Oak tree too close to house
 

I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30 years
ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and it's 9.5
meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is: would the
roots already have reached the house and might the removal of the tree cause
problems?

Mike

In article ,
Michael Williams wrote:
I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30 years
ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and it's 9.5
meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is: would the
roots already have reached the house and might the removal of the tree cause
problems?

Just about and possibly. Don't panic about an oak - my mother had a
17th century house with a mature oak 12' away and there were no problems.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

As a rough guide, the spread of the canopy is equal to the spread of the
roots so you can judge for yourself.

Lots of other questions.

Is there a Tree Preservation Order on it?
What type of Oak is it? The different types have different growth habits?
Are there any pipes, drains or cable in the area which it might already have
caused damage ? :-((

Are there other houses or buildings around which could be affected by the
root formation all ready?

How do you propose to fell it/chop it down? Is there room?

Would the local wood carvers/turners be interested in the wood? (I was in
charge of a project last year where a load of Holm Oaks with TPO's on them
had to be trimmed. The Woodturners Association were very pleased of a
telephone call I made to them ;-)))

Have you dug down near the house to see if any roots are there already? (In
my first house, a Poplar Tree in the garden at the bottom of mine, had sent
roots almost to my house,... 75ft!!)

Just a few things to ponder on ;-))

Mike

--
National Service (RAF) Ass. Cosford 24 - 27 June Spitfire Fly Past
H.M.S.Impregnable Ass. Sussex 1 - 4 July Visit to Int. Fest of the Sea
RAF Regiment Assoc. Scarborough 2 - 5 Sept. Visit to Eden Camp
H.M.S.Collingwood Assn Trafalgar Dinner. Coventry October 21 - 24
"Michael Williams" wrote in message
...
I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30
years
ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and it's
9.5
meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is: would the
roots already have reached the house and might the removal of the tree
cause
problems?

Mike

"Michael Williams" wrote in message
...
I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30
years ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and
it's 9.5 meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is:
would the roots already have reached the house and might the removal of
the tree cause problems?

Mike


Option, Build a tree house in the Oak, move into it and knock down the
house................

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:

Some 17C houses had no foundations, or were built of materials
designed to sag and move. I don't think a single observation can count
as evidence..so I've heard :-)

Yes, but this wasn't one such.

And you heard wrong :-) A single observation is a proof that the
observed effect is possible; under some circumstances, it can be
enough for a statistical estimate of likelihood (a damn poor one,
I admit, but one nevertheless).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Ted wrote:
"Michael Williams" wrote in message
...

I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30
years ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and
it's 9.5 meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is:
would the roots already have reached the house and might the removal of
the tree cause problems?

Mike



Option, Build a tree house in the Oak, move into it and knock down the
house................


If there is no tree preservation order on it already do not discuss it
with any neighbours. It will only need one person to contact the
council and a tree preservation order would probably be slapped on it
with immediate effect. then the tree is no longer yours, but all
responsibility is. :-(

If there is no tree preservation order on it already do not discuss it
with any neighbours. It will only need one person to contact the
council and a tree preservation order would probably be slapped on it
with immediate effect. then the tree is no longer yours, but all
responsibility is. :-(

Have to agree with the above :-((

This raised another thought in my mind. An "Area" can have a block TPO on it
and ALL trees are under that order. Very remote in your case, but it is
known and is more common in parks and public areas.

Mike

The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the situation be
like in 10 years time?
There is no preservation order. I don't know what type of oak it is. My
neighbour's house is a similar distance away and no other properties are
close.
The tree is only about two meters from the boundary so it would affect the
(brick) wall and the pavement before affecting the house.
I would not tackle the felling myself. There should be enough room provided
it was removed in sections.
Thanks for the advice/suggestions everyone.

Mike

"Mike" wrote in message
...
As a rough guide, the spread of the canopy is equal to the spread of the
roots so you can judge for yourself.

Lots of other questions.

Is there a Tree Preservation Order on it?
What type of Oak is it? The different types have different growth habits?
Are there any pipes, drains or cable in the area which it might already
have
caused damage ? :-((

Are there other houses or buildings around which could be affected by the
root formation all ready?

How do you propose to fell it/chop it down? Is there room?

Would the local wood carvers/turners be interested in the wood? (I was in
charge of a project last year where a load of Holm Oaks with TPO's on them
had to be trimmed. The Woodturners Association were very pleased of a
telephone call I made to them ;-)))

Have you dug down near the house to see if any roots are there already?
(In
my first house, a Poplar Tree in the garden at the bottom of mine, had
sent
roots almost to my house,... 75ft!!)

Just a few things to ponder on ;-))

Mike

--
National Service (RAF) Ass. Cosford 24 - 27 June Spitfire Fly Past
H.M.S.Impregnable Ass. Sussex 1 - 4 July Visit to Int. Fest of the Sea
RAF Regiment Assoc. Scarborough 2 - 5 Sept. Visit to Eden Camp
H.M.S.Collingwood Assn Trafalgar Dinner. Coventry October 21 - 24
"Michael Williams" wrote in message
...
I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son 30
years
ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and it's
9.5
meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is: would the
roots already have reached the house and might the removal of the tree
cause
problems?

