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What’s the Difference Between Tree Cutting and Tree Removal?

Properties in locations like Brookhaven, Georgia, face serious windstorms sometimes. These storms can mean major damage to buildings, power lines, trees, and other structures. Knowing when tree cutting vs. tree removal services are appropriate could come in handy if you’re a property owner in these storm-prone areas.

How can you choose the best tree service provider, whether for a post-storm or routine task? As trusted tree services in Brookhaven, GA, SoutheastTree outlines some options below.

What Happens During a Tree Cutting Service?

Tree cutting or felling involves taking out the specimen at its base and allowing it to free fall. Think of the film scenes where a character makes a final swing of the ax and yells, “Timber!” These scenes usually depict tree cutting in action, but with professionals, there are a lot of safety precautions involved, too.

With tree cutting vs. tree removal, the arborist will remove a 90-degree notch that reaches almost a fourth of the trunk’s depth. A felling cut then coaxes the tree to fall in the desired direction.

Isn’t Tree Removal the Same as Tree Cutting?

While cutting a tree takes it off the scene, tree removal services refer to a slightly more technical approach that often takes longer. With removal, the arborist essentially dismantles the tree piece by piece instead of making a few strategic base cuts to make the specimen fall all at once. 

The professional may begin by trimming large branches to clean the trunk. Then, the arborist and their service crew dismantle the trunk in chunks. They may also perform a stump grinding and or stump removal process, which can mean that tree removal costs exceed tree-cutting service costs. 

Learn more about stump grinding vs stump removal here: Stump Grinding vs Removal: Cost, Process & Which One to Pick

When Do You Need Tree Cutting vs. Tree Removal Services?

Why would you choose tree cutting vs. tree removal or the other way around? Let’s examine when skilled Brookhaven arborists might employ either of these techniques.  

Surrounding Landscape and Structures

Let’s say you want to get rid of a tree in the middle of a field with no structures and no foot and vehicle traffic around. Tree cutting would suffice under these circumstances, particularly during routine land-clearing efforts.

Tree removal services best suit properties with elaborate landscapes, nearby structures, and other obstacles that might complicate the process. The strategy contains debris fallout and ensures the team maintains control of the tree’s pieces as they come down. You should explore tree removal services when:

  • Your tree is close to powerlines, commercial or residential buildings, fences, and storage spaces.
  • The branches or trunk overshadow a roadway, parking lot, carport, or sidewalk.
  • You have a complex surrounding landscape and don’t want the stump presence afterward.
  • Other healthy specimens surround the target tree, and you’d like to protect them from damage as the tree falls.

You might also choose a full extraction, including root removal, if you don’t want the remaining stump taking up space in your yard or limiting the resources underground for other plants. Tree cutting only eliminates the above-ground portion of the specimen’s body.

Tree Size and Structural Security

Large, sickly, structurally unsound trees fall in unpredictable directions. An arborist might opt for a full removal rather than cutting if predictability is important.

For example, a diseased specimen might benefit more from removal than cutting. This process will also prevent pests, bacteria, or fungi from spreading to nearby trees. 

SoutheastTree Can Safely Remove Your Problem Trees in Brookhaven, Georgia

Now that you’ve scratched the surface of tree cutting vs. tree removal services, read our guide to understanding tree surgery for further topical knowledge. Then, call SoutheastTree at 770-977-8733 to ask about your tree removal services in Brookhaven, Georgia! Our knowledgeable crew offers routine and emergency tree assistance for the area’s homeowners and business owners.