topping scotts pine

[forestboy1978]

I actually said just leave it. What's the deal. I'll remove the ivy for 200... but no

[maybelateron]

What's the condition of the joint between the co-dominant stems? Any included bark?

[Big J]

What a magnificent tree. 

 

I'd love to see it left as it is, but I do understand the homeowners concerns. It's massive given it's location. A light overall prune and a little taken off the left hand stem is all I could see as being reasonable. Any more would compromise the tree and just look daft.

 

 

[forestboy1978]

25 minutes ago, maybelateron said:

What's the condition of the joint between the co-dominant stems? Any included bark?

dunno. Going over with binoculars tomorrow. 

[Alex O]

Any reduction works on pines will look shite and will cause problems in the future. Leave it or remove it. There are some trees that are just not meant to be touched. A tree like that in that position will be your bill board for years, just bear that it mind.

[Squaredy]

Such a shame that a beautiful tree like that is to be perhaps ruined.  But it is so so common isn't it?  When they built those houses they had enough foresight to save what was no doubt a nice tree, and it has been appreciated no doubt by the owners for the last 70 or so years, but you can't blame the current owners for being concerned.  Having said that, if I were the owner I would leave it well alone except for getting risk assessments carried out once in a blue moon by an arborist whom I trusted.

 

I went to look at an ancient Yew a few years ago (in Cwmbran) with a view to buying the stem as it was being felled, and I was horrified to find it was the largest most magnificent Yew I have ever seen (though not the oldest - I would say 400 years or so).  It was in magnificent condition and the stem was 5 feet diameter or so at breast height and then as the multiple stems had conjoined over the years the apparent main trunk actually got wider up to about 20 feet height and was about ten feet diameter before the crown.  It was a tree worthy of any magnificent tree book, but totally in the wrong place being in the back lawn of a small house.  No doubt when the terraced houses were built in the early 1800s it was just an average large Yew and not a problem, but 200 years later it had become way too big for the setting.  In a park or a large private garden it would have been a much cherished specimen, lavished with care and protection. 

 

I declined to buy the timber, but as far as I know it was felled.   

[Andrew McEwan]

A big +1 for getting a good synthetic cable brace in there.

[carlos]

id say the first job is to remove all of the ivy and look at that twin stem union, it looks pretty tight.

a thin and dead wood will help reduce the windsail without ruining the overall appearance of the tree.

it could be an idea to get another onsite opinion from a good source, as thats a large tree near a lot of targets.

is it a scots pine? not so sure.

carl

Edited November 24, 2018 by carlos

[AJStrees]

not to be too pedantic but it looks more like a black pine (Pinus Nigra) than Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris). Only saying...

[Mick Dempsey]

16 minutes ago, AJStrees said:

not to be too pedantic but it looks more like a black pine (Pinus Nigra) than Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris). Only saying...

I thought pinus pinaster myself.