Cutting down a tree may not look so hard when an experienced professional does it - but Black's Tree Service owner Gregg Black warns residents not to be fooled.
"Tree work looks so easy when professionals do it that homeowners think they can do it," he said.
On April 9, Oak Grove resident Jeffrey Parks, 34, lost his life after a tree he was cutting fell on him. Five months earlier, Whipple resident Bill Beck was struck with a limb that fell from a tree he was cutting, leaving him a quadriplegic.
Black said whether a person should cut a tree on their own or call in the professionals is really determined by how comfortable the person feels and how much experience they have using a chainsaw and cutting trees.
"If you use a chainsaw once a week, that's pretty good," he said. "But most people buy a good chainsaw and use it three days a year."
Andy Ware, assistant chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, generally recommends that only professionals do the job.
"Unless you have extensive training in using a chainsaw, it should be deferred to an expert logger or expert arborist," he said. "It's not cheap sometimes to hire a professional, but in the long run, it could save your life."
"We encourage folks, if they're dealing with a hazardous tree in their yard, to consult the International Society of Arboriculture, who understands the tree very well, but also understands safety issues," Ware said. "And they have the proper insurance and bonding to go along with doing that potentially dangerous work."
Black's Tree Service, of Marietta, is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture.
Gregg Black noted that it's important to make sure that the chainsaw is in good working order, and that its safety features are functioning properly.
"A chainsaw should have an emergency break on it, so if the saw tries to kick back, the brake goes off to keep the chain from moving," he said.
Black said it's also important that proper safety gear, such as steel-toed boots, chaps, a helmet and safety glasses, are worn.
After these precautions are taken, Black said the person cutting the tree needs to look at his or her surroundings, such as nearby structures and the lay of the land.
"When you drop a tree on flat ground, it's pretty well controllable," he said. "If the ground isn't flat and has a big hill, then when the log hits it can bounce, kick, roll - a lot of things."
Black said it also makes a difference whether the tree is dead or alive.
"If it's a dead tree, a lot of times the dead limbs fall and hit you in the top of head," he said. "Live trees stay together because it's green and fresh."
Black noted that it's never a good idea for a person to cut a tree by themselves, and there should always be an area cleared as an escape route.
When it comes to actually cutting a tree down, Black said a notch should first be cut one-third of the way into the base of the tree.
"If you've notched a tree correctly, the tree will fall in the direction you intended it to," he said. "If you have a tree two feet around and 100 feet tall and it leans the way you want it to, you still have to put a notch in the way you want it to fall."
Black added that it's always a good idea to put a rope in the tree, so the tree can be pulled in the direction it needs to fall.
"You want to work with the natural way the tree wants to go," he said.
Black said another important thing to keep in mind is the speed at which a tree is being cut.
"You're risking a lot of potential hazards when you hurry," he said.
