a hand saw.
- When sawing down the walnut tree, stick to the relief cut. Walnut suddenly breaks, tearing off pieces of bark from the trunk. The sawed-off branch can possibly get caught on these. In addition, there is a risk that the chain saw blade will be jammed due to the tearing off.
- Are there any buildings under the branches of the walnut? Then you should secure the former again with ropes. Also attach a pull rope. This is how you specify the direction of fall of the branch.
- Never wrap safety, holding or pulling ropes around your hands. Make sure the ends of the rope are always loose and free. This is the only way to avoid tangling. Furthermore, you must not stand on the loose ends of the rope!
method
- Saw from the bottom up.
- Leave stubs at regular intervals. These prevent the ladder from suddenly slipping away and make climbing easier for you.
- After sawing off all the branches, it's the trunk's turn. Cut it down piece by piece. If it's not too long, you might even be able to saw it off completely. In this case, with a tree circumference of 15 centimeters or more, you should saw a notch to indicate the direction of fall (the notch may cover a maximum of one third of the trunk diameter). The recommended angle between the horizontal and oblique cuts is approximately 45 degrees. Make sure that the felling cut is a good two to three centimeters above the notched sole. Then continue sawing up to the break bar (distance between the notch and felling cut) - this should be one tenth of the trunk diameter.
- Ideally, perform the fall of the trunk with a wedge.
tips
Get a helper at your side and attach a pull rope to the trunk to force the desired direction of fall when felling.