Trees are beautiful, but there might come a time when a tree has to go. Perhaps its roots have gotten into the septic tank, or the roots are interfering with the foundation of the house, utility wires, or surrounding trees. Maybe it's sick and about to keel over, and not only keel over, but keel over onto the owner's house. Maybe the tree is already dead, which means it's dangerous as well as unsightly.Cutting Down the TreeThe owner shouldn't bother to cut down a tree that's more than 20 feet tall, but leave this to the professionals. The owners should take safety precautions such as clearing the area of anything the tree might fall on, if that's possible, then checking to make sure that the tree isn't rotten or hollowed out, which makes it dangerous to fell.Felling even a small tree takes time and effort. The owner might want to use a hand saw. They should make an undercut in the tree in the shape of a V that's oriented toward where they want to tree to fall. The undercut should go through about a quarter of the tree. Then, a back cut should be made two inches higher (never lower) than the hinge of the V cut and on the opposite side of the tree. When the tree starts to fall, the owner should get out of the way quickly. Once the tree is on the ground, the limbs should be cut off.Removing the StumpAs with pulling weeds, it's easier to pull up a stump when the ground is wet, so the owner might want to do this after a good, soaking rain. Using a spade, the owner should dig a trench around 15 to 20 inches around the stump. As the roots become exposed, the owner should use a utility bar with a sharp blade to cut chunks of the stump's roots. To do this, the owner should use a hammer or mallet to drive in the blade of the utility bar.Eventually, as its roots are cut, the owner will be able to wiggle the stump a bit. Eventually, the owner will expose down to the tap root, which should then be cut, thus freeing the stump. If the stump is very large, it can be cut up and taken away. Some woodworkers use tree stumps to make sculptures or even furniture. The owner might want to contact one of these folks, to let the stump be repurposed.