Sycamore tree to go.

Legacy_user

Anyone that has the misfortune to have a sycamore tree in their garden, will know only too well of the dirty sticky sap that drips off and pollutes everything it lands on, not to mention the floating seeds that grow everywhere. My daughter is blessed with one of these trees and having just moved to a new house, we too are blessed with one, thankfully only half the size. Already the neighbours have commented on the mess it makes every year.

Rather that go to the expense of having it felled, I wondered if there was anything in the fact that someone told me once to either drive a copper nail into the trunk, or to remove about an inch of bark all the way round, ring barking I think it was referred to, and either of these methods would kill the tree off.

Any idea's if this is true.

WestonDave

The copper nail one was recounted to me by a landscape gardener - so if it is an urban myth its circulating amongst the professionals as well. No idea about ring barking.

Davesnave

Yes, cutting away the outer layer of a tree's stem circumferentially will kill it, but surely you would then be left with a dead tree which will need felling anyway?

Lotus-eater

Better to cut it down while it's alive, otherwise you get a dangerous tree to cut down. If you don't cut it down, you get a dangerous tree in your garden, not knowing when a dead branch will fall off.

ixwood

How big is it and if felling goes wrong, could it be disastrous?

I'm sure if you offered it up for fell and collect, somebody with a chainsaw and a stove would be round like a shot.

System

After ring barking the tree, sap flowed from where the incision had been made down the trunk. This told me that it had recognised there was no way it could be drawn up, so fell to the ground. We watched as a neighbours sycamore tree came into bud then leaf, whilst ours remained dormant. Now the damn thing has budded and is in leaf, why?. Am I to assume this is as a result of moisture still within the tree, or has my attempt to kill it off failed and if so,why?

annie123

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Better to cut it down while it's alive, otherwise you get a dangerous tree to cut down. If you don't cut it down, you get a dangerous tree in your garden, not knowing when a dead branch will fall off.

I agree 100% with Lotus eater.
A dead tree could fall at any time, in any direction so that includes falling on your neighbours.

If you dont want to pay for someone to cut it down, then advertise it on freecycle, someone may well want it for the logs.

There is more to Ring Barking than you have done, I do it on wildlife nature reserves. It can take several years to kill a tree this way and even then you will only kill above the ring not below it.

I know they are not the easiest trees to live with, I have 3 in other gardens around me which means my south facing garden gets very little sun compared to what it could, but unless you get it removed you could be making problems for yourself or your neighbours later.

System

Thanks for that Annie. Would you care to provide the information needed as in There is more to Ring Barking than you have done. My neighbour wants it down and is prepared to provide help, but not financial. It seems a member of the family has a wood burner, so we may go along that path. Actually the tree isn't really big, but we know plenty that are and want to avoid problems later.

annie123

have sent you a pm

Yorkie1

The sycamores on my allotment site regrow from shoots below where the tree was cut - so you may not actually kill it by the methods you propose

bethesda

we feel the same about an elderberry bush..............i've already started hacking at it but i'm leaving the taller bits for hubby