How To Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays! If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate and go the authentic route, here are the steps to make sure you cut the perfect tree safely. One of the most satisfying things on Christmas growing up was getting ready to go pick out the perfect tree as a family and helping to cut it down for the living room.

Make Sure Your Tree Is The Right Size

While it may seem like a great idea to go cut down the biggest and grandest tree of them all. It may not fit in your living room. Make sure to measure your space ahead of time so that you can find the perfect tree that fits you and your family’s needs.

Make sure to get the height of the tree but just as important is the width of the tree as well. While it is great to have a tree that doesn’t hug the ceiling. It’s often forgotten that trees come in all shapes and sizes. Making sure your tree isn’t hanging over a table or armchair is just as important.

Check If You Need A Permit

While there are tree farms that you can go to and pay to cut down your own tree others enjoy the experience of going out into the forest to find the perfect one. If this is what you are planning on doing make sure to check to see if you need a permit! Permits are oftentimes required, relatively cheap, but usually limited to a certain amount. This helps the forest service continue to provide forest management, trail management, and wildlife management. Make sure you’re helping keep our planet green while enjoying some in the comfort of your own home, and remember you don’t need a permit for trees on your own property!

Get There Early

While not always allowed it has become more common. Make sure to head out early, especially to a tree farm, and claim your tree ahead of time. This allows you to cut it at the right time but still get the tree you want that fits your home. Claiming your tree ahead of time also allows you to not cut your tree too early. Christmas trees once cut have a life of around 3 weeks so make sure to time your cut and take home ahead of time to make sure you get the best experience and don’t end up with a dead tree when Christmas finally arrives. To guarantee an excellent tree, consider planting evergreens on your own property.

Tip: In the first 2-3 days the tree needs a LOT of water. Often a few gallons a day. After this, the water necessary will drop, but make sure to give your Christmas tree what it needs at the beginning.

Wear The Right Gear

It often will be cold, you’ll be handing saw blades or a chainsaw and will need to wear protective gear as well as eye protection. If you’re going the chainsaw route, we recommend wearing ear protection as well.

Cutting Your Christmas Tree

1. Cut as close to the ground as you reasonably can. This allows the tree to potentially grow again out of the stump helping the ecosystem.
2. Have a sharp cutting tool Nothing is tougher to do than cutting down a tree with a dull blade. It’s a lesson you won’t have to be taught twice. Properly sharpened equipment can make your experience timely and much more easy to accomplish.
3. Have someone pull the tree from the opposite side. Most Christmas trees will not be over 10 feet. We recommend getting some help from a family or a friend to ease the pressure on the blade allowing you to cut or saw more effectively.

Clean Your Tree

Congratulations! You’ve got your tree cut, make sure to give it a good shake and pull it stump forward back to your vehicle. Shaking and cleaning your tree causes small branches, leaves, dirt, and insects to be forced from the tree that way you don’t bring in the forest to your home. A tree farm will often provide this service for you. Tie it stump forward onto your vehicle or trailer and enjoy!

Remember, a small strip of land next to your house can provide your very own Christmas Tree “farm”. It’s easier than you think, and we are here to help! Here at Friendly Tree, we wish everyone a happy holiday and hope that the rest of the year is the best of your year.

How To Spot Winter Damage On Your Trees

With the changing of the seasons, there’s often excitement around cooler weather, and the ability to go outside without being scorched by the sun. We all look forward to new activities and seeing our loved ones around the holidays. Something that is can be forgotten is that winter can be a hard time for the trees on your property. Different types of trees and different types of weather can severely impact the health of your tree and how they do in the coming year.

How To Inspect Your Trees

Check For Root Damage

• • • Just like your indoor plants when they aren’t receiving enough nutrients they begin to wilt and slump over. Trees do the same when not receiving adequate resources. Check your tree’s roots to make sure they are properly covered and haven’t received any damage. If they have this may be a sign that the tree, and its branches, are compromised, and you should call in an expert for review.

Check Your Leaves

• • • While large flat leaves fall off after changing color in the fall. Evergreens stay permanently and are a key indicator of tree health. The color of the needles should stay consistent and green throughout. If you notice that the ends have turned brown this may be an indication of rapidly changing temperatures and the need to keep a more active eye on your trees.

Check For Rodents

• • • While some people love the cute cuddly possums, moles, squirrels, and owls. They can do damage to your tree both inside and out. When times get tough during the winter some rodents will start to eat the bark off of a tree. It’s up to you to decide on how to handle this. Always check your tree for bark being eaten, and call in a landscaping team or pest control should it get out of control.

