Can/should this oak be saved?

[drinksloe]

Drinksloe, a tree with a bat roost isn't itself protected, anymore than a tree with a birds nest in is. Would you discourage birds from your garden though? I don't mean to be arsey, sorry if I come across that way!

.

 

Cheers Paul for that link.

I thought i was correct and hadn't just mis interrepted the law.

 

When a birds no nesting u can usually fell/work on the tree no problem

 

But any tree with a bat roost or a bat box that gets used becomes protected.

A few times i've been asked about bat boxes i always stronglty advise u make a timber 1 rather than buying the 'concrete' type as there fairly permant.

When the timber 1 rots the tree is no longer protected and ur under no obligation to put new bat box up.

 

By rights if u suspect there could be a bat roost in a tree ur meant to get a licencensed bat worker out, who'll probably do both endoscope and dawn/dusk surveys, if u have them u then have to apply or a licence and probably put in mitigation features. Even the surveys aren't cheap

 

Like i said too much big stick and for me actually encourages me not to encourage them, nd thats me trying to turn my wee wood into a wee nature reserve

Most folk don't know so u'd usually get away with it if u keep it quiet (possibly doing work throu winter months) but it just takes 1 nosey neighbour or bunny hugger

[Logged On]

I'm no tree surgeon, or have any experience with full on tree work, but (without reading 4 pages either)....

 

It may have sustained an 'injury', but I'd like to see the tree saved as best it can...

 

I just feel people these days are felling fully grown / mature trees nearly just for the for the hell of it, or using some H&S / PC bull shine to do so...

 

Then planting new 'twigs' in their place that people will never see come to fruition...

 

Are you going to wait 300 !YEARS! To see that 'twig' in all it's glory again???

[Daniël Bos]

I'm no tree surgeon, or have any experience with full on tree work, but (without reading 4 pages either)....

 

It may have sustained an 'injury', but I'd like to see the tree saved as best it can...

 

I just feel people these days are felling fully grown / mature trees nearly just for the for the hell of it, or using some H&S / PC bull shine to do so...

 

Then planting new 'twigs' in their place that people will never see come to fruition...

 

Are you going to wait 300 !YEARS! To see that 'twig' in all it's glory again???

 

 

One could argue the opposite using the same reasoning.

 

Are you really going to saddle your grandchildren with a rotting stump when If you'd just felled and replanted a twig they'd have had a magnificent tree...

 

If it was mine, I'd probably leave it and live with the risk. (based on the limited information we have and one picture...)

 

Or if it was considered a problem I'd do similar things to Alec's suggestions above.

[sloth]

Why not retain it and plant a new one? Maybe take a seedling from this one, or a flower bed etc which would otherwise end up on the compost heap, and plant it next to this one? Then you can live with this (majestic) 'rotten stump', and your grandkids can too, as well as the new one. And then they may see the bats, woodpeckers, stag beetles, etc that depend on decaying wood. Or see bees nesting high in it, feast on the fungi fruiting from it and build a tree house and hide in the hollow - your great, great, great, great, great, grandchildren won't get a chance to experience all that from a tree you plant to replace it now!

 

So to answer the original question, yes it can (almost certainly) be saved, and yes (I think) it should be.

Edited February 28, 2017 by sloth

[john meehan]

I'm no tree surgeon, or have any experience with full on tree work, but (without reading 4 pages either)....

 

It may have sustained an 'injury', but I'd like to see the tree saved as best it can...

 

I just feel people these days are felling fully grown / mature trees nearly just for the for the hell of it, or using some H&S / PC bull shine to do so...

 

Then planting new 'twigs' in their place that people will never see come to fruition...[emoji107]

Are you going to wait 300 !YEARS! To see that 'twig' in all it's glory again???

That's the spirit, we should be doing everything we can to save our old trees

 

Sent from my HTC One using Arbtalk mobile app

[sloth]

Indeed, should these all be felled because they aren't 'perfect'?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Britain%27s+ancient+trees&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&oq=Britain%27s+ancient+trees&gs_l=mobile-heirloom-serp.3..0i24.32079.35787.0.36744.9.9.0.0.0.0.262.1536.1j4j4.9.0....0...1c.1.34.mobile-heirloom-serp..6.3.484.Az_Pp4siuPo

[D Mc]

Why not retain it and plant a new one?....

 

Best answer!

[john meehan]

Does anybody know what the other arb that was lokking said or if the tree is coming down?

 

Sent from my HTC One using Arbtalk mobile app

[matelot]

That looks an amazing garden! I'm well jealous!

 

tbh, if you leave it up I think most people would consider it an eyesore and if you ever sold your house it would detract from the value.

 

If your going to stay in the house "forever" I'd probable pollard it and plant a new one beside it.

 

If your going to move in the future I'd cut it down completely and plant a new one. You could leave the trunk/branches in your back garden as a bug pile?

[sloth]

I think it's widely acknowledged that mature trees, providing they are not too close to the house, add to the value of your property by lending an air of history /maturity. I think most people would see an ancient /veteran tree alongside the driveway to their house as an asset (think stately homes).