chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Two big trees, something around 4 storeys high, at least 40ft (higher than the average 2 storey house + rooftop) towering above the ground successfully taken down. Hard to judge the scale in those pics, but if you stood at the bottom you're head already be about 10ft down on where I took those pics from (ground at a higher level). Started yesterday around 1pm, wow hard work! Chainsaws, ropes and ladders on the go. anyway, here are some pics (because I feel quite proud now lol). Still lots to clear up, but the jobs on the home straight now Anyone want some free logs? Anyone want to sell/give/load/hire me a log chipper? I need a beer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branners Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 braver man than I. You checked with the council to make sure you could take the trees down? JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Indeed, my wife's aunties son-in-law ended up spending months in halo-traction after a spot of tree felling. A dangerous business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daston Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 surly if they are on his land they are his trees? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 I could do with one of those trees, the neighbouring flats look straight into my lounge & bedroom. What are you going to do with the stumps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 they were my trees, not of a protected sort or anything, on private land... I could do with one of those trees, the neighbouring flats look straight into my lounge & bedroom. well if only you could have had them lol... luckily the back of the house is still pretty private, the nearest houses at the bottom of the garden are miles away and there are other trees and stuff keeping it private. What are you going to do with the stumps? the stumps, well I don't know really. Some of the medium logs might make nice borders for the garden. The smaller bits will be chipped up. The main trunk, hmmm not sure they are heavy and big to move. maybe a bench? lol any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 surly if they are on his land they are his trees? Even if they are, they could have a tree preservation order against them stored at the council (some date back years). As long as he's checked, all is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 raaah lol it's quite simple. The trees are in my private garden, I doubt the council are even aware of them, let alone interested. They are not the sort to be of any historical interested etc. Anyway, when I bought the place the land search would have revealed it. And if a protection is served, the owner is notified. So having a clean land search, no notice served and the sort of trees no one would care about there is no need to check at all simple eh. anyway I doubt they are more than 15-20 years old max (and I've been here 5 or so) but they are just very fast growing and get out of control (why anyone would plant them I just don't know, a maintenance nightmare that's for sure)! thanks for the concern anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angarak Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Bit late now even if there is a preservation order on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Anyway, when I bought the place the land search would have revealed it. Exactly. If nothing came up in the local search when you bought it's all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 your an amateur I just cut down 6! Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branners Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 obviously best not to discuss it with the council now, but never under estimate the time and resources they have spare to look in to things and keep a log of them. During my university holidays I worked for my local council. One year I spent the whole year cycling round the borough measuring the length and width of all the grass verges. I then went on to count the number of cars going in to and out of the local tip for a whole week, and then all the people who crossed the road outside a train station. Then I went back to measuring and measured the length, width, height and location of every piece of play equipment in the borough. Finally I used to drive round and check that grass had been cut when it was supposed to be. They dont put preservation orders on trees of interest, they put them on most trees to stop people just cutting them down on a whim...they dont want to lose all the trees and they also dont want people killing themselves with chainsaws on a regular basis. Trees are a legal nightmare though, if they are on your land you have a duty of care with them. If they fall on to your neighbours shed you have to pay for repairs etc. But you normally cant just cut them down so you cant really win. Its even possible that if you trim a tree right back and the one next to it blows down you get blamed for it as you exposed that tree to more wind. Its madness really, but thats local government for you. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 like I said, I'm sure there is no protection on these trees as one way or another I'd know about it, during the legal process of purchasing the house for starters where land searches were done. you simply can not even see these trees from anywhere with public access, so it doesn't really matter how many bods are out measuring grass verges or doing other such sad activities, they'd need some x-ray specs and a telescopic tape measure to come take measurements of them, and I know that certainly hasn't happened in the last 5-6 years in which time they've nearly doubled in size. anyway, all good stuff. Had the trees had the slightest chance of being protected for any reason, I'd have checked them out for sure, I'm not stupid but also there is some common sense to be had. As it is, these being so close to the house as to be a danger and a liability to the property, I don't think any council in the land would have approved of there planting or location, and certainly not stand in the way of there removal when nearby property could be adversely affected in the long run. ho hum lol thanks for the thoughts anyway guys and girls. If I turn out to be wrong (as well as having to be forced to plant new ones there which would be absurd) I'll buy you all a beer myself, but I won't be wasting a moment worrying about it until then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 and just to back that up here is the excerpt from my local council... "What is a Tree Preservation Order? It is a legal document which requires that the consent of the District Council is needed prior to the felling or the carrying out of surgery on the specified trees. Orders can be made for historic or amenity reasons. If a tree is of historic interest (ie mentioned in the Domesday Book or other historic document) an Order will give the Local Authority more control over its future treatment. Similarly, if a tree is felt by the Local Authority to be important in views seen by the general public and is in danger of being felled or lopped, an Order can be made to prevent this happening. An Order also enables the Local Authority to enforce more effectively the provision of protective measures during development and to require replacements for any which die or need to be removed. How do I know if my trees are the subject of a Preservation Order? If you are the owner of the trees at the time of making the Order, the Order will be served on you. It is then entered on the Land Charges Register held by the District Council. If you buy a property with preserved trees on it your solicitor should advise you following his normal search of the Land Charges Register . If you are still in doubt, you should contact the District Council's Planning Department who will be happy to advise you." of which none of the reasons for serving would apply, and as I said before "If you