Removal of Large Willow Tree from Back Garden.

Sexy_Legs

Hello everyone

We have just bought a house that has a nice large garden 150 ft with a lovley stream at end where you can feed the ducks or they will pop in to hello LOL.

The garden needs some attentions trees that are there are very overgrown or in the wrong place, so we will need to appoint a Landscape Garden to assist us in planting the right things etc.

There is a very old willow tree which has been planted very close to the house and as such it blocks a lot of light out, so we want to remove it.

What is best way to do this, don't laugh but husband wants to cut all the branches of the tree, and most of the trunk, and then leave the last bit of it and use as a table. We understand that the roots of this tree will be huge.

Any advise on best way to remove this tree and an idea of cost involved. The house is located in Birkshire, just off the A4.

Also if anyone can recommend a good magazine/book that will give us ideas on planning things out, we will have a conservatory, want to have a decking/dining area, BBQ, maybe area for growing vegetables then have strubs on side. Need somehting that will be fairly easy maintenance and plants that will work well be near a stream

Thanks in advance for any info you can give us.

D

hethmar

It will cost quite a bit and you can tell hubby if he cuts it down it will be shooting up again in the next year One thing to remember is that its roots will have been using a lot of the water in the ground and if you have a stream I guess its going to be a high water table anyway, just a caution.

Lucy_Lastic

Have you checked with the local council to see if there is a preservation order on the tree?

Sexy_Legs

Wow thanks for your help so far.

At the end of the garden by the stream there is an Apple tree (the trunk is bending right over so its prob been there for years. What we want to do is plant some other trees that will be good for the water, even another willow but at the back of the garden.

It is probably best to get a tree surgeon, do they put something down to stop it gowing back and would you get it looking like there was never a tree there.

tanith

I would get expert advice before you even think about removing anything.. Willow trees near water suck up lots and lots of moisture from the ground and even cutting off branches could reduce this trees ability to absorb water from the ground.. you might find your garden flooding in winter if the tree is keeping the water level steady... my understanding is that Willow roots grow very agressively when seeking out moisture and a relative actually had terrible problems with 3 willows planted in a park 50yds away from his house which caused subsidence for him and 3 neighbours , the houses had to be underpinned eventually because the council had not followed guidelines that said they had to be kept at a certain height.. so please get expert advice...

Ken68

Hi Sexy, your house insurers would not want a tree so close, and probably some clause there somewhere.
Cheapest way is to saw it down yourself, branches first, remembering to undercut to control the fall, and then saw off level to make a table.
Drill deep into the bottom of the trunk, several holes and pour in Heavy Duty weedkiller or even creosote or Diesel. The tree will try to sucker back but keep taking off the shoots, should be OK.
Safer and more expensive if you use a Tree Surgeon, and he will take the stuff away, or you can negotiate the price down if you dispose yourself.
Chainsaws need two people and an emergency mobile and proper over trousers, and eye abd ear protectors, usually supplied from the hire shop.
Chainsaws are dangerous not even sure if tool hire are allowed to loan out!!

amcluesent

/Any advise on best way to remove this tree and an idea of cost involved.<

£400 or so. You need to get it cleared and then a stump-grinder used to take out the root ball as well. 3 hours and you'll never know the tree was there.

bromsgrovebarry

Check that the tree does not have a tree preservation order (TPO) on it. Chainsaws should only be used by qualified professionals as they are very dangerous. This is why you cannot hire them. If using a contractor, make sure that they carry liability insurance for tree work. I know of several horror stories of contractors felling trees, causing damage and then running away.

Davesnave

I'm afraid you can hire chain saws, but I wouldn't. Depending on the size of the tree, and the fitness of your husband, it might be possible to bow saw away the upper limbs and then leave the really big bit to the professionals. However, if he does that, there will still be the problem of disposal, so you may feel that the savings in money/effort will not be worthwhile.

I'm cutting willow at the moment and it's easy wood, but I have the advantage of being able to burn all the trimmings and make as much smoke as I like. Your neighbours might not approve. It is unlikely that the tree has a TPO on it though, unless you are in a conservation area.

As others have said, taking a tree away may have an effect on the ground your house stands on, so get some advice, especially if you are on clay. Good trees for wet ground include Alder, Elder (purple leaved ones are nice) some Birches and Ash.

Lotus-eater

I tried to hire a chain saw a few years ago and couldn't find anyone who would lend it without proof of my have a training certificate.
So I went out and bought one. They don't have to be that expensive, but all the safety extras add up.

A hard hat is often overlooked, but since a professional chainsaw operator showed me his hard hat, which had a massive gouge down one side, caused by the chainsaw kicking back, I always wear one.

saveman

make sure they remove all the roots as the roots spread like mad on those and can just reshoot up again