How To Remove A Rubber Tree

Step 1

Put on safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying wood chips. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the sticky, milky sap of rubber trees.

Step 2

Study the surroundings of the rubber tree and determine which direction it needs to fall to avoid hitting cars, buildings or other trees.

Step 3

Start the chainsaw and make a steep cut on the side of the trunk that faces the direction you want it to fall. Cut down through the last few years of growth, creating a tab on that side of the tree.

Step 4

Move to the other side of the rubber tree. Make a second, horizontal cut straight through the trunk, right to the bottom of the tab cut. The rubber tree will fall away from you in the correct direction.

Step 5

Step 6

Level off the stump of the rubber tree a few inches above the ground. Turn off the chainsaw and set it aside. Hack the stump apart with a hatchet. Dig out or cut side roots with a shovel. Cover the stump remains with soil and rake smooth.

Step 7

Dismantle the canopy of the fallen rubber tree with long-handled pruning shears, cutting branches into manageable pieces for discarding in yard waste bags, or chipping for mulch. Use the chainsaw for trunk cutting and limbs larger than 3 inches in diameter.

Step 8