AlwaysLearning

Well I'd rather avoid killing off any young birds that may be nesting in the tree

The tree is in Norfolk

My mum has a tree that really needs to go. It is a decidious cherry plum, perhaps 8m to 10m tall, 2m from her house and perhaps 3m from her neighbour's. The trunk is about 45cm diameter and the soil is a free draining sandy soil. The branches are rubbing on the tiles so I'm guessing it's just a case of when they'll do damage to the roof rather than if. Also, power is supplied to the house via an overhead cable anchored to the chimney stack. If the tree isn't already tickling that cable, it will do soon. My question is is there a best time of the year for it to be removed?

Thanks for your advice. The more I think about it, the less I like the ivy there. Not that I'm against ivy, but because the tree has sentimental value.

This is a Norway Spruce growing in my mum's garden. She planted it 70 years ago rather than let her parents throw it out. However, on my last visit I noticed a lot of ivy was growing up it, and looked to have been for quite some time. I'm concerned that it will eventually overwhelm it and either kill the tree, or worse, weaken it and bring it down in a storm. It's close enough to the house that it would hit it. Also light free draining sandy soil. Should I be worried? Should I just cut the base of the ivy and hope it kills it off?