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Original poster

Can anyone identify this tree ?

48 replies

OddCat · 01/06/2019 12:15

My neighbour has a big tree in the front garden. It's causing damage to my garden wall and drive and it's very near to our houses. We have agreed that it needs to go but if we have it cut down and kill the roots will it cause subsidence? Has anyone else had this?

OP posts:

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Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 15:31

It is a lovely tree and I would love suggestions as to how to keep it without it damaging my property- which it is doing.

OP posts:

Cloudtree · 01/06/2019 15:32

Are you sure there aren't two plants there then OP because alder has catkins. Long ones are the males and the round ones you call nuts are the female catkins. Are there "nuts" on there now?

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 15:32

Yes floral

OP posts:

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 15:32

loraloctopus yes they are the nuts. Not as spikey as I thought- sorry for the red herring

If they are the nuts (actually fruits) then it's an alder.

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 15:33

No nuts at the moment and it stands all on it's own, no other plants near it.

OP posts:

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 15:37

Are you sure there aren't two plants there then OP because alder has catkins.

The Alder has two sorts of flowers - the male catkins and the female cluster flowers which become the 'nuts'

marcus2000 · 01/06/2019 15:42

Killing it may have a knock on effect on your foundations as it must be removing significant quantities of water. Take expert advice?

Cloudtree · 01/06/2019 15:46

The Alder has two sorts of flowers - the male catkins and the female cluster flowers which become the 'nuts'

but they don't look like that do they? Mine don't. Perhaps a different variety though.

My money is still on swedish whitebeam. I agree entirely that if it has those catkins its an alder but I don't think the flowers fit with an alder, the leaves are pushing it and the bark doesn't look right. It would also have catkins now. OP are the tips of the twigs sticky?

If it is a swedish whitebeam I think the roots are quite deep and so it shouldn't mess with foundations unless you remove it in which case you could cause water issues.

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 16:23

I'm now looking round my garden to find a spot for a swedish whitebeam. I'm not sure I've got space though, we don't have a big garden and we already have a magnolia, willow (dwarf one), two sorbus, two ash trees and a horse chestnut. I'm going to pull up the horse chestnut soon as some little monkeys planted a conker without telling me

Hmm, can you take a tree from a garden and plant it somewhere in the wild? We have a large field near us with many trees round the edge including horse chestnut trees. One more would be OK wouldn't it?!

Scrowy · 01/06/2019 16:28

Not if it's a farmer's field because that's not the wild, it's someone's property and no different to someone planting it in your garden without asking.

TrickyD · 01/06/2019 16:28

Are you by any chance in a Conservation Area? If so you will need permission from the Council's Tree Officer before you do anything to it.. They will also be able to advise on what needs doing.

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 16:33

Not if it's a farmer's field because that's not the wild, it's someone's property and no different to someone planting it in your garden without asking.

No, it's not a farmer's field - it's designated as a bit of common land as it has a sign up saying it's common land for the enjoyment of local residents. I think it used to be a farmer's field though.

Cloudtree · 01/06/2019 16:41

This is my whitebeam (not Swedish). Flowers are at exactly the same stage

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 16:49

It does like remarkably similar. None of our trees are flowering at the moment - one sorbus has finished and the other hasn't started (different varieties)

Kernowgal · 01/06/2019 16:53

It's a hawthorn, but not our native species, the leaves are too big. Part of the same family as Sorbus (rowans, whitebeams), hence the similarity.

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 17:03

OP maybe try this app:

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/identify-trees-with-our-tree-id-app/

There is a similarity with hawthorn. We need to know.

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 17:42

marcus2000 that's what I'm worried about

OP posts:

Cloudtree · 01/06/2019 17:46

I'm pretty sure it isn't hawthorn if it has catkins

But then I don't think it has catkins

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 17:48

Tried the app and it came up with oak

OP posts:

isthatabloborwhat · 01/06/2019 17:52

Removing a large tree close to a house on clay soil would cause heave, not subsidence. Big ones can drink hundreds of gallons of water in a day.

It might be worth contacting the tree officer at your local council to come out and have a look at it.

An option might be to have the tree thinned out and reduced in size over several years before taking it down completely. That would give the ground time to stabilise over a longer period and should cause fewer problems.

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 17:56

Would the council come out if the tree is on private property?

OP posts:

Original poster

OddCat · 01/06/2019 17:57

What's the difference between heave and subsidence?

OP posts:

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 01/06/2019 17:58

You might want to get a surveyor in. A good one will take account of the soil and the type of tree and might suggest pollarding or thinning, rather than cutting the tree down completely.

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