How to Trim Branches on Tall Trees

Having a garden full of tall trees is a fantastic feeling — no need to search for a shady place, fantastic vis up above; the feeling of years this small spot has lived through. The trouble comes if the branches grow too rampant up there, and you need to trim them, which is often a challenge.

How do you trim branches above your head that you can’t reach directly? There are some solutions to this problem, and we can review the most common of them; let’s read and see.

Climbing a Tree

If you are in good shape, climbing up a tree and finding a place to position yourself is not too hard. Yet simple as it sounds, this method has lots of downsides. And before you imagine yourself sitting comfortably at the top while branches are falling down, consider the following:

  • You need to take the saw with you. Even a compact wireless model still adds some weight and can jeopardize your climbing.
  • Not every tree has a spot where you can sit and do the cutting.
  • There may still be branches to cut where the trunk and the branches are just too thin to hold your weight.
  • If you hold on to the tree, you need to operate with one hand. And there are some specialized top-handle chainsaws, but they are usually more expensive and require special skills.

So, this way is applicable in certain situations, but it’s far from being versatile, especially if you don’t plan to climb up your trees for whatever reason.

Using a Pole Saw

A cordless pole saw was developed just for this job. It reaches high enough (up to 15 ft plus your own height) and is easily controlled from the handle. A telescopic pole is adjustable for any height you need to reach within its maximum. That’s the basic knowledge, but reading cordless pole saw reviews will give you more of it.

If your trees are even higher than the maximum height of your pole saw, you can use it on a ladder. These saws are lightweight (9-10 lbs.), so operating is quite easy. A battery provides several hours of work which is enough for a maintenance session.

Of course, this is a highly specialized tool, so you may need another one to operate on the ground level. Well, if most of the job is done with a pole saw, you can do what remains with a regular hand pruning saw.  This is not our subject, though; it just means a pole saw will probably not be the only saw you’ll need for your garden. But it will help you through the most elevated part of garden care.

Using a Ladder

Yes, a ladder and a pruning saw seem a better method. Standing firmly on a stable ladder and using a hand pruning saw feels much better than climbing on a tree. The ladder height limits you, but it adds several feet to your workspace.

What’s not to like? First of all, you still don’t stand as firmly as you would on the ground. Second, these branches may be thick enough to make it a challenging job. Third, some of them may still be beyond your reach.

Other Methods

There are other ways, like raising a chainsaw chain with a rope and cutting with it manually or using a specialized pole pruner. Yet these require special skills, so we better leave them to pros or well-trained enthusiasts. As for the tools for trimming high branches, we recommend a cordless pole saw that gets the job done quickly and conveniently.

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