boris360

Yes that's right, his advice was based on my specific issue. This seems sensible. I'll check my insurance. My hesitation and caution is partly due to the fact that I don't really have to fell the tree though but as you rightly point out, if the tree dies I'll be in the same boat anyway. I'm trying to work out whether the slope on my garden makes it more, or less likely that I'll have an issue. Does the slope increase or decrease the chances of heave? The tree is downhill from the wall on a 7º gradient. That slope continues past the tree for at least 100 meters. Wouldn't the moisture content of the soil naturally tend to be lower nearer my wall because it's up hill? Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Appreciate all the input so far.

Thanks for the replies. The reason I'm not relying solely on their advice is I don't know how knowledgable they are on this specific issue. Also, the conversations I had with them regarding this were brief and they didn't really mention the soil which I thought was crucial (as Hertswood mentioned). The tree looks closer in real life than the picture suggests but it's bang on 21 to metres from the trunk to the wall. Regarding Pollarding, this is what I got the tree surgeon out to quote for but he seemed to think it was a waste of time. He suggested leaving it alone or felling it. My reason for wanting to do anything at all is that the tree has become so big and is constantly dropping branches and is a pain to maintain. On a side note, I wonder how healthy the tree is because when it's in leaf, it has more of a yellowy look than other willows that I see. The leaves have black spots on too which I think was identified as anthro(something or other) on another thread on here. That also makes me wonder what the implications are if the tree dies naturally. To the people that are saying it's too far to cause a problem; are you saying this because it's too far given all my particular circumstances, or is it because 21 metres is too far to cause heave no matter what the soil is? Thanks again for all the replies.

Hi all, I'm looking for advice on whether I need to get an arborist's report before a willow is felled. The willow is at the bottom of my garden. The distance from my garden retaining wall is 21 metres. The tree is downhill from the house on a slope of approx 7º. It's on clayey, loamy soil (I think). The tree is mature. The tree was there before the house was built. The house is 14 years old. I've spoken to a structural engineer, the council tree advisor and also a tree surgeon all of whom say the tree is too far away to cause heave or any other issues. I thought I'd ask here because I expect there are more knowledgable people on this type of issue. I've read about heave on these forums and also about how bad willows can be hence my caution but I'm not sure how far away a willow can be before it's no longer a problem. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.