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Hello, I'm Jody Gale, Extension Agent with Utah State University Extension service.
Often in the landscape, you'll have trees that tend to get too large or at least
limbs that are too large and need to be trimmed in order to accommodate vehicle
traffic or prevent shade on other trees that are growing nearby.
Often the tendency is to use a chain saw on these types of branches, which can
easily be done to remove large branches, but there's a specific technique called
the double cut, which is the way to prevent damage from the limb
tearing away from the tree.
If this particular branch, here, were to be cut off in a single cut method, the
tendency is to come with the saw, and beginning at the top, cut down through
the surface of the branch.
What happens is when the bark is left in tact on the underneath side of the limb,
as the weight of the limb brings the tree limb down, that will tend to split and
will tear the bark and strip it all the way down the trunk, damaging
the trunk rather severely.
By using the double cut method, you score the bark on the underneath side of the
limb, cut off most of the weight of the limb, then allowing it to fall away, and
then make a final cut that's clean and easy to make that does not damage the
underneath side of the limb and tear the bark off of the trunk.
I'll demonstrate that now.
Using a standard pruning saw, which is very different than a carpenter's saw --
carpenter's saws are intended to cut when you push -- this is just a typical, small
keyhole saw, designed for carpentry purpose. The teeth are very small and they
are designed to cut when you push.
Whereas, a standard pruning saw has very course teeth on it.
This is designed to cut when you pull.
Often if you're working overhead, it's much easier to use the weight of your body
and effect of gravity to pull down making the cut, rather than try and use your
muscle strength to push up.
Pruning saws are also characterized by a round or a curvy type design, rather than
a straight blade, making it a lot easier to work with round limbs.
So let's begin the double cut method.
Double cut method begins by making a cut on the underneath side of the branch,
further out on the limb than where you want the final cut to be.
You start by making a cut and you cut approximately a third of the distance up
into the limb in this manner.
[sawing]
We have severed the bark and the tissue on the underneath side of the limb.
Then you begin the second of the double cut.
Not at the same location where the cut is, but you move out on the branch,
maybe two or three inches.
Now the idea here is as you begin to cut down, the weight of the branch will start
to fall away, it'll usually tend to split down into this previous cut, and then the
whole limb will fall away without tearing the bark and causing damage to the tree.
So this is the second of the two cuts in the double cut method.
[sawing]
You can see how that quickly fell away without tearing the bark
on the underneath side.
The third or final cut is now simply to deal with this small piece of wood.
It doesn't have a many hundreds of pounds of weight of wood on it.
It's much easier to care for. Much easier to make the cut.
We're now down to the final step of removing the stub that's left
from the main part of the limb.
I will take the time to make a small scoring cut here, just in case this falls
away a little quicker than I would like.
Notice this bulge, where the limb is attached to the trunk, this is
referred to as the limb collar.
It's okay to cut partway into that limb collar, but one of the problems with
pruning is you don't want to cut way back, really tight against the trunk, because
that makes a very large wound.
Nor do you want to cut a 90 degree angle here in the small direction by cutting
here -- this part of the bark will simply just die anyway -- so you kind of go half
way between the extremes, what would be 90 degree angle cut versus this very long
cut, and go half way in between, by coming down partially through this limb collar
where you've got tissue that's actively cell dividing and it will quickly
heal over the wound.
[sawing]
Okay, at this point in the cutting, where this is cut most of the way through, if
the weight of the limb were still there,
this would already have broken off and stripped and torn the bark down the tree.
We're almost finished and with not a lot of weight here, it makes it much easier
to finish the third and final cut.
Even though it's called the double cut method, it actually consists of three
primary cuts, this being the final cut.
[sawing]
Okay, there it is.
That hand saw wore me out.
Another way to do a double cut method is with a pole saw or a small chain saw.
Any homeowners don't own this type of equipment can...but it can often be rented
from rental stores that are scattered throughout the state.
As always, you should, anytime you use power equipment, use proper safety
glasses, hearing protection, sturdy shoes, and have long pants on that
will protect your legs.
This particular limb will use the same technique, making a cut on the underneath
side, approximately a third of the way into the branch, going out on the limb a
couple of inches, a second cut allowing the limb to fall away, and make the final
flush cut against the tree that will allow it to heal.
[chain saw motor]
Much easier way to make the double cut.
And your final cut will heal over much easier from the edges.
Thank you for joining us for this segment of pruning in the yard.
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