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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

They cut my gorgeous cherry tree down

232 replies

babyno5 · 22/05/2018 18:01

I know it’s not important in the grand scheme of things.
I had a garden maintenance business is to give me a quote to cut down couple of conifers, pull up some bushes and bring my hedge down to a manageable height.
I’ve come home from work to find they’ve also cut down my gorgeous 30 foot cherry tree. I’m so upset! We have zero privacy upstairs now and I hate how it looks.
I was really clear on what I wanted them to do. I text him and all I got was “sorry I misunderstood you”
Suggestions please to make a horrible hedge look better!
Aibu to be close to tears? (Be gentle with me-shit day at work dealing with idiots!!)

OP posts:
WhereIsBlueRabbit · 22/05/2018 20:37

They really should have checked! We just had some trees reduced in height - and have others which need doing but can't be done at this time of year. The tree people not only checked what exactly was to be done on arrival, they also called me out into the garden a few times to check I was happy with what was being done, whether they should reduce further, etc.

Glad you're getting a mature tree, though I too would be mourning a mature cherry tree.

Hygge · 22/05/2018 20:38

OP when I saw the title I thought you were the poster whose neighbour had complained about fallen blossoms messing up her paving. I was expecting to find out that the tidy neighbour had been in with an axe.

This isn't much better, but I'm glad he's offered to plant a tree of your choosing. It should never have happened but it's a small blessing that you dont have to fight with him to have it rectified.

InsomniacAnonymous · 22/05/2018 20:42

Buster72 "Was it kanza cherry tree Have you asked your neighbour at all. I think we know who the culprit was."

Go on then, who is the culprit, if not the man who cut it down?

Original poster
babyno5 · 22/05/2018 20:43

Ah hygge I forgot about that post! No my lovely neighbour is a fully fledged tree lover!

OP posts:
SimonBridges · 22/05/2018 20:44

Was it kanza cherry tree Have you asked your neighbour at all. I think we know who the culprit was.

I was thinking that too. I’ll see if I can find the thread too.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 22/05/2018 20:45

A similar thing happened to my parents. Two gorgeous trees cut down. Apparently they were ‘in the way’ of a wall they had asked builders to fix Angry. Makes me wary of having work done when there is nobody around to check but of course that is not always realistic. They are still upset now, years later.

freakinbananaspiders · 22/05/2018 20:45

I have one but it's hidden in my garden. I wish I could parcel it up and send it to you 🌸

PieAndPumpkins · 22/05/2018 21:00

Noooo! I'd be heart broken, blub away!

Original poster
babyno5 · 22/05/2018 21:05

Ah bless you freakinbananaspiders you’ll set me off again!! xx

OP posts:
Saker · 22/05/2018 21:06

I would recommend Barchams which is just down the road from us but deliver beautiful trees nationwide and have a lovely website so maybe you can cheer yourself up a bit by browsing possible replacements.

GardenGeek · 22/05/2018 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gardengirl33 · 22/05/2018 21:16

I would second Barchams trees. I'm a Landscape Architect and specify trees and planting implementation. You need to make sure new tree pit is dug (grind out old stump) and also plant from October to March for the best chance of survival and establishment. Hope you get your tree!

Pastaagain78 · 22/05/2018 21:20

I would be heartbroken. I am very sympathetic. You are not overreacting at all.

Hoopaloop · 22/05/2018 22:01

Highly unlikely that they would be arb approved. Check here though: www.trees.org.uk 'find a professional'.

Compensation: there are ways and means of putting a financial value on trees. You would be on a hiding to nothing telling a court that you want like for like. They will likely ask you how much that would cost and how did you come to that value. If you have decent, recent photographs of the tree, you could task an arb consultant (see above link) to prepare a retrospective CAVAT appraisal of the tree. This could cost you in region of £200-400 depending on who you use. Present this report to the court, along with your receipt, and you may get what you're after.

Alternatively, and probably more realistic, get quotes for containerised or rootball extra heavy standard (14-16cm girth/350cm tall min off top of my head) cherry of your choice, including delivery, planting, mulch and staking. Present your contractor with this and get it off the price that they quoted you. As a guide, this will be around £200. Do not let them offer to source/plant for you as they will no doubt fuck that up too.