Weather

• • • Weather can change fast and often. Large swings in temperature when the weather is finally turning when spring is coming. You may see buds start to peak out then the tree is hit with a late frost. While not preventable it can cause the tree’s health to suffer.

Human Damage

• • • During early winter or when spring is arriving you may have good days where children want to use the swing / tire swing attached to the branches of a tree. This is can be dangerous for people you care about but also the tree as well. Branches are in a depleted state after a long winter and are not in the best condition to take on extra weight so suddenly.
    • Make sure that no one plays on or around trees that are covered in ice and snow.
    • If damage has occurred, hire a professional, especially when conditions are not optimal.

Splitting Wood

• • • Water is the 8^th wonder of the world. It wiggles its way into tiny cracks you’ve don’t see and can be absorbed or keep a tree cool during the summer. During the winter it can turn deadly.
    • Water on the outside of the tree, like snow and ice, can worm its way into the outer part of the tree and become frozen, expanding, and breaking through exposing parts of the core to the elements.
    • A tree retains water inside the tree as well. In extreme cases, the water inside can free and cause damage from the inside out. This is why it’s recommended not to water your trees as often as you did during the summer.

As always, If you see signs of an unhealthy tree on your property you want to make sure you call an expert during the winter. Make sure to keep an eye out and let us know if we can help in any way.

How to Winterize Your Home

Something often overlooked when winterizing your home is the outside of your home as well as the inside. We’ll be taking a look at both to make sure you’re ready for the coming months of cold.

Seal Any Cracks Or Gaps

Often times a house may shift and begin to settle, especially with older homes small openings begin to appear. Sometimes around the door frame, windows, and near the roofline. Make sure that all of your property is checked inside and out for and gaps or cracks that can be filled. Often caulking and all weatherstripping will do the trick but a professional may need to be called if you see serious issues around load-bearing walls or the foundation. Additionally, when planting new shrubs, and trees consider how aggressive the root systems are they can affect foundation cracking, shifting, and settling.

Make Sure The Gutters Are Okay

Gutters often start to get clogged during the fall when leaves being to fall or you experience more precipitation of any kind. Making sure they are clean, and still load-bearing is important to extend their life and to make sure they function properly.

Be clear to any children or elderly that while icicles may look cool that they can be dangerous. Oftentimes people with no experience stand directly underneath them when knocking them off the side of their roof. This can cause unnecessary personal risk to someone who’s just trying to help.

Make Sure Your Landscape Is Okay

Most plants go into a hibernation period during the winter to conserve resources. Make sure to do your tree trimming, as any snow or storms that come through can cause weak branches and limbs to snap. Falling onto your property could cause damage.

Look for signs of unhealthy limbs that may be struggling or need to be removed ahead of time. Secondly, by making sure you take care of this well in advance you can make sure your tree has the time to recover and be ready for winter. Trimming trees is something that might need a professional. Smaller branches and offshoots can be handled by homeowners if they are so inclined, but larger branches and thick growths should be left to the professionals to avoid damage to your home, and ensure the longevity and health of your trees and landscape.

The same goes with any shrubbery that needs major maintenance, better to do it as the weather cools than during the heat of the summer or in winter.

Lastly, make sure to clear out any branches or debris in your yard that is easy to see now but may be dangerous once covered up in snow or pushed around by a storm. A rake, shovel, or other sharp objects may be unassuming in the fall but dangerous in the winter.

Regulate The Heat

While staying toasty inside by the fire is great for you it can cause issues for your home. On especially cold nights make sure that pipes have open access to heated air. Just opening your cabinet doors where exposed pipes are is enough to stop a burst from happening.

Take A Look At The Roof

While it may be too late to have a new roof installed checking it out and making sure there are no obvious signs of holes, patching, sagging, or missing shingles is important. Minor patches and fixes can stop a drip from turning into a much larger issue as the season goes on.

As always, if you require services in making sure that your trees are healthy and ready for the winter please reach out to us!

How To Cut Down A Tree

Cutting down a tree on your property can be quite the task, whether you are looking to hire professionals like us or are wanting to do it yourself. Here are a few steps to get you started, what you can expect, and what you need.

Inspect The Area

Having a tree that needs to be cut down on your property can be the start of a big task. The first step is to make sure to inspect the area. Is it safe to cut down large branches, limbs, or the tree itself? Is there a risk to property or people? If so it may be better to hire a professional. Check for the following:

• Diseases
• • Is the tree free from disease and just needing to be removed?
• Are there dead limbs?
• • As a tree falls these limbs can be projected large distances, unlike live limbs that often stay on or very near the tree.
• Is there anything in the way?
• • A tree is much taller than you imagine and needs a very large fall line to make sure it’s safe. Is there a large area for the tree to safely fall?

