Best way to remove a tree?

By Torgo

Cutting elm tree

I have an American elm tree that broke in a storm. It's not sick, yet. Here are options I can think of.

Pay an insured arborist to take down the tree so I can haul it away.
Find someone who will harvest the tree for a portion of the wood (maybe even 100%). American elm isn't exactly a premier woodworker's choice, though.
Wait for it to fall on my house.

What's your idea?

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August 31, 2007

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About: Computer nerd, married to history nerd. We bought a 1940 colonial in Saint Paul. We've...

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bruno

February 04, 2008

Hey Torgo, I was contacted by a journalist looking to talk to someone who's had minor storm damage. Any interest in taking part? Thanks,

Bruno

tmgeorgo

August 31, 2007

The best way to deal with it is to hire a professional tree service and let them do the complete job of removing it. Get bids from 3-4 insured companies, call their references and their insurance provider to verify, and act on what you learn. I had several massive trees removed from my house and used a company that specializes in tree removal using a giant crane. The crew would attach a choker line to the trunk, cut the trunk 10-12 ft below the choker, and carry the part of the tree away with the crane. Not a single piece of wood fell to the ground and they were able to take down an 80+ft tall tree that was 6 ft from the side of my house in five pieces. Here's a photo of the crane when it was lifting away the first piece. I'm still as amazed now as I was when I watched them do the work.

Torgo

August 31, 2007

Ouch. That's a huge tree. Mine is only about half the size in diameter. I was quoted $1650 to take it away, or $600 or so to have it cut and left on site.

If you know any blacksmiths, elm is a great wood to use as a stump for an anvil. It resists rot and hot sparks very well. I only know one blacksmith and he has all he needs already.

Elm doesn't split well, so a log splitter won't be too helpful, but there are portable sawmills that can make boards right on site. I was hoping someone had some experience hiring one of those.

Man that's some nice heartwood in that photo!

bruno

August 31, 2007

Here's a picture of me with my fallen tree (sniff):

bruno

August 31, 2007

# 3 is a bad option.

I had a 56" diameter American Elm removed about 3 years ago (it was diseased). Let me tell you, it's a serious job that requires someone with the right tools and experience. In fact, if you don't know what you're doing, it's very dangerous (more so than you might think).

Even hauling away all the chips and branches that re left is a ton of work. I wrongly opted not to pay to have the pile of woodchips removed, and I regretted it later.

As for getting someone to take the wood... you might have trouble since Elms are so susceptible to Dutch Elm disease; people might not want to take the chance on your tree (if it's diseased the wood has to be disposed of).

Hope this helps!

P.S. I was shocked how expensive getting our tree removed was ... it cost us upwards of $4,000!