We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would love to have taken down. As our garden is fairly small (5m x 12m), they take up 3-4m at the rear of our garden which is a significant percentage.

We are in London/Kent, and are going to get some quotes together. The trunks are about 30-40 across, and the trees are 12-14m high.

Any info/opinions would be appreciated, especially on prices and particular things we should ask or look out for.

Thanks ...

On 9/2/12 11:06 AM, stvnshrmptn wrote:
We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would
love to have taken down. As our garden is fairly small (5m x 12m), they
take up 3-4m at the rear of our garden which is a significant
percentage.

We are in London/Kent, and are going to get some quotes together. The
trunks are about 30-40 across, and the trees are 12-14m high.

Any info/opinions would be appreciated, especially on prices and
particular things we should ask or look out for.

Thanks ...

Living in the U.S., I would have no idea about prices. Having had trees
removed, however, I can tell you two things to specify.

You should have the stumps be ground out so that something else can be
planted in that spot. Even if they are indeed well ground out, you
should wait at least a season before planting there. In the meantime,
apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer in the spot to promote rapid
decomposition of wood chips and roots.

You should specify what to do with the waste. Do you want logs for your
fireplace? If smaller branches are chipped, do you want the chips for
use as a mulch or to add to your compost pile? Perhaps, you might want
just enough chips to fill the holes where the stumps were ground out; in
that case, be sure to blend the chips into the soil.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On Sun, 2 Sep 2012 18:06:00 +0000, stvnshrmptn wrote:

We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would
love to have taken down. As our garden is fairly small (5m x 12m), they
take up 3-4m at the rear of our garden which is a significant
percentage.

We are in London/Kent, and are going to get some quotes together. The
trunks are about 30-40 across, and the trees are 12-14m high.

Any info/opinions would be appreciated, especially on prices and
particular things we should ask or look out for.

A good feller can drop a tree just about any direction s/he wants, but
the feller will need room you don't have. Therefore, they'll probably have
to take them down in pieces, felling first the top, then the middle, and
finally the bottom sections. That makes for a more expensive and complex
process.

Here in the US, the usual thing might be to chip the branches and smaller
diameter wood and cut up the rest for firewood. It's expensive to take the
chippings to a landfill, so there's another cost -- though you can save the
chippings for mulch or pathways, or perhaps you've got neighbors who'd like
some also. That will leave you with stumps, which can be ground down or left
for feeder bases, or something to grow climbing roses or wisteria on.

How can they bring equipment in to your garden? The easier it is, generally,
the cheaper the job pricing.

On 02/09/2012 19:06, stvnshrmptn wrote:
We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would
love to have taken down. As our garden is fairly small (5m x 12m), they
take up 3-4m at the rear of our garden which is a significant
percentage.

We are in London/Kent, and are going to get some quotes together. The
trunks are about 30-40 across, and the trees are 12-14m high.

Any info/opinions would be appreciated, especially on prices and
particular things we should ask or look out for.

Thanks ...

Definitely avoid your friendly "man with a van and a chainsaw". This is
a job for professional tree surgeons. You need to check that they have
full insurance cover for any damage or injury that might occur.

But firstly you need to check with your local council to ensure there
are no tree preservation orders which exist for any or the trees. If
there are any TPOs, and a tree gets cut down or damaged, you could be in
for a very heavy fine (I am not sure, but I believe it could be anything
up to £20000).

--

Jeff

If they are indeed the usual cypresses (either Leyland Cypress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia or something similar), they are very shallow rooted and the stumps can be pulled out with a winch. But you have to leave a decent stump, 6 feet or so, for the chain to be attached to and to get leverage.

Some friends removed a row of well established leylandii themselves and hired a winch to pull out the stumps, but they weren't quite as big as the ones you are talking about, probably 8m. With the ones you are talking about, first stage would probably be to rope yourself about 8m up the tree to cut the tops off, which I can imagine most people wanting to leave to the professionals.

On 02/09/2012 19:06, stvnshrmptn wrote:
We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would
love to have taken down.

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...

Definitely avoid your friendly "man with a van and a chainsaw". This is a
job for professional tree surgeons. You need to check that they have full
insurance cover for any damage or injury that might occur.

But firstly you need to check with your local council to ensure there are
no tree preservation orders which exist for any or the trees.

Confirmed with reservations . . .
1. Local handymen with chainsaws would probably be cheaper
than tree specialists. You could use public liability insurance as
the determinant: hire the handyman if he has such insurance,
otherwise not.
2. In ordinary town gardens, disposal of the felled tree is a
major problem and expense. Tree specialists have equipment
and skills to cut up and remove debris. (Few handymen do.) Get
two or more estimates from nearby contractors for three separate
tasks:
-- Felling the tree
-- Removal of debris
-- Grinding or removing the stump (optional because expensive.)
3. Many municipalities do indeed nowadays have bylaws requiring
a permit before any tree can be felled. Your town hall permits office
will provide information (without charge.) Hereabouts permits are
required for garden bonfires. (I need to cut trees every season,
can do it myself, and fire is the cheapest way to dispose of debris.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Thanks for the replies.

Is this predominantly a US forum?

Access is no problem as we have a large area out the back so direct access should help. If I don't want to grow anything on the area, is there a point to having the stumps ground out?

