Large double-bowed sycamore in garden - Help

ppeaster · #1 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 03:20 PM

Hi there,
First post from a newbie - have recently moved home, and stumbled across this forum whilst trying to decide how to deal with a very large sycamore in our back garden... Would be grateful for any assistance.

We have a very steeply-sloped rear garden. To give you an idea, the top of the slope is roughly equivalent with the roof line of our house!

At the top is a very large (20-30ft?), double-bowed sycamore that appears to have been neglected for years.

Our garden backs on to a neighbour's property, and the rear of the tree extends into his garden. As a result he has had it cut back to the boundary.

One of the consequences of this is weight of the tree is now entirely on my side, and it is leaning over the slope and fairly close to my house.

Problems are - 1. I am concerned it may eventually come down which could damage my house. 2. It is blocking a lot of light 3. my neighbour advises it's awful for leaves, which from doing a bit of reading yesterday I gather is fairly normal for a sycamore.

I am interested in your thoughts regarding my options for dealing with this tree. I had a tree surgeon over yesterday who quoted £1,800 to remove the tree down to the stump - assuming this is a fair price, it's not something I can afford right now! He mentioned that the high cost is due to it being a couple of days' work, and due to the proximity of phone lines and the steep slope involved.

So assuming the tree is here to stay (until I win the lottery), can anyone suggest the best course of action to take? I'm 'new' to trees so apologies if I've missed any basic details. I don't have any photos yet but I should be able to get some during this week or the weekend.

Thanks in advance
Paul

Wild-Woman · #2 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 03:35 PM

Can you have it done in stages? So pollard the top first taking away the weighty branches. If there's less weight at the top, its less likely to come down in a gale.
Whatever though, I'd get several comparable prices from reputable tree surgeons that are fully insured.
Sorry I can't help more but I'm sure before long someone more knowledgeable may be able to help.
Welcome to WAB by the way!

King Edward · #3 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 04:00 PM

If you do decide to remove it, you could always keep the stump and let it regrow as a coppice specimen. That saves the trouble/expense of stump removal, and you can recoppice it every few years when you think it's getting too big. It will continue providing good habitat for insects, birds etc., and give you a certain amount of firewood as well if you need it.

Dorts · #4 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 06:28 PM

Welcome to WAB ppeaster.
I think this tree should be removed. However your quote of £1,800 seems very high. We have just had a large tree removed that fell on the house in the recent storms, and a 30 ton crane had to be hired to bring it safely to the ground before being cut-up. All wood and debris was then cleared away. Total cost £800. This work was done by fully insured contractors. So I suggest you get a few more quotes. Prices will obviously be higher in your part of the country, but I still feel this quote is too high.
Dorts.

Equinox · #5 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 07:23 PM

If the tree is older than your house you might need planning permission to even touch it.
There are some old Sycamores the back of ours,but not in our garden.They are the tallest Sycamores i have seen.

They were part of the shelter belt of the farm that was there up until the mid fifties.

Our house is 55 years old and these trees must be at least 100 years old.

ppeaster · #6 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 07:55 PM

Thanks for the helpful comments so far. I will obtain some more quotes both for removing and pollarding then see where we are. Should be able to post some pics at the weekend once there's daylight whilst I'm at home.

ppeaster · #7 (**permalink**) 30-01-2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox

If the tree is older than your house you might need planning permission to even touch it.
There are some old Sycamores the back of ours,but not in our garden.They are the tallest Sycamores i have seen.

They were part of the shelter belt of the farm that was there up until the mid fifties.

Our house is 55 years old and these trees must be at least 100 years old.

The house is 1930s although I couldn't guess which is older between it or the tree! Our neighbour has mentioned no TPOs are in place although I'll check before we start any work.

fairplay · #8 (**permalink**) 31-01-2012, 10:45 AM

Seems to me the actions of the neighbours has made this tree unsafe.
You would need to find out the history -
It is your tree, so did he obtain permission from the previous owner to do work on it ?
Did he do this between ownership ? (Thinking nobody would notice)
Did he return the wood ? (It is not his to keep)
Did he cut any of the roots as well ?

Your neighbour is entitled to protect his property, but you cannot just start hacking at a tree without consultation with the owner.

Neil.
EDIT: I've never owned a house, but isn't this something the agent should have picked up on and brought it to the attention of the prospective buyer ?

fairplay · #9 (**permalink**) 31-01-2012, 11:26 AM

After a bit of reading, it appears your neighbour does not need permission to remove overhanging branches, but he must return the wood unless you say he can have it (if he doesn't want it and neither do you, then he can dump it over your fence !)
If the tree is left unsafe as a result of his actions YOU NEED TO CONSULT YOUR HOUSE INSURERS.

However, if in a Conservation Area or if the tree has a TPO on it, he cannot remove any branches or roots without permission from the Town or District Council.

Neil.
P.S. Even a Sycamore can have a TPO on it if it is an important amenity tree in the area.

Hawk Roosting · #10 (**permalink**) 31-01-2012, 01:00 PM

In all honesty, no-one on here can possibly say with any certainty whether a) the tree is hazardous; or b) that the quote of £1800 is unreasonable without seeing this tree on site in person.

If you're concerned about its safety I would suggest contacting a consultant and ask them to carry out a basic hazard assessment and make impartial recommendations - the Arboricultural Association has a list of registered consultants here.

If they recommend removal (or any other work), then get 3 quotes - preferably from Arb Assoc approved contractors (find one here). If the job is complex and requires a lot of of rigging/lowering, with poor access for removing the arisings, then £1800 could well be a reasonable price to pay.

One thing I can be sure on without seeing the tree is that pollarding it is a bad idea (other than as an interim measure to make the tree safe until such time as you can afford to have the remainder felled and removed) unless you're prepared to pay to have it re-pollarded on a regular basis. And I would hope that no credible contractor would even suggest pollarding, unless the tree has been previously treated in this way.

edit: assuming you're in Waverley, the Council's tree officer can be contacted using the details on this page. They will be able to tell you if the tree is subject to a TPO, or is within a Conservation Area. In both cases you may need to apply for permission to carry out any work, but this is quite a simple process as long as the application uses the correct terminology - your contractor/consultant will be able to help with this.