Sycamore Tree Information Required

[vip49]

I am in the process of ourchasing a new house and have noticed that there is a tree positioned in my back garden.

I am not an active gardner and have only experience in basic gardening (if you can even call it that!) like cutting the grass and removing weeds from beds etc.

Apparently i have been told that the tree is a sycamore tree and would like to know how i can find out how old it is, what benefits can this type of tree have along with what types of problems should i expect with this type of tree.

It's hard to see what the tree would look like throughout the seasons as the tree is currently bear.

I would also like to know how far the roots can spread as it is in my back garden and the garden isn't all that big, was wondering if it could have an effect on the foundations on my property?

All help and advice would be much appreciated.

I have attached some images and hope that they will be visible.

Thanks to you all in advance

Vip Measuria

[Paul mabbott]

No visible pictures and I'm just on my way out but a quick comment on height.
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) is a timber tree (and I'm not aware of any varieties) - it will normally grow as large or larger than a 2-storey house. The advice is that you should not grow timber trees closer to your house than their mature height.
Sycamore is not like willow and other trees that will send out massive roots under the house and into drainage systems nor is it particularly prone to falling over in moderate winds.
I'm sure there'll be more advice ...

Originally Posted by vip49

I am in the process of ourchasing a new house and have noticed that there is a tree positioned in my back garden.

I am not an active gardner and have only experience in basic gardening (if you can even call it that!) like cutting the grass and removing weeds from beds etc.

Apparently i have been told that the tree is a sycamore tree and would like to know how i can find out how old it is, what benefits can this type of tree have along with what types of problems should i expect with this type of tree.

It's hard to see what the tree would look like throughout the seasons as the tree is currently bear.

I would also like to know how far the roots can spread as it is in my back garden and the garden isn't all that big, was wondering if it could have an effect on the foundations on my property?

All help and advice would be much appreciated.

I have attached some images and hope that they will be visible.

Thanks to you all in advance

Vip Measuria

[Alan]

If you're just purchasing the house, wouldn't your surveyer pick-up on it - if it looked dodgey/too close?

[Adam Cheeseman]

Hi Vip,

If the tree is a Sycamore it should have bright green buds and, depending on the age, it should have a smoothish grey/green bark. If the buds are more brownish, it could be a Norway Maple, which a lot of people mistake for Sycamore. (That's assuming you have been given reasonably accurate information)

They do provide a lot of shade because of their large leaves and produce lots of seedlings, which can be a pain.

In terms of wildlife, a mature Sycamore can hold as many invertebrates as a mature Oak in terms of mass, but the Sycamore as a naturalised species hosts far fewer species of invertebrates than the Oak.

I stand to be corrected, but a mature Sycamore's root system doesn't stretch out much beyond the extent of the canopy of the tree.

Cheers,

Adam

[cherrybee]

Hi Vip and a very warm welcome to WAB.Sorry dont know anything about gardening

[nightshade]

Hi Vip,you could just live with it!

[vip49]

Thanks again for all your comments.

I'm not sure how to post the pictures, so if someone could give me some guidelines that would be appreciated.

Yes the surveyor should pick up on the tree being there and hoping that i will get some feedback from him/her.

I just wanted to have a little knowledge about this tree so that I can decide on what to do.

I don't want to remove the tree but just thinking in the future will i have problems with it and what are the likely costs of removing it?

Thanks again for all your reply's all your comments are much appreciated.

[vip49]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

No visible pictures and I'm just on my way out but a quick comment on height.
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) is a timber tree (and I'm not aware of any varieties) - it will normally grow as large or larger than a 2-storey house. The advice is that you should not grow timber trees closer to your house than their mature height.
Sycamore is not like willow and other trees that will send out massive roots under the house and into drainage systems nor is it particularly prone to falling over in moderate winds.
I'm sure there'll be more advice ...

If you are able to help me then i would be very intersted if you could tell me how to insert pictures on this site.

Thanks again

[vip49]

Originally Posted by nightshade

Hi Vip,you could just live with it!

Thanks Nightshade

I was thinking that as well and deal with the hassle (if there is any) Later.

[nightshade]

I once had to cut down an ash tree,I mentioned it at work and had
wood turners and allsorts after the timber, it ended up as a rough
garden bench