Hi folks,

We have moved to a new house and have discovered a mature ornamental pear tree completely covered with ivy. The ivy is up into the crown and the pear is showing some signs of dead branches. The good news is there seems to be a good amount of new growth among the ivy in the crown.

I've decided the ivy is coming down and have been up into the tree to look for nesting birds/bats etc. but there are none. I've removed 70% of the ivy including some mature trunks (6 inches in diameter!) and hope to get the rest soon. The good thing is the trunk is now getting a lot of sunlight whereas before, the bark was completely covered.

Once I've cleared the ivy, do you recommend I consult an arboricultural expert to assess the general state of the tree?

Any other experience in this would be appreciated..

David.