Trees

[Moo]

Don't ask. You should know by now, Joce, that he's a master of the dark arts.

On the subject of beech trees, we had three ancient copper beeches in our last-but-one house (called, with great originality, The Beeches).
The two in the front garden had been topped out at some stage, presumably to let more light into the bedrooms. Their spread was such that passing buses and lorries created a sort of stepped topiary effect where they overhung the road. I suspect the topping out was done rather brutally, because they are now beginning to rot and it looks as though their days are numbered.
The one in the back garden had never been interfered with and was absolutely huge. The leaf canopy was so dense that only real shade-lovers and spring bulbs would grow under it.
When The Storms of 1987(?) struck, two really old oaks in the rec. over the road were uprooted; their now vertical root system created a wonderful climbing frame for the local children.
Our beech tree lost some twigs but was otherwise undisturbed. Had it suffered the same fate as the oaks we guessed that the lower branches would have stopped the trunk from crashing into our bedroom, though we might have been able to claim on our insurance for some much-overdue work on the roof.

So my inclination would be to keep them, if only to obscure that unpoetic view of boring houses.

 

[Penners]

You should know by now, Joce, that he's a master of the dark arts.

Indeed. Loooooook into my eeeyes.....

 

[Penners]

my inclination would be to keep them, if only to obscure that unpoetic view of Grantham.

I do agree.

 

[LadyArowana]

Don't ask. You should know by now, Joce, that he's a master of the dark arts.

So are their public and state wizard schools ? I think we need to know :lol:

 

[Penners]

So are their public and state wizard schools ? I think we need to know

There certainly are. Among the many mystical arts taught therein is spelling. :wink:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

I'd have thought Penners would be too busy washing nappies and singing nursery rhymes to be a master of the dark arts.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Joce,

Sounds like you've got too many trees, and in all the wrong places. At the risk of being unpopular I suggest you get busy with the chainsaw and take the worst offenders down. Clearly you will need to exercise some artistic judgement about effect on the landscape and so on, but you shouldn't feel bad about reclaiming your garden and letting light into your house. People can become very emotional about trees, and see their removal as some sort of crime. And in some cases where fine specimens of native species are a defining element in the local landscape I can empathise with that view. But all too often trees are self-seeded or have been planted without thinking about the problems they will eventually cause. Because they grow slowly the problem tends to creep up on you, until one day you notice, and then you have a big and expensive job on your hands to deal with what are essentially gigantic weeds.

So cut 'em down, if you don't like them. Check first if any are subject to tree preservation orders, and then act decisively. I know of cases where TPO's have been instigated by well-meaning neighbours in a response to some minor tidying up in neglected gardens, which makes any subsequent treework much harder. My advice would be to mark up the condemmed, and get them all down over the course of a couple of days, in case anybody decides that they know better than you about the value of said trees and applies for a TPO to be imposed. You can spend the next few weeks converting the felled wood into firewood, turning blanks, possibly even planking some of it for furniture making if you have big enough specimens. A local timber merchant may well be interested in some of the bigger trees, and this may help to offset the cost of felling.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks for your post Andrew, I agree with you. The trees weren't planted here, but have grown up as giant weeds. I think the number needs reducing by at least half. It would be lovely to open up some of the views a bit more.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=12348177&id=862555362

Chris now has all the profesional equipment so I don't think we'll need to pay for any professional felling - only maybe 2 of the beeches in the future.

Can I make a little request that people stop mentioning the name of the town where I live- I never do and I worry that I'm so easy to find and could be a target for some weirdo or thief reading this.

 

[Schoolmarm]

You need to start chopping saturday teatime and continue into all day sunday. That is how baddies do it whilst the council is closed. 8)

I deleted the bit where I said you lived in Scarborough.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Thanks Marm! I've deleted references in the past too, although I can't delete where I've been quoted by others.

