Laurel Tree fence position

[igazz]

Hi, getting different advice from Fencing companies about fence post position so thought I would seek advice from persons more knowledgeable about trees than fencing. The fence is getting replaced as well as the posts as they have moved out of alignment. One post however is very close to the Laurel (see photo). The new post ideally would stay in roughly the same position to avoid having half fence panels but it move move about 10 inches 'away' from it.

Is this likely to cause damage to the tree? Another suggestion was to fit the new posts 3ft either of the tree which sounds less damaging to the tree but would probably result in two half panels in the run of fencing which I was trying to avoid. 

Is either option unlikey to cause damage to the tree as we don't want to lose it. Thanks 

[Mark Bolam]

That tree is always going to cause bother to any fence, same as any tree planted right on the boundary.

 

I’d be brave, fell it, then plant another 1m further in to your plot.

Laurels grow pretty quickly, and you wouldn’t have to spend a fortune.

 

 

 

[rapalaman]

10 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

That tree is always going to cause bother to any fence, same as any tree planted right on the boundary.

 

I’d be brave, fell it, then plant another 1m further in to your plot.

Laurels grow pretty quickly, and you wouldn’t have to spend a fortune.

 

 

 

This exactly 👍 New fence will be pushed out of alignment pretty quickly by the existing Laurel so fell, grind out the roots and replant

[Dan Maynard]

6 hours ago, rapalaman said:

grind out the roots

Looks like a post size lump of concrete next to it, you're welcome to that one.

 

I do agree though, only way I can see to keep the tree is step the fence in a bay few feet away from it which will look daft forever, especially from the other side.

 

Or take the fence down and plant a whole row of laurel?

[scbk]

Tree is goring out of the fence, I wonder if there used to be a laurel growing on the far side of the fence years ago?!

[Stere]

Could the bottom concrete panel not just be shortened at the tree end and thus creating a hole for the trunk to expand into without  dislogding the top one bridging across above?

 

 

Like a version of this type of thing:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 18 by Stere

[Dan Maynard]

20 hours ago, scbk said:

Tree is goring out of the fence, I wonder if there used to be a laurel growing on the far side of the fence years ago?!

Maybe there was a laurel hedge which got ground out to put the fence in, and they left a bit of root? 

[peds]

I'm all for keeping trees where they are whenever possible, especially if they've got sentimental value... but it's a bleeding laurel... get rid of it, replace the fence, plant something better in the right place.

 

Horrible things. 

[igazz]

Come on guys..  I thought you would be on my side. I'd really like to keep the tree. We have lost about 12 other trees in the road and surrounding gardens and it would be a shame to cut it down as this is the last one!  I do appreciate that it is large and poorly placed but it was there before before the fence! I would rather replace/repair the fence every 10 years than loose the tree.
The post in question is actually about 10 inches out of alignment  with the rest of the fence which seems odd.. perhaps it has moved 'with' the tree/roots? I would just like to move it back 10-14 inches.
I don't  know anything about trees. Would boring a new post hole 12 inches (or alternatively  3 feet) away from the existing post cause the tree to die. Surely if you only damaged one root, the tree would survive happily with the other root system?

[Mick Dempsey]

Take it out and replant. It’s not even a tree, it’s more of a shrub really.

Then plant some other trees in your garden.

[peds]

7 hours ago, igazz said:

Come on guys..  I thought you would be on my side. I'd really like to keep the tree. We have lost about 12 other trees in the road and surrounding gardens and it would be a shame to cut it down as this is the last one!  I do appreciate that it is large and poorly placed but it was there before before the fence! 

 

I could never side with the idea of keeping a laurel unless someone buried a beloved family pet or conceived their firstborn under it. They are an ecological disaster, contributing absolutely nothing to their environment - not even an annual leafdrop for either compost or humus. They are hugely effective as an evergreen hedge, I'll grant them that, but that's all your shrub is... an escaped hedge. 

Again, sorry if it has some attached sentimental value, but if the last remaining "tree" on your road is this sorry little thing, then you need to get some more in the ground ASAP.

 

If you are really that bothered with that specific plant, you could dig it out of the ground with a digger and place it wherever, give it a bit of a haircut (ideally down to ground level...), and it'll probably just shrug it off. This'll give its neighbour to the right there a bit more light as well... what is that one, by the way? He might be a bit close to the fence, and the house, too...

(Edit: the bark looks a little beechy to me...)

Edited January 19 by peds