Fallen tree removal around Bremen, IN
A tree that's already down looks like the easy part of a storm. It often isn't. The trunk can be pinned, twisted and loaded like a spring, and the root plate can tip back when the weight comes off. We cut it up in the right order and carry it out.
The short answer
If a tree is down in the yard and not touching the house or a line, it's not an emergency, but don't cut into it yourself. Keep people off it, take photos, and call us to cut it up and clear it. If it's on the house, a car or a wire, treat it as a storm emergency and call right away.
Why a downed tree is harder than it looks
A tree lying on the ground is rarely lying flat. Part of it is resting on its own limbs, part of it may be propped on a fence or a shed, and the whole trunk is bent under its own weight. Cut in the wrong spot and a limb can spring back, or the trunk can roll toward whoever is holding the saw. This is exactly where people get hurt doing their own storm cleanup.
If the tree came out by the roots, there's another catch: the root plate, that big disc of soil and roots standing up on edge, is balanced against the weight of the trunk. Take enough weight off the trunk and the root plate can drop back into the hole on its own, fast.
How we take a fallen tree apart
We start by reading the tree: where it's touching the ground, where it's under tension, and what it's leaning against. The small limbs come off first to get the crown out of the way and take stored weight off. Then the big limbs, each one cut to release its tension toward open ground. The trunk is cut into rounds working from the top end toward the roots, and the root plate is dealt with last, once nothing is holding it up.
Brush goes through the chipper as it's cut. The compact loader picks up the trunk rounds and carries them to the drive, so the heavy wood isn't dragged across the lawn. When the tree is gone, the yard gets raked.
A tree across the drive or the fence
A tree across the driveway is usually the first call, because nobody can get out. We clear a path first, then finish the rest. A tree lying on a fence is cut off in pieces so the fence isn't pulled down further as the weight comes off. If the fence is shared with a neighbor, it helps to let them know we're coming.
What to do while you wait
- Keep kids and pets off the trunk. It can shift.
- Take photos of the tree and anything it hit, from a few angles, before anything moves. Your insurer will want them.
- If a wire is anywhere near it, stay back and call the utility. Assume any wire is live.
- Don't try to winch or pull the tree off something with a truck or a tractor.
Part of our storm work. For trees that landed on a roof, a car or the lines, go to storm damage and emergency tree service.
Fallen trees we clear around the area
Fallen tree questions
Not a full-size yard tree. Once the root plate tears out of the ground, too many roots are broken for it to stand safely again. It needs to be cut up and removed.
Once the trunk is off, the root plate can often be tipped back into its hole. If it's left standing, the stump and roots can be ground down. Ask us at the estimate which makes sense for your yard.