Make Sure You Have The Right Equipment

Once you know there is a safe area to fell a tree it’s time to make sure you have the right gear to properly and safely do so. What you’ll need

• Safety glasses: can be used to make sure any splinters or debris are kept your eyes.
• Ear Plugs: while not commonly thought of, chainsaws are quite loud and can cause damage to hearing without proper protective equipment.
• Hard Hat: any falling debris can cause serious injury.
• Gloves: Gloves are there not only to protect your hands but also great for making sure you don’t slip and have a firm grip.
• Chainsaw: to cut down the tree or limbs.
• Felling wedges: while most do it yourself will not use felling wedges they are critical and can help point the tree in the right direction to fall.

Always check with your on local regulations as your county, HOA, or city may require a permit or a licensed professional to cut down a tree in your area.

Fall Length & Plan Your Route

We talked about this earlier but it’s a critical part of cutting down a tree. Double-check your fall line and make sure that you have more than enough room. If you think it is going to be close or “it should be enough room” we recommend hiring a professional. A tree falling can crush a car, crack the foundation of a pool, and go through your roof with ease.

While working on cutting the tree you’ll need to make sure you have a way to safely step away from the tree after it begins to fall or if something unexpected happens. If the tree is tall enough and has to be cut in multiple sections while still standing, your best bet is to hire a professional. Tripping or a slow escape path can cause you to be in harm’s way. Make sure to have a clear path.

Correct Cutting

Cutting down a tree can be seen as counterintuitive and complex. The first thing to look for is what side of the tree is heaviest and has the most growth. Often people will begin to cut down a tree and not realize that they are cutting in all of the right spots but that the tree is weighted to fall in the opposite direction. Make sure you know which way the tree wants to fall and how to counteract that if it doesn’t align with your fall line.

Begin cutting. Which side you cut on is where the tree will fall if everything else is done correctly.

• Cut at the right height
  • A comfortable working height is best. Cutting higher or lower can be dangerous.
• Cut at a 45-degree angle
  • You’ll be cutting a notch so you’ll have an angle on the top of the notch and then a flat cut at the bottom of your cut. This allows for the saw to work effectively and minimizes pinching the blade due to pressure from the tree leaning.
• Small Cuts Add up
  • You are not cutting through the entire tree. Start with making cuts that are about a third of the way through the trunk of the tree.
• Use your wedges as necessary
  • While small trees are relatively straightforward, old-growth trees require special chainsaws that are the right size or wedges.
  • Wedges stop the pinch of the tree on the blade that adds unwanted pressure.

The Fell Cut

After you have notched on the correct side you’ll want to make the final cut. Slightly above the top of the notch created you’ll make a cut that is 180 degrees or a flat cut. The goal is not to connect these to but to allow the weight and pressure of the tree to cause the tree to lean. Once the tree starts to lean and move use your path to safety. If everything is done right the tree will fall in the line setup.

As always, cutting down a tree is a much larger task than most people imagine. If you are looking for a safe, efficient, and professional tree removal team in the northeast reach out to us to see how we can help.

What Is The Best Tree For Privacy?

While trees play an important role in the environment and can protect your home from the elements. They also can play an important role in making sure you have a private refuge and a place to relax. Oftentimes traditional wood or metal fences can fill this role but using trees can help take your backyard experience to a new level.

What Trees To Use

When looking into creating a living wall we often want to use trees that can live close together and in a way that doesn’t allow them to crowd other plants by taking too large a share of the resources. Evergreens, cypress, particularly Italian cypress, and larger flowering trees are perfect for creating clear boundaries.

Know Your Zone

While you may have your eye on a specific tree you found online that you would love to use. Most trees are tied to a hardiness zone. This takes into account where a tree can not only live but thrive and have healthy growth the way that you want it to. An orange tree that may flourish in Florida may not be a good fit in Montana. Even trees that would logically make sense from a climate perspective may not do well when looking at the soil composition. It’s important to make sure that whichever tree species you choose fits into the hardiness zone that you live in.

Know Your Space

A Red Oak does not always fit in a backyard. Making sure you have the appropriate space for the tree or trees you intend to plant is critical to making sure they have the resources they need.

Small backyards or areas that are in need of a designated space often use trees such as the Italian Cypress. The Italian Cypress can be planted fairly close to one another and grow mostly vertically rather than outward. This allows the ability to create a living fence using trees. The Italian Cypress is most known for its ability to create beautiful pathing for roads in Italy. Oftentimes in America, it is now used to create beautiful driveways, private yards, and to create small spaces for more intimate settings with friends and family.

