How to cut off a branch I can't reach

Evening all.

Next door's massively overgrown tree, which overhangs a significant piece of my garden, has two dodgy branches that cross each other, and have been rubbing against each other for 2 years now, to the point where they will at some point snap.

Before they snap, I'd like to bring them down in a safe, controlled way.

The trouble is, they are, I reckon, about 15 to 20ft above the ground.

I guess I could borrow a ladder, but there'd be nothing to lean it against that would enable me to reach.

Ideas please

 

hire a tree surgeon ... if it's one branch, it will cost you £20 ... the guy will do it when he's not busy

do it yourself and you could break your neck

 

Probably getting on for about 4 inches. Way beyond lopper territory unfortunately.

 

I've just been out having another look. I'm leaning towards Dim's suggestion of getting someone in. My solution would be like a sticking plaster over the problem. There's still the fact that the tree is far too big for its location.

The trouble is the neighbour is an old lady, who at present is in hospital very poorly indeed, so I can't ask her, but at the same time, I'm not happy about letting my son play out on our lawn because if/when the branch comes down, if anyone's under it, it is going to hurt.

 

4 ins thick and 15 to 20ft high.
Sounds like it could cause some damage when it lands.

The trouble I find is that cut branches rarely do what you expect, they dont just cut through and fall straight down.
Oh I know you should cut through from the bottom first and then cut down into the lower cut.

I find its best to cut well away from where you intend to make your final cut, and relieve as much weight from the branch in stages if possible, first.

That way you can use the offending branch to put the ladder against until you do the final cut.

 

I use a Wolf Garten pruning saw attached to one of their telescoping poles for stuff like that - much easier than taking a chainsaw up ladders. Knick the branch on the underside, then cut through from the top, cutting it off a piece at a time if required.

Get a quote from a tree surgeon, then see if you can buy a bit a kit for the same price/cheaper, and that can be used for loads of different gardening tasks - I mainly use mine for trimming dead branches off my fruit trees or with an apple picker attachment for picking 1,000s of pounds of apples.

 

PS, I'd never go up a ladder with a chainsaw, 4ins is well within bow saw range and the exercise will do you good.

 

I have a very good chainsaw .... I'm frightened to start it up and am even more frightened if I have to climb a tree and use it

some jobs are worth paying a few quid to have it done by professionals

 

Don't worry folks, I wont be going up with a chainsaw. That would be asking for trouble

I'm leaning towards getting a tree surgeon in to do a crown reduction, but for that I'd need agreement from the neighbour, which is currently impossible to obtain, so in the meantime I'll have a go at getting just the obvious high risk branches down.

I have a pruning saw, but not one of the ones on a pole. I tried taping it to the end of an elaborate arrangement of bamboo canes, but it just wasn't stable enough.

 

Folks, I think I have a solution.

I've just been doing a bit of research, and it seems there's a trendy new type of saw on the market (its actually a very old concept but I won't steal their thunder).

I've just ordered this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002D18CU4/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Basically, its like a chainsaw chain with a rope attached to either end. You tie a weight to the other end of one rope, chuck it over the branch as though you're making a tarzy, and then just pull the two ropes to cut through the inaccessible branch.

 

How do you partially cut the underside of the branch to prevent it from splitting/twisting and getting hung up in the tree?