"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
In article , Rod
writes

Our robinia tree in the back garden got blown over to about 30 degrees
Something that might be worth mentioning is that the area where the tree
was planted had been gravelled over by the previous owners, perhaps a
couple of years ago. I don't suppose this or the lining (which in some
places seems to consist of large plastic pieces) could have had an
effect on the tree - and any replacement - could it?

Well we've just had a long dry spell and that stuff could have kept the
roots drier than they like tho' Robinias are fairly tolerant of most things.
I like to ensure there's nothing to impede free passage of air and water
around roots - I always feel sorry for trees surrounded by tarmac etc but
gravel over a permeable membrane is OK so long as there isn't much heavy
vehicle traffic over the rootzone.

20ft/6in dia and it's already been down at 30 degrees I expect 2 of you
would be OK with that with a bowsaw(depends how much room you have for
mistakes). If you leave some of the trunk on as a 'handle' you might be able
to get the roots out without too much trouble.

Rod