buy a property with preserved trees on it your solicitor should advise you following his normal search of the Land Charges Register" is also no the case either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Rob_ Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 I believe one of the criteria for a tree to become protected is that is accessible to the public. Hence, a tree in a private garden cannot be protected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 have a look on http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk lots about such things on there Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 your an amateur I just cut down 6! Rich blimey, you mad man, hard work if you ask me. You do it for a living then? I've got the remains of 3 in the garden now to get rid of. Mostly logged up but there are a lot of smaller branches and stuff to deal with. Need a chipper, a job for next weekend lol It's like chopping it down is the easy bit, getting rid of it is a mare! but thanks for the advice everyone, I didn't mean to appear to take it the wrong way, just completely sure all is fine re protection orders in this case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syed Shah Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 Nicely done! But the real hard part is the stumps. Digging out a decent stump is a long job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 30, 2007 Author Share Posted April 30, 2007 Nicely done! But the real hard part is the stumps. Digging out a decent stump is a long job. yeah, the stumps in the ground will be staying there I think. It's no problem as they are nicely out of the way in the corner anyway. Might even be able to make a bench seat out of them as there are two, quite close to each other if I was gonna get then removed I'd probably get a professional stump grinder in to do a proper job with the right machines I think, any other way would just take forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 Dig round and under the main roots, clear as much soil as you possibly can, maybe using a hose, as it KILLS chainsaw chains, and cut the roots below ground level. remove stump and high roots. Backfill, job sorted. Took down 20 plus trees yestrday. Yours are just saplings I'll post a pic of what's LEFT of our log piles, which is about a 20th of what was there before last winter. We sold or gave away a huge amount as we only have one real fire, and we have never lit it in the 8 years we have been here. Got 6 dead pines to fell this week. It's now at the stage where I bought a 500 quid professional chain sharpener and 6 chains, for 3 chainsaws. If i'd realised how expensive hiring saws, and paying for chains to be sharpened 8 years ago I'd have saved a significant amount of money! I can sharpen a chain in 5 minutes now, as opposed to 30 minutes with a file, or an hour to take to the tool place and collect it again when done, next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOW Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 I've got a flat in a house that's well over hundred years old, and as the contracted gardener was so useless, I decided to take on the gardening myself. So far I've managed to clear so much overgrown bushes, dead trees and unearthed some of the original features in the back garden. Its taken me months to do, but its nearly ready for planting some new stuff. We also have the lovely problem as Chilli's got with 4 huge 'Liandii' fir trees, that have well over grown, blocking out sunlight, dead in places and soaking up all the moisture from their location. Sounds like a huge job, and I wouldn't fancy any of them coming down on the house, or a neighbour's garden at all, but they need to go. Would make all the difference to the garden, even though its looking 10 times better than it has for around 50 years. I really should've taken some photos before and after, cos its quite amazing. I wouldn't mind a chipper too, as I've been chopping it all up and burning it over all this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 It's worth it, you'll be surprised how easy it is if you take your time, plan things thoroughly, and clear as you go. Most trees here are well away from any buildings, but we have had about 25 that have been capable of coming down on either the workshop or the aviaries and compounds, so always took those down with a felling line so we KNEW just where thay'd fall. I'd get an expert in if I had do fell anything ultra iffy, but so far no real dramas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 30, 2007 Author Share Posted April 30, 2007 I really should've taken some photos before and after, cos its quite amazing... wow, well done lilandi's are such a pita, I'd probably never ever plant them myself unless it was in a space where they could grow to full size and I wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind a chipper too, as I've been chopping it all up and burning it over all this time! hmmm I need a chipper asap. Was going to hire one but they are not so cheap. Was thinking of buying a half decent second hand one, using it and then selling it on without losing too much £ possibly. Don't suppose you was to go halves on one then sell it after as an idea? lol It's worth it, you'll be surprised how easy it is if you take your time, plan things thoroughly, and clear as you go. Most trees here are well away from any buildings, but we have had about 25 that have been capable of coming down on either the workshop or the aviaries and compounds, so always took those down with a felling line so we KNEW just where thay'd fall. I'd get an expert in if I had do fell anything ultra iffy, but so far no real dramas! mine was 10ft from the conservatory and only 20ft away from houses! a felling line? well we had a big rope tried around another big tree 30ft away and tensioned to another smaller tree 20ft from that, does that count? Dig round and under the main roots, clear as much soil as you possibly can, maybe using a hose, as it KILLS chainsaw chains, and cut the roots below ground level. remove stump and high roots. Backfill, job sorted. Took down 20 plus trees yestrday. Yours are just saplings I'll post a pic of what's LEFT of our log piles, which is about a 20th of what was there before last winter. We sold or gave away a huge amount as we only have one real fire, and we have never lit it in the 8 years we have been here. Got 6 dead pines to fell this week. It's now at the stage where I bought a 500 quid professional chain sharpener and 6 chains, for 3 chainsaws. If i'd realised how expensive hiring saws, and paying for chains to be sharpened 8 years ago I'd have saved a significant amount of money! I can sharpen a chain in 5 minutes now, as opposed to 30 minutes with a file, or an hour to take to the tool place and collect it again when done, next day. Good advice about the roots, might even try that once I've cleared up the mess which is the immediate priority at the moment. Been using a hand file to sharped the blades, taking about 20mins at a go. Saplings? lol well maybe but they were pretty big considering their location and the space they had to fall into... I don;t think they could have got much bigger tbh, not for that sort of tree anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 You need this bad boy... Trees can cause real trouble as said above. When I built a nursery at Selby College, the college groundsmen removed two willows from the site. the resulting groundheave caused the foundations of the nursery to be designed to 2700mm below ground. It was just huge concrete walls in the earth, cost thousands, and the surveyor laid it out wrong, so it had to be re-dug and re-poured. All to do with the capillary like root structure right through the soil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 That's a cool looking machine! I think someone used one of those to reface a Skyline head I have here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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