Oak tree advice please

[oogzy]

Hello.

I would appreciate any advice here as i dont know who to ask other than my local authority, who i suspect will not give me unbiased advice in this instance.

Three weeks ago, i set about building a zip line in the garden for the kids. They had pestered me to do it since i suggested it two years ago so this year i bit the bullet

I sourced all the stuff within a week and got it erected over a weekend.

The launch platform is the balcony of a tree house i built for them 5 years ago. This tree house is on 8" stilts and is not connected to the tree it sits beneath in any way.

The tree is a large oak and is outside of my garden on the boundary of a new development which used to be a field. It is situated on a swathe of rough ground which also serves as a public footpath. This ground still belongs to the developers at the moment, and last year i had to call them out after a very large limb fell off outside my back gate. After some tooing and froing they sent a team of arbourists to tidy up and pruned the tree at the same time.

I love this tree

My wife hates is because she cant sunbath after 4pm but that's life lol

I even put a large double glazed window in the roof of the treehouse so the kids can watch the squirrels.

Anyway - back to the zipline... I used an 8mm steel cable secured at the bottom end of the ride to an 8" pole i sunk in the ground.

At the top end (the treehouse balcony) i secured it to an identical pole, the bottom of which is secured to the treehouse balcony and the top of which is screwed to a large limb of the tree. I did not remove any bark to do this. The cable is fixed maybe two thirds the way up this pole.

I naturally did not want to fix the line directly to the tree, although all the websites i researched for the project said to do exactly that. I did not want to harm the tree, or indeed place 100% of the stress on the limb, so the pole was the best option.

I finished building this about a week ago, and the kids love it.

I know there is a preservation order on this tree because i checked when the development was approved on the field behind, as i did not want them turning up one day with their chainsaws. Like i say, i do love the tree.

This swathe of land is now in the process of being handed back to the local authority, who will then be responsible for it.

After speaking to a friend, i am now worried that they could get funny about me securing this post to the limb, i don't know how strict the law is/can be.

The cable is not taut, there is a fair bit of slack, and the tension is shared between the tree and the treehouse. It would be very difficult for me to secure this high enough by any other means. I could, i suppose, take the screws out and use webbing straps somehow, but i dont know how anal these council bods can be.

I have uploaded some pictures here:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35186356@N02/

 

Any advice would be much appreciated regarding just how strict a preservation order is concerning oaks, and if you think i have a viable standpoint/argument should the need arise.

If i have to take all this down the kids are gonna brain me

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited March 29, 2009 by oogzy

[Khriss]

Can of worms, mate

 

K

 

Couple of pics might help

[oogzy]

Meaning?

I have uploaded a few pics on the link...

 

Cheers

[Bundle 2]

Its not an easy question to answer mate...I would have thought that a tree officer may be able to give you better guidance than me but suffice to say, the regs are in black and white....Personally I dont think it was such a great plan to screw the pole to the trees scaffold branch structure...right there you have a breach of the regs imo...

Notwithstanding, as arborists, we will use drilling in a way similar to your method, to effect crown support....Our regs ONLY allow us to drill...

If you research the methods of canopy recreation apparatus, you will quickly find it is non-invasive in nature..(ie, no drilling )

At the end of the day it wil depend on the T.O. in question in my experience....I dont want to run them down in any way as they do a worthwhile and undervalued job...but thats a different story. It may be he simply isnt that worried...or maybe he's/she's a real jobsworth and you will get your wrists slapped. I think it is unlikely to adversely affect the TPO with regards the development.

[John Hancock]

I’ve encountered similar problems with TPO’d Oaks and swings here in Worcester. I’m responsible for council owned tree stock and I have had cases where residents have put up swings, ropes etc on TPO’d stock.

 

In each case I have made the residents take them down because the tree is protected (people make a habit of leaving ropes and swings in trees and ultimately they will girdle the branch, causing serious damage)

 

Sounds like you have fixed a post on the Oak, and the Oak tree isn’t yours, correct?

If you have, technically its criminal damage (unless you had written permission from the owners)

 

You also have the added complication that the tree is TPO’d. You mention that you knew this and still you went ahead and fixed the post to the tree, correct?

 

If it is correct then this could be classed as damage and at the very least be made to take it down, and at the worst be made to pay a considerable fine.

 

You also mention the development behind the tree. This means the Tree Officer will be aware of the tree and will be checking on it periodically as the development takes place, i.e. your going to get found-out!

 

Its not looking good my friend……

[Marc]

John your reply sounds grim yet true, at least oogzy has taken the time to join this forum to seek some professional advice, i don't think any malicous intent was there. To us as tree workers we see a tree being damaged, to someone with no knowledge of tree mechanics or biology is unaware of there actions.

 

Personally oogzy i think you have a few options, either speak to the local tree officer explain the situation and that you meant no harm to the tree and see what he says. Or remove the invasive screw and try a non invasive way of securing the post to the tree maybe someone here could advise, then say nothing and hope the tree officer overlooks it or takes no action.

[John Hancock]

The other option is.... say nothing and hope you get away with it.

[Marc]

The other option is.... say nothing and hope you get away with it.

 

That is an option, but i think it says a lot about oogzy that he has come on here for advice, otherwise i would of thought he'd go for that option.

[Stephen Blair]

great job by the way, the kids must think you are awesome, but you have drilled a big hole in healthy tree, being a good dad, or polite gent doesnt get away from this. i have taken dozens of trees down because people have put swings, slides, treehouses etc in trees. usually 20 yrs after the kids have left home, and the next generation now have a dangerous tree in their garden. you are obviously very able, i would of thought an old telegraph pole, from the ground up, through the tree house would do the job, even stick a stay in it, for extra strength.

[Ian Leach]

Just a question If you can screw an arborbolt or nail a plaque to a tree, why would this not be aloud?

or is it just a question of what causes more damage?