“My” sycamore tree causing issues for neighbours

Assuming that google map picture was taken around midday then you can see it acts was one giant sundial affecting 6 gardens. As much as I love trees I’d be reducing by quite a lot if not getting rid of and planting something else in it place. As above stump will have to removed as Syccies are pain for sprouting new growth, you’re basically coppicing it.

I work on a large mature woodland estate, amongst this estate are 70 odd private homes for the over 55’s. 90% of these homeowners complain about the trees and the mess they make. Every single one of the 90% moved on to the estate in the last 15 years, there’s not a single tree younger than that. Apparently I’m not allowed to ask them “WHY.DID.YOU.MOVE.HERE.IF.YOU.DON’T.LIKE.TREES?”

I’m curious as to why you seen hesitant to accept responsibility. You thread title says “my” tree as if you question your ownership. You then say it was planted before you moved on. So what? It is a huge tree blocking loads of light. In my mind you are bloody lucky to have such generous and understanding neighbours. You are not being asked to chip in, it is your tree and your responsibility!

Do the trees really belong to any of us… they were there before us and will be there long after us, we are just custodians for the next generation. Now everyone go hug a tree.

but not that one – it needs coming out.

ps – do it yourself
pps – use an artisan axe
ppps – video the resulting carnage as you shout timber!
😉

I’m chopping a couple of trees down in my ‘small’ garden so I can put up a 1.8m fence. Unfortunately, they straddle the boundary with the adjacent property so need to go for the fence. I do feel somewhat bad about removing them but they are nothing special just 30 ft ash trees.

Rydster,just go around them or use something flexible timber fencing by the trunks?

I have to stop watching those tree felling mistakes, too many people getting flung from height!!

This one however, eek

Fuuuuuuuuudge!

It’s a very narrow garden only about 3.5 m and the trees have already displaced the fence. Also they block a lot of light 😀

That tree felling is shocking. Cyclist could easily have been killed.

@franksinatra

You’re very rude and abrupt.

I put “my” as I didn’t make a decision to plant a bloody huge sycamore in the corner of my garden. I accept it’s mine as it’s on my property.

And I am contributing towards the costs. How could I not? I couldn’t afford to pay for it on my own so without the neighbours’ kind contributions nothing would change. We’re all affected by it so it’s reasonable we all pay towards a resolution.

Maybe nobody planted it?

@rydster – well they have those little helicopter seeds don’t they? It may have just flown in and germinated. I reckon it’s getting on for a hundred years old. It’s 45-50 ft tall. I guess the buggers who built our house in 1937 just built around the tree!

It turns out that the neighbours at the back don’t want a reduction, they want it to be felled. So now I’m back to square one. And annoyed because they basically lied to me.

I did think the offer of a contribution seemed too good to be true when you first posted! Oh well. Having happy neighbours who you get along with is worth a fortune; try not to fall out over this. If it were me I’d be getting it felled and replace with something smaller and less obnoxious than Sycamore.

I likes a bit of Sycamore. Can I have it?

That was some felling, looks like the hinge got cut through trying to thin it enough for the lads to pull it against lean. Still can’t understand the total lack of risk control; well I can, they probably had to get another one done to make the day rate.
Anyway, back to the Sycamore, you don’t appear to be too attached to the tree and removal split three ways should max out at about £300 each. Should you decide on this route and given that Sycamore is a tough old tree and will grow anywhere you might want to carry out a basic soil analysis to help guide your replanting choice.

Agree with the remove option. At least get some quotes in
A neighbour to my dad had a couple of sycamore trees reduced & they looked rubbish after.
As others have suggested it’s a great opportunity to put in your own tree/s to appreciate for years to come.

That saw thing is horrific!

If I was your neighbour that would be my offer too. I wouldn’t fancy getting into paying for constant tree maintenance.

Reduced trees do not look great as said above. They grow back really fast. We went through two cycles of this with a tree on our property before we finally cut it down. What a waste of time and money the reducing was. Ultimately our garden is now transformed, we get light until late in the evening now, we can actually grow things that need sun, and don’t spend our days covered in tree litter.

I’m a big fan of trees, but there is a place for everything. A massive sycamore backing on to multiple residential properties is not an ancient treasure in my opinion.

Our neighbours have 3 of the bloody things.

Awful, those **** helicopter things get everywhere and germinate in days.

As others have said, the weed of trees.

Play hardball. If they want it felled rather than reduced then they pay the extra for the felling and stump grinding (assuming you’d be ok completely loosing it). If it doesn’t bother you and cash is tight then why should you pay for something they want. You’ve already shown willing by agreeing to a reduction. Now sounds like they are trying a piss take.

Get rid down to a stump and then burn the stump out yourself. Plant some fruit trees instead or an oak. Definitely get rid though as it will be back to full size before you know it.

Also pay 50% and neighbours pay 50% between them and you keep the wood!

burn the stump out yourself

Has anyone actually ever achieved this? stump will be sodden?.

Get the stump removed with the tree. Another lesson I have learnt from our adventures in tree removal.

Also that if you keep the wood, it will most likely be in cords so you will have to cut and process. Straight growth sycamore splits ok with an axe, the knotty bits not so much.

Life’s too short, take the money offered and cut it down.

We paid a £1000 to remove 3 mature ash trees from our neighbors garden. We asked several times for him to contribute but as they were there before he moved in and at the bottom his garden but close to our house with over 50% of the canopy over our garden. In the end the in-laws gave us the money to do it as I wouldn’t pay all of it out if principal. It’s made a huge difference.
Now having a battle with the same neighbour about the 30m high leylandii hedge that sits a metre behind where the ash trees were. The high hedge act applies but the council want £450 to investigate which we have to pay even if it’s found it our favour.

Tree on your property, you open and are responsible for keeping it safe and for any damage to (eg subsidence) it causes, that’s the law. Legally though there is no way to force removal….if there were I’d be using it to get trees out from neighbours. Yes trees are nice, but in the right setting. A large tree in a small urban garden, close to buildings is not the right setting. Depending on soil type, that tree is easily big enough and close enough to the buildings to cause significant damage through subsidence…..I hope it’s not clay soil.
It’s a syc…. It’s nice enough but **** me, it’s just a syc. They are weeds, not a rare elm, majestic oak or beach or such.

Your neighbours are being exceptionally nice to ask nicely and part fund.

If you have a wood burner syc is ok, I’ve had loads and loads and my experience is it’s about the most reliable easy splitting wood, it dries readily but for a hard wood it is not that dense. It’s worthwhile, but not incredible… Density at 20%mc is about 0.55-0.6 which is comparable to Leylandii (which is actually very dense for a softwood). Get the tree surgeon to chip everything below ~4″ thick and to ring the trunk up (they almost certainly will ring it to bring it down anyway, except the last 15 feet, but would ring that to be able to carry it to the street). A mature syc….3-5 cube of firewood probably.

Stump, if you need it out and there is access to bring a grinder in then get it done for you. Otherwise, just accept it and stick some pots on it or if feeling fancy get the last 8 foot of trunk left and a carving done. The stump should be easily killed with glyphosate/rosate, the tree surgeon should groove out the cambium and apply this. It might need another application next spring.

My experience on large trees, removal from similar garden, a grand cost to fell and remove but not grind the stump.

If a Transit won’t go up the side of your house, it will be a brash drag job, which means you’ll be paying more. Ball park figure for mid Wales is £600/day for 2 guys as climbing, plus lowering as close to 4 boundary fences, plus brash monkey, plus chipper, plus disposal, plus carry faff. Then stump grinder or 5 ton digger.

50′ not too big for a sycamore, if you get it cut down, count the rings, I reckon younger than the house, 67 years?

get the last 8 foot of trunk left and a carving done

I’d be doing this. If neighbours want it removing and you don’t or aren’t bothered either way then why would you be paying 50% of anything. Seems mad that you’d be out of pocket for it if you like it or it simply doesn’t bother you. It’s a lot of money at the end of the day.

The same logic that applies to it being your tree applies to them. I’m assuming that when they purchased their house they noticed the massive tree in the neighbours garden. Unless it’s actually an Ent and just snuck in one evening.

It’s going.

Felled and removed for £650. All insurances in place.
Split between five of us so £130 each.

oh and the almighty **** up of a fall that spooky posted was a year or 2 ago in Brockley south London. its a plane tree. it was all over the news and fairly sure the culprits were caught quickly and someone must have done time for flagrant H&S violations i think.

Has anyone actually ever achieved this? stump will be sodden?.

The stump was left two years. Hole as long as my leg around it. An afternoon of drilling holes and cuts in it. Lots of the nice 2-year dried logs. Some diesel. A seat and a pleasant evening.
Two days we burned it. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

3/4 of the b******d is still there, buried under a new lawn 😡

It’s going.

What’s going back in?

Plant something less intrusive

It’s going.

Felled and removed for £650. All insurances in place.
Split between five of us so £130 each.

That’s a good outcome

I likes a bit of Sycamore. Can I have it?

Shotgun the rippled bits.

someone must have done time for flagrant H&S violations i think.

Very much doubt that. Even if you kill somebody then it’s normally a fine. Takes a lot to get locked for H&S breaches.

Cageyeff (@KevinForeman20) Tweeted: 😳😳😳😳😳😳 https://t.co/DGL4ybrEFi https://twitter.com/KevinForeman20/status/1260863687402967042?s=20

Not how to do it (also posted as a thread)

We had a sycamore in our garden, local tree surgeon took it out for us, can’t remember how much it was, about 12 years ago I think. Not quite as big as this one.

We didn’t have the stump removed, just cut it low, and cut a cross hatch pattern in it, it died, put a pot on top, it rotted, we had great fungus growing, it’s now disappeared