On Mon, 3 Sep 2012 11:02:52 -0400, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:

On 02/09/2012 19:06, stvnshrmptn wrote:
We have three trees (conifers I think?) in our back garden, that I would
love to have taken down.

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...

Definitely avoid your friendly "man with a van and a chainsaw". This is a
job for professional tree surgeons. You need to check that they have full
insurance cover for any damage or injury that might occur.

1. Local handymen with chainsaws would probably be cheaper
than tree specialists.

Often the cheap will turn out expensive. If a tree is of a size or in
a location that you can't/won't remove it yourself it's best to
contract with a tree removal specialist, not some schmo with a
chainsaw. I remove trees myself every year but when large and near a
structure I call a pro. It really doesn't cost that much, I had four
large maples removed last year from between a building and its utility
lines, $400. All the branches were chipped into their truck and
larger pieces taken for firewood.. the pros will charge less if you
give them the wood (they wouldn't want conifer). I didn't need the
stumps ground but it would not have cost much more, especially since
they were already there and were towing a large stump grinder... it's
best to have everything you want done at the time, having to come back
costs more... they arrived with a huge truck such as utility workers
use, with a bucket that reaches 80'... also came with a large dump
truck towing a humongus chipper. In fact the fellow who started this
company was (maybe still is) a lineman with the local electric
company:
http://lbtreeservice.com/

stvnshrmptn wrote:
Thanks for the replies.

Is this predominantly a US forum?


Its international. Like many things to do with the internet there are many
partcipants from the USA. There are quite a few from the UK as a web site
there (gardenbanter) hooks into the usenet newsgroup rec.gardens which is
how the group was established and the main mechanism for promulgation around
the world. The USAians can be somewhat parochial, the banterers can be
quite blinkered. Since you bothered to find out I guess that doesn't apply
to you.

The point is that since gardening is so much to do with soil, climate and
other variable matters it is not wise to assume too much about the basic
conditions of the garden that a poster is typing about.

David

On 9/3/12 10:40 AM, stvnshrmptn wrote:
Thanks for the replies.

Is this predominantly a US forum?

Access is no problem as we have a large area out the back so direct
access should help. If I don't want to grow anything on the area, is
there a point to having the stumps ground out?

While many participants here are in the U.S., we also see messages from
the U.K., Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Generally, participants are
English-speaking but do not necessarily have English as their primary
language.

The purpose of grinding out the stump is to allow you to plant something
else in that spot. Of course, what you plant there will initially have
a smaller root ball than the space left by the grinding out.
Eventually, the remnants of the removed tree will decompose, allowing
the roots of the new plant to spread.

If you do not plan to plant something there, you can leave the stump.
In that case, you might leave it about 2 feet (.6 m) high so it can be
used as a seat or 3 feet (.9 m) so it can be used as a small table.
Otherwise, it should be cut as low as possible -- even slightly below
the soil level -- so that it does not become a tripping hazard. No, it
won't be in the path of casual visitors; but you might forget it's there
while you are puttering in your garden.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

stvnshrmptn wrote:

Access is no problem as we have a large area out the back so direct
access should help.

Will make the tree removal much less expensive.

If I don't want to grow anything on the area, is
there a point to having the stumps ground out?

Not really much point to stump removal, however some think the stumps
unsightly and if one has grass to mow the stumps present something to
mow around. Many folks have the stumps cut level and use them to set
planters upon. Most conifers being soft woods the stumps will decay
relatively rapidly, in about ten years they'll melt into the ground.
If you have small children it's wise to remove the stumps as in their
playing they are apt to trip over them and crack their heads. Whether
to grind/remove stumps is mostly a personal choice. Some I've had
ground to below grade, some not, for me it depends on location. I
don't suggest planting another tree in that same spot, the soil where
a tree grew will have been depleted of nutrients. If you insist on
replacing a tree in the same location it's smart to rehab that spot by
tilling in lots of quality topsoil to a minimum of 18" and a 6'
diameter. Also choose a different type of tree, one with different
nutrient requirements, and with a growing habit appropriate to the
location.

So much info, really appreciate it.

All going well, I had planned to have the tress out and deck over where they were. A tree surgeon was supposed to come round to give me a quote, but no show. Great start!

stvnshrmptn wrote:

So much info, really appreciate it.

All going well, I had planned to have the tress out and deck over where
they were. A tree surgeon was supposed to come round to give me a quote,
but no show. Great start!

Find someone else. I'd not give him a second opportunity, he should
have at least let you know he couldn't make it and discussed a new
date. It's better you learned about his irresponsibility before he
started work. Consider his no show a valuable omen of impending
disaster.

"Brooklyn1" Gravesend1 wrote in message
...

1. Local handymen with chainsaws would probably be cheaper
than tree specialists. You could use public liability insurance as
the determinant: hire the handyman if he has such insurance,
otherwise not.
2. In ordinary town gardens, disposal of the felled tree is a
major problem and expense. Tree specialists have equipment
and skills to cut up and remove debris. (Few handymen do.)

Often the cheap will turn out expensive. If a tree is of a size or in
a location that you can't/won't remove it yourself it's best to
contract with a tree removal specialist, not some schmo with a
chainsaw. I remove trees myself every year but when large . . .

Noted.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)