Put off the planting until late autumn - now is a shit time for planting and you won't get rootballed stock until they start lifting them. If you do plant now, you'll have to dedicate serious time to watering (15L 3-4 times a week even if it's raining, until leaf-fall then start again at bud burst until leaf fall the following year). Ideally, put it off until late autumn/winter.

Hoopaloop · 22/05/2018 22:07

Tree surgeons and foresters for that matter have every right to earn a living at all times of year. Most reputable tree surgeons will check trees/hedges before starting work and will cease if they find evidence of nesting birds. It is after all, a criminal offence to disturb/destroy.

CalmConfident · 22/05/2018 22:08

An errant gardener hard trimmed our cherry tree at the wrong time of year..it was quite poorly but this spring confirmed .I now have a huge dead cherry tree. So Sad too.

Spanglyprincess1 · 22/05/2018 22:16

Its also.usually illegal to.cut down a mature tree without permission even if on private land. Defo you should get him to replace the tree

AiredaleFan · 22/05/2018 22:21

It's nesting season so they should have done a nesting bird survey before taking out any trees or hedges. This could be another thing to 'casually' mention if they don't play ball with you as if they've disturbed active nests it's a criminal offence.

BackToTheFuschia7 · 22/05/2018 22:26

Glad he’s agreed to replace it without a battle OP, I’d be so upset too.

Bagadverts · 22/05/2018 22:31

Hi
That's awful. Get something formally in writing about the replacement . You might want to get an independent opinion (get him to pay) on the work that needs doing. I'm not a gardener but I'd want to check whether the ground needs to be left after stump removal. Also are there any other varieties of tree that shouldn't be planted to replace a cherry. (Is he a tree surgeon and gardener?) if you don't have a gardener you trust or a recommendation the rhs have a link to organisations

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=465

Orangepear · 22/05/2018 22:44

This is so sad. Your poor tree.

bunbunny · 22/05/2018 23:00

Thought you might like to see this... Shows you are definitely eligible for compensation but luckily it sounds like your contractor is being reasonable.

The local Burger King chopped down a row of mature horse chestnut trees here without permission from the land owner (the local Parks Trust that does a lot of landscaping in MK to keep it looking nice) so that they were more visible from the main road. They weren't even on their plot - just next to it but between them and the road.

Apparently each tree would cost £10,000 to replace with a similarly sized tree. They were reported to the police and in the end agreed to pay compensation instead of being taken to court. Except - they are just paying £10,000 plus costs rather than £10,000 for each tree. And while I get that in the circumstances they might decide that they would be better off putting in semi mature trees that would last longer, I can't believe that they have got away with paying so little.

Reckon they should have had to have paid the value of all the trees they cut down plus a penalty on top. given it to the Parks Trust and let them decide how best to spend the money to put the trees back (even if not as big as before) and to spend on other projects. Cutting the trees back was horrible - they should pay fully and pay compensation on top, not get away with a token amount as that's not going to stop others from doing the same.

www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/burger-king-stumps-up-10k-after-unlawful-felling-of-trees-in-milton-keynes-1-8453164

ICouldBeSomebodyYouKnow · 22/05/2018 23:16

I feel your pain. We had a 20-yo cherry tree. Neighbours were getting work done. Workmen had one of those cranes on the back of a lorry. Drove off without retracting the crane. End of our cherry tree. Angry

It also affected our privacy - we could see what the teenage DD across the road and her boyfriend were getting up to! [embarrassed]

fetamore · 23/05/2018 00:10

Something very similar happened to us a couple of months ago. The company had not even been given the job. They hadn't even quoted in writing. They broke onto a building site and amongst other things, cut down an ancient tree. I sobbed and sobbed. He said "It was just a misunderstanding." I wonder if it is the dame company.
It's with the CPS as they broke into the site to do it. They took away the wood and were going to try to charge us until they realised we were going to take it further.

I was surprised at just how heartbroken I was. Definitely take it further.