On the other hand, if you have a large space in need of privacy willows can be a great choice. Long bowing branches on the weeping willow allow for quick and easy privacy. The Willow grows very quickly and can reach around 50 ft in height. Proper spacing to allow the trees to accommodate each other and grow at an optimal speed will have your property looking like an estate in no time. While Weeping Willows are primarily used for much larger properties as they can grow quite wide and tall. Individual or paired willows can be used for much smaller backyards. Creating a sense of privacy and tranquility that few other trees can match.

Adding something unique such as a cherry blossom tree in a small backyard can provide a pop of color that is not only extremely vibrant and beautiful but peaceful as well. For larger areas, rows of cherry blossoms trees can be used to create magical driveways or walkways that truly feel like you’re on a different planet. With their pink flowers spreading up to 20 feet creating an area that is hard to forget can be accomplished in a very short amount of time. Cherry Blossom trees are most commonly found in the 5-9 hardiness zones.

While the list of trees that can be used for privacy is extensive. Always keep a lookout for your hardiness zone, the size of your property, and what tree best suits the role you are trying to accomplish.

What Are The Best Front Yard Trees?

Have you ever wondered what the best tree for your front yard should be? There are over 60,000+ different types of trees in the world and each one has its unique characteristics. Some are better for the east coast yard and this is one of our favorites.  

The Oak Tree

The oak tree is one of the most perfect trees of all time. Why? They are strong, sturdy in a storm, and can provide benefits to your entire property. From cooling down your home in the dog days of summer by blocking the sun for extended periods of time. To providing shelter to wildlife in your neighborhood.

While some homeowners worry about the size of limbs of oak trees and the potential for falling during winter storms causing damage. With proper tree maintenance and care, they can provide an overwhelming list of benefits with little risk.

With over 600 different types of oak species, there is a breathtakingly large variety of oak trees available to match your home and property perfectly. Oak trees can also be deciduous or evergreen trees. With Deciduous oak tree’s leaves changing in the fall and falling off. Other oak species, evergreen ones, continue to have green leaves year-round.

Depending on your style or preference you may prefer a tree that changes colors along with the rest of your neighborhood. If you are looking for more privacy or sheltering benefits for your property an evergreen tree may be the way to go.

What Size Oak Are You Looking For?

Depending on the size of your yard or your goals for your tree you may want to look at different species as well. You may know you aren’t in your forever home and are looking for a quick-growing oak to add character to your yard for better resell value. The bur oak grows on average of 7-8 inches a year and would still look like a sapling 5 years later. While a Nuttall oak can grow up to 4 feet a year, and sometimes more! Planning your trees to fit the needs of your family, property, and future is key.

Did you know that some of the shortest oaks can be just 30 feet tall? If you live in a ranch-style home with a minimal yard you may look for a Japanese evergreen oak. If you happen to have a large amount of land or want a statement piece that will make friends and family use their sunroof on their way down the driveway. A white oak may be exactly what you are looking for. White oaks can reach over 100 feet in height and are beautiful trees in their early stages and as they mature.

Oak Tree Maintenance

With proper care and maintenance, oak trees can last not only a lifetime but for generations to come. Most oaks prefer the following:

• Well-draining soil
• Full sun all day every day
• Seasonal changes

• While some trees do well year-round with very little temperature change. Oak’s often do well with the natural changing of the seasons.
• Receiving precipitation in the winter can allow for no watering is needed for your oak tree during the colder months!

• Pruning
  • Depending on the type of oak you get this will change.
  • Deciduous oaks often need annual pruning to make sure they are growing in the direction you want and maintain great tree health.

• Limbs can become diseased or grow too large for their own good, leaving them susceptible during winter storms of breaking.

• Evergreen oaks can often go a lifetime without ever receiving a pruning. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance tree that provides great privacy an evergreen oak may be the perfect choice for you.

• Fertilizer and Tree Nutritional Health
  • Just like babies and kids, tree nutrition at the younger stages is extremely important.
  • Fertilizing early spring and in the fall are perfect times to help trees reach their full potential and mature trees continue to stay healthy through all seasons.

Going Traditional

And If you want to go traditional the oak is the perfect tree as the red oak is the official state tree of New Jersey! The red oak is a fast-growing tree that provides a large amount of shade, beautiful colors in the fall, and needs very little maintenance in comparison to other more meticulous oaks.

No matter which tree you decide from our list of options an oak tree is a perfect tree for your New Jersey home. While other options may exist, the oak in all its varieties is hard to beat.