Big Sycamore trees in garden

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When we bought last December the survey adviced to prune or remove 3 big sycamores in the garden as they were on suspected shrinkable subsoil. Also, the owners of the garden behind ours came around and said one of the trees is losing big branches into their garden, and they are afraid it could hurt them if they were there when it happened.

Now, I know prices vary, but does anyone have an idea how much it would cost us? (we're in south london) They are very tall all of them. And what would happen to the wood afterwards? Can it be sold for firewood? Or does the tree cutter "dispose" of it (has it any value at all?).

The trees are about 50 ft from the house - will taking them down risk changes in the soil that could affect the building? Would pruning them alot be better?
 
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Great, thanks. Good advice. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to answer.
 
Sycamore's arent high water demand trees (like oaks) and at 50ft removing them shouldnt have any effect with heave (your right on the border line for their infulence) on your building.
 
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check out with the council, they might have preservation orders on them...they get upset if you chop em down, but pruneing is ok.
 
cheers!

I thought sycamores were almost like weeds - that the council would want us o get rid of them.
 
Tree preservation order won't prevent you from pruning them if they are dropping branches. Unfortunately I don't know anything about costs but AFIAK the required indemity insurance has risen a lot, so I'd imaging these cost would be passed on.

As for using the wood for firewood, not until it's seaoned you can't. Also you'd have to pay extra for having it cut into managable logs, then you might be left with rather a large pile of logs that aren't useable for some time !! I think the logs are probably a "perk" of the job :D good luck.
 
how does it need to be seasoned? And could one not rent a chainsaw and cut it out oneself? (I mean, surely there must be a reason for having a man around the house?)
 
Left out of the rain in a well ventilated place for 6 months to a year. I think the amount of effort, danger of hiring a chainsaw, outweighs the cost of a load of logs.

I can imagine your other half's face "Love, I just been down the hire shop and got you some lovely new clothes and a present" :LOL:
 
As a tree surgeon i would say get a tree surgeon in. I say that purely from the aspect of cost and safety. However i would say if you buy a chainsaw make sure you buy the safety gear to go with it minimum trousers and boots because one tiny mistake and you could lose your leg!!! Ebay is a good place to buy this gear and to sell it once done.

The trees i would suggest without seeing them you should pollard. Cut the whole lot down to a managable height for putting a ladder up against! This will allow you later when the tree sprouts again you can manageably do it yourself.

Try and place an ad to get rid of the logs as there are people who would want them for free. You can get rid of green waste at civic amenity centers as long as you use a non comercial vehicle.

If all else fails and you see any council or utility company working on trees in your area ask one of the staff if they want a hoble!
 
To answer your final question, the answer is yes, cutting these trees down all in one go could well affect the soil structure adversely in relation to localised buildings. You definitely need to talk to a tree fellow or a soil scientist to ascertain the clay content of your soil.

Just to clarify, 'heave' is the action of a growing tree whose roots physically lift buildings. The 'opposite' of this is the shrinkage caused in clay soils as the roots die. This can lead to catastrophic subsidence. If the clay content of your soil is high, i think it would be recommended to take these old souls down gradually, say over 3 or 5 years.

I believe the most pressing issue here is one of your public liability. If the trees are on your land, they are your responsibility and a cracked head is never cheap. Therefore you definitely need to act.

One way forward might be to contact a local horticultural college with and ask what they would do. I feel this would be better than asking advice from someone with a vested interest.
 
I have just bought a house and in next door's garden there are five young sycamores that have been cut back. My worry is that as they grow they will create heave. They are very close to my house - a few feet that's all. However your comment about shrinkage worried me. Could there be shrinkage if I killed the trees now? They are probably no more than a couple of years old. Thanks
 
I really don't think getting yourself a chainsaw is a good idea, with or without protection. It costs a lot of money to become trained in their use, and for good reason. Don't be a statistic - get some impartial advice, then get a pro in to do what is needed.

BTW every tree surgeon chappie I have ever used (I am a landscaper) will shred all wood down to chippings and remove them - I always assume they can sell them to someone - in one of those scary great machines which I have seen suck in very very lage leylandii in one mouthful.
 
jackwatso said:
I have just bought a house and in next door's garden there are five young sycamores that have been cut back. My worry is that as they grow they will create heave. They are very close to my house - a few feet that's all. However your comment about shrinkage worried me. Could there be shrinkage if I killed the trees now? They are probably no more than a couple of years old. Thanks
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