I don't think any of us should give away our towns/villages. (there's a bit more security in a city name) Chris has absolute fits when he thinks about how much I've revealed. It's so easy to think we're chatting amongst friends, but the reality is the Internet is increasingly used for crime.

Oh, and I don't think the trees have any kind of Preservation Order as it's not a Conservation Area and the nearest neighbour is a mile off but I'll find out.

 

[Penners]

I don't think any of us should give away our towns/villages. (there's a bit more security in a city name) Chris has absolute fits when he thinks about how much I've revealed. It's so easy to think we're chatting amongst friends, but the reality is the Internet is increasingly used for crime.

It's not just the internet. Without the clues to your location on PPUK I would never have known where to climb up a tree with binoculars.


Damn! I think I've said too much.

 

[skier-hughes]

Chris now has all the profesional equipment so I don't think we'll need to pay for any professional felling - only maybe 2 of the beeches in the future.
.

Since when did owning professional equipment mean someone was qualified to use it? I only use mine for cutting up trunks /branches someone else has cut down, and for the odd bit of clearing up of fallen trees. I'm not sure even after 4 years of that I'd be too happy cutting down a decent sized tree.

 

[Moo]

Can I make a little request that people stop mentioning the name of the town where I live-

Duly edited.

xx M

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Moo! xxx

We've cut down a lot of big trees (20 -50 feet) and there's not a weekend goes by without the chainsaw roaring into life. Chris is fearless, and I think cleverer than your average tree surgeon (alright I'm biased towards my brave husband). He's got so good at it. You know we harvest all our own wood, and I have plans to remove 100 trees, and pollard the other 100. I dread to think how much that would cost if we were to pay a professional, which is why they were never done by the previous owner.

A lot of time is spent thinking about how it will be done. The 80 foot birch in the middle of this photo is currently taxing us, but will be done when Chris has his Dad to help.

It's not just the internet. Without the clues to your location on PPUK I would never have known where to climb up a tree with binoculars.

Oooh you naughty thing! :lol: :lol:

 

[JohnB]

Are the trees in what is accepted as your garden? If not, you will probably need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. There are some big fines for doing it without permission. Gardens are exempt, but it might be wise to check before the chainsaw comes out.
Here's the Foresty Commission booklet.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Of course! Do you think I'd go chopping down trees on someone else's land? :shock:

 

[LadyArowana]

So are their public and state wizard schools ? I think we need to know

There certainly are. Among the many mystical arts taught therein is spelling. :wink:

Sorry Sir, I was passing notes about recent shopping exploits to one of the other girls and didn't pay proper attention to wot I wos writing on the blackboard, I will try and concentrate in the future.

:lol: Thanks Marm! I've deleted references in the past too, although I can't delete where I've been quoted by others.

I don't think any of us should give away our towns/villages. (there's a bit more security in a city name) Chris has absolute fits when he thinks about how much I've revealed. It's so easy to think we're chatting amongst friends, but the reality is the Internet is increasingly used for crime.

I'm still trying to track down where Nigel lives so I can shin up the drain pipe with a swag bag :lol:

 

[MdB]

A lot of time is spent thinking about how it will be done. The 80 foot birch in the middle of this photo is currently taxing us, but will be done when Chris has his Dad to help.

Sorted....

(for the sad muppets that are interested in how this was done - check this: http://schwarzvogel.de/resynth-tut-sa.shtml - all the software is free)

 

[JohnB]

Of course! Do you think I'd go chopping down trees on someone else's land? :shock:

I wasn't suggesting it's not yours . I was just suggesting that as it's dense woodland, the powers that be might consider it to be woodland, and not a garden, in which case you might be liable for big fines for every tree you fell over the permitted limits.

 

[skier-hughes]

Actually that's a good point, as when we wanted to put up a greenhouse down the bottom of our garden we were told we couldn't as that was actually a part of a small paddock and our garden is here, here and there, so put it in one of those places for permitted development or apply for planning permission!!!