Hey Peter.
I am prolly one of the least PC folks you will meet here so I am going to
offer some advice.
It's just a tree and another can be replanted in it's place. We yank out
shrubs, flowers and all sorts of other plants when they become a problem, a
tree can be replaced too.

First, a little history.
The last house we owned had an enormous Ash tree in the front yard, the
whole neighborhood had HUGE ash trees.
This tree, big and beautiful as it was, was lifted and my driveway several
inches and ruined it. It had roots running into my yard so that the grass
would not grow and it had cracked the brick borders around my flower beds as
it headed for my foundation. It also had (as did they all) mistletoe and a
disease that caused it to drop loads of messy leaves every time there was
the slightest rain. It was like autumn all year round.

My point is, I feel your pain. I considered killing this tree too. It was
"owned" by the city.

Since it was on the south side of the house I decided that there must be
another solution because it was the only buffer between our house and that
hot summer sun.
I called the city and they had a program where they would come and cut the
roots with a trenching kind of tool. It cut about two inches wide, and
severed the roots to stop them from doing any more damage. It was a mess in
the lawn, but nothing that didn't heal up fairly quickly.
I had it done a couple of times while we owned the house and it did help.

In your case, I don't know if it is a solution or not but it's hard as hell
to kill a tree. We cut one down completely and it took about two years for
it to stop sending up suckers. It was Oak and too ahrd to drill and put
stuff into to kill it. You may try consulting an arborist about the roots on
your property and if it's a neighbor's tree see if they will share the cost
of the maintenance. If it's the city, do some stealthy research on it, if
they will do nothing then I'm on your side, find a way to kill it. Just
don't get caught.

Kate

"Peter Jason" wrote in message
...
:I have been told that to kill a tree I have to drill a hole 6" deep and
: 1"diameter into the trunk near the base and fill it with copper sulfate
and
: then seal the hole with a wooden plug.
:
: Can any one advise me if this is true?
:
: Peter
:
: