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Drought + Storms + Wind + Rain + Chainsaws = Danger

Most of the United States and including Georgia have been in a drought for the past 10-20 months. It becomes more obvious when you drive up to our Oakwood store and see the condition that Lake Lanier is in. Head a little further north to Lake Hartwell, and you’ll also be amazed at how low the lakes currently are. Those of us closer to metro Atlanta are sometimes late to realize the problem. In fact, this past year in the landscaping industry, lawn growth was so great that if you were to ask others if we were in a drought, they’d probably say no. Our trees would tell a different story though.

If you combine the drought with the high winds that we’ve been getting lately you will get trees that drop big limbs and snap in places. However, within the past week, we’ve received a LOT of water which causing flooding in some places and soaked earth. Throw some wind on top of that, and the result is total trees down… roots and all. And we haven’t even had a chance to have freezing rain and ice that is right around the corner.

All this has resulted in increased chainsaw sales. We’re seeing an increase in purchases by commercial landscapers and tree companies, but also we’ve seen more residential chainsaw sales than normal for this time of year.

One thing is sure, we do everything we can can to show our customers how to properly start and operate their new chainsaw. We warn them of the dangers that come with this piece of power equipment and recommend specific safety equipment with their purchase like helmet, goggles, chaps and hearing protection. There is a lot of personal responsibility that one must take when operating a chainsaw. There are real dangers that you don’t want to ignore.

In addition to protective equipment, you will also want to be sure that you’re not operating the chainsaw in a less than optimal condition. This means proper oil and lube, sharpened chain, and proper tension of the chain to the guide bar.

STIHL has created a variety of resources including videos that show proper operation and maintenance of your STIHL chainsaw. Make sure you understand all the features before using it.

Proper Chainsaw operation and mainteanceProper Chainsaw operation and mainteance
Proper Chainsaw operation and mainteanceProper Chainsaw operation and mainteance
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