Cranes are a piece of heavy machinery frequently seen in construction projects, but they have their place in tree removal. Several situations might warrant the use of a crane when removing a tree.

Tall Trees 

Tall trees that need to be removed can create a difficult situation because it is important to have more control over where the pieces fall. When trees are quite tall, there can be concerns that make it hazardous for workers to climb the tree and dismantle it. As trees grow taller, the top of the tree may be too thin to safely support a worker. Additionally, there may not be guarantees regarding the health of the tree.

Extremely tall trees may be rotting or have infections that make the upper branches unstable. In these instances, work can be done to dismantle trees by using a bucket truck and crane. A large portion of the tree can be connected to the crane and a worker in the bucket truck can cut the appropriate portion of the tree. Since the piece is secured by the crane, it will not fall, and can simply be carried away from the remainder of the tree. Having a worker cut pieces of the tree while in the bucket truck reduces the risk of the worker climbing on an unstable portion of the tree.

Tight Spaces

Cranes are especially useful when removing trees from tight spaces. This typically occurs in residential or business areas where the buildings are close together. The risk to people and the surrounding buildings would be too great to simply cut down the tree. Even cutting smaller branches might be risky. As pieces of the tree are cut away, the crane moves them to a safe location away from people and buildings. The removed parts of the tree are typically put into a wood chipper to turn the tree into smaller parts. Workers may shovel the wood chips into a dump truck for final removal. Even when it is possible to remove a tree in a tight space through conventional methods, it might be faster and more efficient to use a crane.

High-Risk Areas

Tree removal with a crane can be critical in high-risk areas. For example, tree removal along the side of the road brings a high risk of the tree falling on the road or on a passing car. In many instances, it is not ideal to stop the flow of traffic for several hours or days while the tree is removed. A more manageable option may be to close a particular lane, allowing enough space for the crane to operate with less impediment of traffic. Other high-risk areas can be removing a tree along a slope. Ideally, you will want to minimize the number of workers on a sloped area to reduce the chance of the workers falling or debris sliding down the slope.

Cranes can be an essential part of tree removal in certain situations. The ability to incorporate a crane into tree removal is often the best strategy to prevent damage or serious injury to workers and other people nearby the tree.

Find out more about tree removals with cranes.