Summer Home Maintenance Made Easy.

Jan 31, This is called your “relief cut.” If you skip over this cut and go right for your final cut, you might damage the trunk and expose your tree to pests and 79%(14). Mar 15, Cut #1, Notch Cut: Cut a small notch in the bottom of the limb, feet away from the trunk, and about a quarter of the way through. This notch will keep the bark from splitting when you make the next cut. Cut #2, Relief Cut: Just outside the notch, make a relief cut completely through the branch.

This removes the weight of the branch, so that you can make your final cut without the branch.