Hi

Our robinia tree in the back garden got blown over to about 30 degrees
off the floor, in the recent (very) high winds. It's about 20 feet high
and 6-7 ins diameter trunk. As it's not that old (probably 7 years or
so) we were able, once the winds died down, to stand it back up and
strap it very temporarily to a fence post. Obviously it can't stay like
that and it must have had quite significant root damage as there were
large bulges in the soil when it was pulled over.

I need some advice. We aren't covered on insurance for trees so we need
to find out whether it is so badly damaged it won't survive or whether
it can be saved but how to keep it upright. I phoned a tree specialist
this morning and he said that if the tree was well enough that to keep
it upright there would need to be large strong posts sunk into the
ground and cross-bars. I'm not sure how that would look - would it look
like the trees you see in pavements with a small structure around them
or would it be an enormous eyesore of scaffolding?

Unfortunately we can't afford to spend hundreds of pounds (will it cost
that?) unexpectedly like this, and we would just have to cut it down and
plant another one if it was going to be very expensive to remedy.

What would people here advise?

Thanks.

Lynda