Short answer: if you need a ladder, you need a professional. While this may apply to many home improvement projects to help ensure safety, it’s just as important when it comes to safe small tree removal. It also depends on how you measure—a small tree for some may mean big problems for others.

What’s Safe Small Tree Removal

Say you’ve newly planted a tree and it unfortunately died or became diseased shortly after. The roots aren’t fully established, and you can still touch the top of the tree with your feet firmly on the ground. This is a small tree, and removing it yourself should not be a problem.

What if a small, but well-established tree has the same unfortunate fate? Its roots may be harder to unearth, but if you can still reach the top without a ladder—say for a small fruit tree or other short variety—you should still be okay to carry on with removal on your own.

Once the tree has rooted and grown too high to reach without a ladder, you need to start thinking about calling a professional to take it down. Especially if the tree is too close to your house or other structures.

What Makes it Unsafe

There are many factors that could turn a seemingly easy project into an unsafe one. Here are some of those factors to consider:

• Getting up on a ladder with a chainsaw.
• Heavy tree limbs falling without control.
• The price of damage or medical bills versus the cost of professional tree removal.

If any of these conditions concern you, contact someone with experience, equipment, and insurance needed to do the job safely.

How to Remove a Tree Safely

If you’re about to take on the job yourself, here’s how to do to:

1. Make the area easier to dig by watering before you remove the tree.
2. Measure your tree trunk. For every inch, dig about six inches deep to reach the root.
3. Dig around the outer edge of the canopy to access the entire root system.
4. Wiggle the root ball out carefully and keep it intact if you want to replant. It doesn’t matter as much if you’re getting rid of the tree.

If you’ve decided to take the professional route, contact Elite Tree Care for more information and a tree removal quote, no matter the size of the tree.