jaybo1973

I'll wait until the last branch had gone. Would of been done if he could of climbed, it meant a bit of trespass though. Pity they were watching

Job done. Set of ladders, a saw and a harness in about 2 and half hours. The neighbour was straight out as soon as one foot went over so he is to return with a longer pole saw to get one last branch. It was genius how he did it by only putting a foot over the bounty once. He isn't fully happy with it as he said that some would have been better going back to trunk. Sound job though.

Go to the video forum and have a look, you will soon realise how simple a job yours is.

Cool. I want a new job. That looks fun.

I bet it makes it tricky when you can't cross the boundary to get to the thick part of the branches. Ropes can't hang and support a man at the thin end (technical term)

Think we have gone off topic a bit late lol. I know nothing about the process but I am guessing you work top down?

If so, how is the lowest branch taken with nothing to lean a ladder on? There must be some long robust loppers available?

Anyway, thank you all for your input, I'll email from prison about the outcome

I guess that's why he said he wouldn't need it, if you read my original comment

I'll give him a bunk up lol. Nah, he's good. I wouldn't set on any Pratt. Seen is work on big school sites, on numerous trees not to mention private homes.

Here is what I mean.

 

The red line is where I am guessing the boundary is(soory I cant do straight lines!). The blue line is the pruning line, and notice I have crossed the boundary at the bottom to avoid leaving stubs, but I've left enough up top to leave a decent tree. If done right your neighbours would forget about it in a week, as said before if not they will hate you forever.

 

If I was your arborist I would explain this proper method to your neighbours and they would agree, and probably make a cuppa while im doing the work and ask me to quote for their side too and to marry their daughter, but I have a way with people!

 

Seriously though, polite proffessional discussion will get the right results nearly everytime, thats why the proeffesionals really are worth getting.

 

Im still upset by the mention of tower scaffolding. I hope I dont know any arborists that own such a thing unless its maybe for hedge trimming in which case it might be allowed.

Your not far off with the boundary, it isn't quite as drastic, it's the angle of the photo. Think he mentioned the scaffold to get to the first branch as it is about 15ft up. The guy is decent, I have seen his work. He has dealt with bigger uglier trees

Get a proper arborist to climb it with ropes and get on with it, maybe use a ladder to get off the ground but that can be lent against branches and not the main trunk. Cut the branches off to the main truck if you can, but in theory you need permission for that.

 

No point fannying about with scaffold towers, that looks like a two hour job tops. (n 99% of cases if the work is done properly and the tree owner isnt paying or having to clear up then they wint fuss too much. Hacking branches off and leaving stumps is going to leave an eyesore that remonds them everyday whats been done so try and avoid that if you can.

 

Get a proffessional!!

Yeah, he said it would only take a couple of hours. I have no idea how it is done, so I guess ropes is the way they do it? We offered the neighbours the chance to have it cut equally. We also said if they had it down we would buy them a new tree. We have done everything we can to go the right way about it.

Looking more into it. It seems that I am entitled to remove the roots to? Not that I would go to that extent. This would surely kill the tree?

Yes. He said he that he doubts he will need it but can get hold of some if required. He must be like a monkey as I wouldn't be able to get up there without resting the ladder on the trunk

Birches never respond well to heavy pruning, especially at this time of year.

If the contractor you've spoken to is going to do it from his ladders the tree can't be that huge can it?

 

Pictures always help.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Yeah, it's huge. Spoken to him earlier, he is bringing a tower scaffolding.

The attached photo isn't the best due to the sun setting

Birches never respond well to heavy pruning, especially at this time of year.

If the contractor you've spoken to is going to do it from his ladders the tree can't be that huge can it?

 

Pictures always help.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Yeah, it's huge. Spoken to him earlier, he is bringing a tower scaffolding.

The attached photo isn't the best due to the sun setting

[Qskyhuck;1092438]I sorry but unless I'm very much mistaken both the above are completely wrong, your neighbour does not have the right to steal your air space with their tree. The over hanging branches can be removed, to boundary, they should offered to the tree owner, if the tree dies or is unstable (which I personally think is nonsense) tough, the tree should not have been planted so close to the boundary.

That was my thoughts to. Notice they planted on the right side of their garden so not to block their own sun light.

and if you do any work without permission from your neighbours, regardless of whether it is on your side, it is then criminal damage. as said previously, trees grow, when you bought the house you should have considered that. it could be much worse, if it was a beech or a leylandii. birch are delightful trees, learn to live with it.

to get more light, you could suggest a crown lift, and some work to narrow the crown, that way, the shadow of the tree will move more.

Delightful out not, it is far too big for our small gardens. Not true about getting permission though, as far as I understand I don't need it, but by asking me in writing if we can dispose of the branches, they have given it.

Just another quick question on this. The tree is approx 35 years old. What if the proposed work was to kill the tree? I wouldn't want this, and I would rather have the tree trimmed equally. But if the work was to kill it, would we be liable even though we are in our rights to chop it back?

You can legally cut back to boundary, so long as there is no TPO and your not in a conservation area. As they had told you they do not want the branches I would be neighbourly to dispose of them your self. If the tree is as you describe, your arborist should be able to access the tree from the over hanging branches on your side, if he crosses the boundary without consent, he would be trespassing.

 

As the tree was there before you bought the house, would it not have been better to find a house without such a neighbouring tree?

7 years ago, the tree wasn't as neighbourly, nor did we have children. It actually 'looked' OK back then. It as since grown with a vengeance. I understand the point about trespassing, put her will be two foot in to their garden, on a ladder which will be footed in our garden. I guess the guy coming out has dealt with this situation before

Hi all.

I have lived in my property for a few years and the neighbours huge silver birch has always bothered us. We have a west facing garden and the neighbours are on our left. The tree is on the right of there garden and about 2 foot from the boundary fence. The tree is huge and goes half way across the width of our garden. It blocks out garden from the sun in the after noon, causes moss, stops us from drying washing, stops my 5 year old children from enjoying the sun, drops leaves, and those seeds get everywhere in the house. We spoke to them about it a couple of years ago and they did agree to have some cut back if we paid half which we did. Hardly anything was removed, it just looked nearer. We have never mentioned it since but the tree had got even bigger. We sent a letter to them last week asking if they had plans to have it trimmed again, listing the above. They replied saying that they felt that they were unable to have it cut because of the sentimental value and the joy they get from watching the birds. We have told them that we intend to have the branches chopped back to the boundary and they aren't happy. They have said that the tree guy can't rest his ladders on the trunk and we are not to give them the branches back. Where do we stand? Thanks