De-stabilisation...

[Ty Korrigan]

If you will imagine, a leylandii windbreak of some 10-12m in height.

Neighbour wishes to remove all branches over his border.

Owner argues this will destabilise the trees and they will fall over as a result.

 

Now this is a regular situation for me.

However, I need to bone up on the pro's and con's of this.

I have yet to see a row of trees fall over after recieving this treatment but I'm happy to be educated.

 

Help me out here could you?

  Regards

   Stuart

 

[Peasgood]

They won’t fall over, they won’t grow back on the neighbours side either and will look a right mess (in my opinion). Won’t harm the trees particularly.

i think strictly speaking the neighbour has a right to cut off overhang but has to offer the cuttings back to the owner. Don’t think the owner has to accept though.

[Ty Korrigan]

Thank you for your response.

In fact here in France the owner must undertake the work themselves at the request of the neighbour.

No choice, goes legal very quickly here and in fact, often people don't even talk to the neighbour but go straight for the throat, Notaires (solicitor) letter delivered by Huissier (bailiff) 

The French can be very strange that way.

 Stuart

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Whilst maybe not an optimum arb or aesthetic solution, would it necessarily degrade tree stability?  Not so sure it would in any great degree unless this action was an additional factor acting in combination with other pre-existing factors such as prevailing or extreme wind loading, likelihood of heavy snow, poor or asymmetric root anchorage, shallow or poor soil perhaps.

 

What would be of interest is what the neighbour wants to "do" (if anything) with the ground space that is re-claimed after removal of the offending branches.   This could have even greater deleterious impact upon tree stability - cultivate, dig a trench, instal footings, erect a fence etc maybe?  

 

What would the liability issues in France be if neighbour B trenches alongside neighbour A's trees such that they become unstable?

 

 

[nepia]

1 hour ago, Ty Korrigan said:

In fact here in France the owner must undertake the work themselves at the request of the neighbour.

 

Out of interest does the law give right of access to the neighbour's property in order for the owner to carry out the neighbour's wishes?

There are awkward people in this world ? who would demand that work is done but deny access.

[Ty Korrigan]

You have the right to a 1m band in order to maintain your property.

A bit difficult when sheds, borders, landscaping features get in the way of that.

Then the branches also overhang by 'X' number of metres...

  Plenty of awkward people who delight in the sport.

      Stuart

[maybelateron]

If you have plenty of work on perhaps they need another tree surgeon?

[Ruskins Trees]

I think of it thus:

 

Trees are naturally streamlined.

 

Hedges are like a wall to wind  (that flexes to a degree), but the canopies provide a degree of streamlining.

 

If you removed branches (or branches) are lost on one side, the sail area (the area that collects wind)  is massively increased.  As the wind is collected rather than deflected.

 

The  risk of windthrow is greatly increased if the sail area is increased.  Trees  do not arrange their branches to catch wind, they are there to deflect wind.  

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Ruskins Trees

[skyhuck]

On 03/02/2019 at 09:27, Ruskins Trees said:

 Trees  do not arrange their branches to catch wind, they are there to deflect wind.  

 

Pretty sure they arrange them to collect light.

[Ty Korrigan]

7 hours ago, skyhuck said:

Pretty sure they arrange them to collect light.

Although many of my clients are sure it is just to block light from patios and throw leaves 'n' shit into their gutters...lol.

   Stuart