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#1
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome!
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#2
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
"bilbo-bj" wrote in message
s.com... There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome! -- bilbo-bj ------------------------------------------------------------------------ posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk I think you will get different opinions here - it sounds a bit close, but much depends on the location and type of soil, and your house/foundation construction. To be sure, you would need a site survey from a surveyor with experience of trees. Irrespective of any such opinions, I would do one thing first: Write back to the Council, tell them again of your concern about *their* tree. You are formally advising them of the possible harm that it may cause to your house. Now that you have informed them, and they have agreed to inspect the tree, you will of course be holding them liable for any damage it causes in the future. Send it by recorded delivery to the person you are dealing with at the Council, with their name and official title. It will make them take the matter seriously - Councils don't like their staff to lumber them with legal responsibilities and they will probably give it a more thorough survey. Send a copy to your insurance company for information, so they can't accuse you of withholding material information. It shouldn't affect your premium - they will see that you are a responsible customer. If it *is* safe, then of course you will be reassured, and can enjoy a fine-looking tree maintained by someone else.. - Arthur |
#3
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
snip They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome! -- bilbo-bj Snip Send a copy to your insurance company for information, so they can't accuse you of withholding material information. It shouldn't affect your premium - they will see that you are a responsible customer. If it *is* safe, then of course you will be reassured, and can enjoy a fine-looking tree maintained by someone else.. - Arthur Be aware that many insurance companies will not insure you if trees are within, in some cases, up to 14 meters from your property. Though if you are already insured and they have not appraised you of that fact then you should be covered, until your insurance is due for renewal, and then they may well decline. This happened to me. Cheers John T |
#4
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
The message m
from bilbo-bj contains these words: There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Is the house yours, or the council's? -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
#6
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
bilbo-bj wrote:
There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome! Its not the crown I would be worried about - although at 12m tall there is a risk of it wiping tiles off the roof, I would be more concerned about possible root damage. A 12m tree only 3m from the house does not sound good to me. But, it does pose all sorts of questions. Like, which was there first? Tree or house? If it was the house, then planting 'any' tree that close, 'verges' on the irresponsible. If the tree was there first then how did the house get past the planning and the building regulations? -- ned |
#7
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
On Wed, 8 Oct 2003 18:48:07 +0100, "ned" wrote:
bilbo-bj wrote: There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome! Its not the crown I would be worried about - although at 12m tall there is a risk of it wiping tiles off the roof, I would be more concerned about possible root damage. A 12m tree only 3m from the house does not sound good to me. They tend to fall over in gales. We got rid of ours when it was about 15 years old. -- Martin |
#8
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
In article ,
martin wrote: On Wed, 8 Oct 2003 18:48:07 +0100, "ned" wrote: bilbo-bj wrote: There is a Silver Birch tree 3 metres from my house on suspected shrinkabkle sub-soil. The tree is appox 12m high and is on Coucil property. I am concerned that the tree could cause damage to the house. I have written to the Council asking them to inspect it and possibly replace it with a smaller tree. They have written back advising they will reduce the crown in June next year and then inspect it every 3 years. Is this satisfactory or should I still be concerned? Any advise would be most welcome! Its not the crown I would be worried about - although at 12m tall there is a risk of it wiping tiles off the roof, I would be more concerned about possible root damage. A 12m tree only 3m from the house does not sound good to me. They tend to fall over in gales. We got rid of ours when it was about 15 years old. Not quite. One of the reasons that they are popular with planners is that healthy ones DON'T blow over! They have extremely strong and tenacious roots that get everywhere, and don't catch the wind much. They are one of the few trees that will grow in really windswept locations, though perhaps not as windswept as ordinary birch. However, they aren't phenomenally long-lived trees and attract fungi (mycorrhizal and parasitic), especially when grown on fertile soils or when pollarded. And then they DO blow over! Which is why the council's management strategy is completely cuckoo. Even in the most fertile soils, they should remain healthy for a lot longer than 15 years. There are a good many around here that must be 50. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#9
