Saying goodbye to a tree.

It's never fun when a tree has to go.  It can be for many reasons, dying, disease or it's just getting way to big for the area its in.  For whatever the reason there is more than one way to get it down and out of you yard.

The easiest way is to call an arbourist and have them come cut it down, chip it and remove the stump.  This is quite costly and normal prices usually start around $1500/tree.   It's the safest way aswell and normally they're in and out within a day.  I would recommend this for someone who doesn't have extensive experience with a saw and knows about felling.

So now lets say you have lots of experience and the time has come to remove it.  
1.  Make sure your tools are sharp and ready for work.
2. Clear the area of anything that you don't want broken, felling is a messy ordeal.

If you have a lot of room and the tree won't hit a house fence or anything else you can skip this next step.

3. Climb on up and start cutting the branches off from the top down, make sure you don't cut your safety equipment or the branch you're standing on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4. Now that you're safely on the ground it's time to fell the bad boy.   Its not very complicate and is safe if you are careful and know what you're doing.

5. It's laying on the ground safe and sound and everything is all good.  Use a tractor to move it around or now cut it into manageable pieces to move and stack.
6. I would definitely say to get a professional in to grind or remove the stump.  roots can be very deep and difficult to remove.  A stump grinder takes skill to operate properly.  You can rent them from the hardware/construction rental store, but I wouldn't.

Now that the tree mess is cleaned up and the stump and grindings are gone, add some top soil and sod and it's as good as new, or maybe you can plant another tree there so you can continue enjoying the beaty and shade they provide!