Mike

"Michael Williams" wrote in message
...
I'm worried that the oak tree grown from an acorn planted by my son
30 years
ago may be too close to my house. It's now as tall as the house and
it's 9.5
meters away. So I think I should take it down. My question is: would
the
roots already have reached the house and might the removal of the
tree cause
problems?


Save the tree.
Take the house down.
Now that's conservation.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 27.05.2005

"Michael Williams" wrote in
:

The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?


If it's not affecting the house at the moment, and you will see any
problems in the wall and pavement first, what about getting a tree surgeon
to reduce the crown, or even pollard the tree (cut the branches and trunk
back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of lollipop shape of
smaller branches).

Pollarding increases the lifespan of a tree, keeps it relatively small in
size, and is a very old method of tree management - I am not sure what age
a tree needs to be to start pollarding, but a tree surgeon should know.

If you would like to keep the tree, why not get a tree surgeon to take a
look at it and ask what approach he'd recommend? You're planning to get
someone in to remove the thing anyway, so you might as well take advantage
of his expertise when you get the quote.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

Victoria Clare wrote:
"Michael Williams" wrote:
The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?

If it's not affecting the house at the moment, and you will see any
problems in the wall and pavement first, what about getting a tree surgeon
to reduce the crown, or even pollard the tree (cut the branches and trunk
back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of lollipop shape of
smaller branches).

Can you pollard an oak? I have an oak in my garden, which I try to
keep pruned, as it's only a few yards from the house - by cutting
back the branches - but I think if I pollarded it, it would die.
Anyone?

Chris Bacon wrote:

Victoria Clare wrote:
"Michael Williams" wrote:
The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?

If it's not affecting the house at the moment, and you will see any
problems in the wall and pavement first, what about getting a tree
surgeon to reduce the crown, or even pollard the tree (cut the branches
and trunk back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of lollipop
shape of smaller branches).

Can you pollard an oak? I have an oak in my garden, which I try to
keep pruned, as it's only a few yards from the house - by cutting
back the branches - but I think if I pollarded it, it would die.
Anyone?

Yes, no problem. English Oak (and probably other oak species, but don't take
my word for it!) responds well to pollarding and coppicing.

--
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the
subject.
-- Winston Churchill

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

"Michael Williams" wrote in
:

The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?


If it's not affecting the house at the moment, and you will see any
problems in the wall and pavement first, what about getting a tree
surgeon
to reduce the crown, or even pollard the tree (cut the branches and
trunk
back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of lollipop shape of
smaller branches).

Pollarding increases the lifespan of a tree, keeps it relatively small
in
size, and is a very old method of tree management -

Pollarding doesn't reduce the vigour and spread of the root system, or
the potential risk from it..which is what he's concerned about.


In fact, pollarding or lopping is generally accepted as increasing the
vigour of the tree.

If the OP is genuinely worried that the tree may eventually damage the
house, or give rise to problems in selling the house (e.g. if the lending
institutions might be alarmed by the tree), removing the tree sooner rather
than later would seem to be indicated.

Janet Baraclough wrote:
Victoria Clare writes:
"Michael Williams" wrote:
The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?

pollard the tree (cut the branches and trunk
back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of lollipop shape of
smaller branches).

Pollarding increases the lifespan of a tree, keeps it relatively small in
size, and is a very old method of tree management -


Pollarding doesn't reduce the vigour and spread of the root system, or
the potential risk from it..which is what he's concerned about.

I'm surprised - do the roots of a pollarded tree spread just as much as
those of a "natural" tree? What are all the extra roots for?

Janet Baraclough wrote in
:

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

"Michael Williams" wrote in
:

The canopy spread is nowhere near the house but what will the
situation be like in 10 years time?


If it's not affecting the house at the moment, and you will see any
problems in the wall and pavement first, what about getting a tree
surgeon to reduce the crown, or even pollard the tree (cut the
branches and trunk back to about 14 feet so you end up with a sort of
lollipop shape of smaller branches).

Pollarding increases the lifespan of a tree, keeps it relatively
small in size, and is a very old method of tree management -

Pollarding doesn't reduce the vigour and spread of the root system,
or
the potential risk from it..which is what he's concerned about.


His second post mentioned the canopy rather than the roots, and his first
seemed to be concerned that the roots were already under the house and that
therefore felling the tree might cause damage (rather than that the roots
themselves were causing problems).

From that, it doesn't seem clear, to my mind, that the problem is
necessarily that the tree is undermining the house. I thought maybe he
didn't want it dropping leaves in the gutters, blocking the view or
dropping a branch onto his car or something like that.

I didn't tell him to go away and pollard the thing regardless: I suggested
he ask a tree surgeon if that would be a suitable solution in this case.

Victoria