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
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#10
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
Not quite. One of the reasons that they are popular with planners is that healthy ones DON'T blow over! Quite. They have extremely strong and tenacious roots that get everywhere, and don't catch the wind much. That's because of their delicate branch and leaf structure. They are one of the few trees that will grow in really windswept locations, though perhaps not as windswept as ordinary birch. However, they aren't phenomenally long-lived trees and attract fungi (mycorrhizal and parasitic), especially when grown on fertile soils or when pollarded. And then they DO blow over! Which is why the council's management strategy is completely cuckoo. Agreed. Even in the most fertile soils, they should remain healthy for a lot longer than 15 years. There are a good many around here that must be 50. We have some opposite our houses which were planted in the late 1930s. Mary Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#11
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
On Wed, 8 Oct 2003 20:27:27 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: Not quite. One of the reasons that they are popular with planners is that healthy ones DON'T blow over! Quite. They have extremely strong and tenacious roots that get everywhere, and don't catch the wind much. That's because of their delicate branch and leaf structure. They are one of the few trees that will grow in really windswept locations, though perhaps not as windswept as ordinary birch. However, they aren't phenomenally long-lived trees and attract fungi (mycorrhizal and parasitic), especially when grown on fertile soils or when pollarded. And then they DO blow over! Which is why the council's management strategy is completely cuckoo. Agreed. Even in the most fertile soils, they should remain healthy for a lot longer than 15 years. There are a good many around here that must be 50. We have some opposite our houses which were planted in the late 1930s. but then again you don't live 5 miles from the North Sea coast in a flat landscape, the ground is sand not soil, with frequent force 8 and 9 gales in autumn and winter. -- Martin |
#12
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
In article ,
martin wrote: They tend to fall over in gales. We got rid of ours when it was about 15 years old. Not quite. One of the reasons that they are popular with planners is that healthy ones DON'T blow over! They do. Unhealthy ones break. Er, we seem to be agreeing vehemently :-) Actually because they grow quick and look nice on architects drawings. Yes, there is that, too. They have extremely strong and tenacious roots that get everywhere, and don't catch the wind much. They are one of the few trees that will grow in really windswept locations, though perhaps not as windswept as ordinary birch. We got rid of our tree because 95% of the silver birch planted at the same time as our tree, in our part of the town, had already blown over in autumn gales. I would bet good odds on an inspection showing parasitic fungal infection. From your other posting, it isn't the wind that will worry them (a MERE force 9 is a trifle!) but is more likely to be wet, salt and perhaps the sand. They have thin roots that grip like anything in stony soil, but I don't know what they do in pure sand, nor do I know what salt does to their mycorrhiza. It sounds as if a common birch would have been a better choice, on the grounds that it handles wet better. But I don't know how birches handle salt in any detail. Trees vary a lot. Plant a silver birch on the terrain it is adapted for - a stony hillside - and it will live for ages and laugh off much stronger winds. But they aren't naturally a lowland plant. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#13
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
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#14
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
In article ,
martin wrote: I would bet good odds on an inspection showing parasitic fungal infection. You would lose your bet. Hmm. How thoroughly did you inspect them? From your other posting, it isn't the wind that will worry them (a MERE force 9 is a trifle! Force 9 is about as strong as it gets in UK most of the time, Force 10 is rare. Er, no it isn't. That is true in the relatively calm east, but it regularly gets to force 10 and above in the north west, and on high ground in the far north. And silver birch grows in places where that is common. Yesterday there was a storm of force 8-9, trees were uprooted and there was structural damage locally. Because it is unusual for YOU. In the Western Isles, a wind of that speed is just what they expect. Seriously. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#15
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Is my Silver Birch Safe?
The message
from martin contains these words: We have some opposite our houses which were planted in the late 1930s. but then again you don't live 5 miles from the North Sea coast in a flat landscape, the ground is sand not soil, with frequent force 8 and 9 gales in autumn and winter. Nor does Bilbo, I'd warrant. -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
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