tree safety - should i cut it down?

[dgd17]

We've got quite a substantial oak tree about 6 metres from our kitchen window and my wife is worried that one night in a storm it is going to crash down on the house.

It looks safe enough to me, although it does grow out of a bank which seems to be what worries the wife. But the tree seems sound and we have had branches pruned in the past to try and keep it safe.

The wife would like to get it cut down and processed for firewood. We have a woodburning stove and I imagine a 14 metre oak once seasoned would last us a fair time. There is no protection order on the tree.

Is this the best course of action? Ive considered getting a tree consultant to give an opinion, but have been quoted £150 for an opinion in writing. I think this would probably put the wifes mind at rest for a while, but I'm not sure how long it would last. I don't really want to be paying £150 every few years, plus buying firewood.

Also is firewood the best use of an oak tree? Could it be processed for timber?

[alex_m]

Get some pictures up mate, although even then i doubt you will get a definitive answer from the internet. Like you said, getting a tree consultant in to survey it would probably be best.

re: milling the timber. Depends on how big the trunk is, how straight it is and how long it is until the first main branches.

[geoff]

I would get a consultant, he knows what to look for, & will advise what is best. Having said that, it is your tree, & you sound like you would rather have the logs, but bear in mind, by the time you have paid to have the tree taken down, put the time in to split, stack & season the arisings, it might be a win- win to retain the tree & buy in logs!

[Hedge hunter]

I would get a consultant, he knows what to look for, & will advise what is best. Having said that, it is your tree, & you sound like you would rather have the logs, but bear in mind, by the time you have paid to have the tree taken down, put the time in to split, stack & season the arisings, it might be a win- win to retain the tree & buy in logs!

yep...

 

take the sail out of the tree and keep it the size it is.it will be fine that big if sound in health.

 

it would cost in excess of £1000 by the sound of it to stack it in split logs for a year so it may just pay to get a couple of loads of firewood and keep the trees we need.

[nepia]

You obviously have concerns about the tree - or rather your wife does - so spend the money on peace of mind and get a consultant. You'll never know whether it really is safe without doing so.

 

Ditto re the logs: you're looking at a heck of a lot of very hard work to build a stack of logs you can't touch for at least a couple of years; old lore allowed 'an inch a year' for seasoning oak, the inch referring to the thickness of the wood.