How do you cut down a walnut tree? And is that even allowed? We get to the bottom of these questions in our guide.
Can you cut down a walnut tree and how does it work?
A walnut tree may only be felled with permission, as tree protection regulations vary regionally. When felling, you should use safety measures such as climbing harnesses and use proper technique. If unsure, hire a professional.
Cutting down a walnut tree – is that allowed?
There is no general answer to this. Tree protection regulations vary greatly from region to region and are sometimes even handled differently from municipality to municipality. In any case, it is often forbidden to fell a walnut without permission.
There are often specifications regarding trunk circumference, thickness of the branches and 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 contact the responsible office in your locality as early as possible - and obtain approval if necessary. If this is necessary, it is crucial to have a valid reason for felling (risk to you and/or third parties, death/illness of the tree, etc.).
How to cut down a walnut tree
If you want, need and are allowed to cut down a walnut tree, it is best to follow our instructions.
Preliminary note: If possible, use a lifting platform (also available to rent). However, it often doesn't work because of local conditions (unsafe footing, not enough space, etc.). Then unfortunately you won't be able to avoid removing your walnut tree piece by piece using a high ladder and good climbing technique (secured!).
If you don't dare to undertake this difficult task, it's better to hire a professional!
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, sturdy ladder.
- Never work without backup! High-quality climbing harnesses and ropes are essential. You may be able to borrow supplies from a mountaineer, firefighter, or, better yet, a professional tree climber. Under no circumstances should you use run-of-the-mill hardware store ropes (the high load class only applies when at rest, but when the branches fall, the acceleration of gravity and leverage are added, which increases the weight enormously).
- Never use a two-handed chainsaw while standing on a ladder (€109.00 on Amazon). You only have two hands and one of them is reserved for the ladder (to hold on to).
- Basically, you should definitely avoid using a chainsaw if you have no experience with it. Then it's better to use a hand saw.
- When sawing off the walnut tree, stick to the relief cut. Walnut wood breaks all at once, tearing off pieces of bark from the trunk. The sawn-off branch can possibly get stuck on these. In addition, there is a risk that the chainsaw blade will become jammed if it is torn off.
- Are there 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 in which the branch falls.
- Never wrap safety, tether or pull ropes around your hands. Make sure that the rope ends are always loose and exposed. This is the only way to avoid tangling. Furthermore, you must not stand on the loose ends of the rope!
Procedure
- Saw from bottom to top.
- Leave stubs at regular intervals. These prevent the ladder from suddenly slipping and make climbing easier.
- After sawing off all the branches, it's the trunk's turn. Cut this down piece by piece. If it is not too long, you may be able to saw it off completely. In this case, if the tree has a circumference of 15 centimeters or more, you should cut a notch to determine the direction of fall (the notch may cover a maximum of a third of the trunk diameter). The recommended angle between the horizontal and diagonal cuts is approximately 45 degrees. Make sure that the felling cut is a good two to three centimeters above the fall notch. Then continue sawing until you reach the break bar (distance between the notch and the felling cut) - this should be one tenth of the trunk diameter.
- Ideally carry out the fall of the trunk with a wedge.
Tip
Get a helper at your side and attach a pull rope to the trunk to force the desired direction of fall when felling.
