Cutting down 100+yr old Willow trees

[MsLup]

We have a few very old large Willow trees on our farm land. DH wants to cut them down to 10ftish and pollard them in future. Reason given, they are in the way (between two fields) and could potentially become dangerous and destroy fencing.

To me it is sacrilege as they are a haven for wildlife with many nesting species particularly owls and can be seen across the rather flat landscape of the area.

I have tried to discuss a compromise such as only removing a third of their height and pollarding but DH is insistent (rather aggressively) that they will be coming down.

We own the land jointly and besides trying to get a TPO discreetly I have no idea where to go from here. Utterly heartbroken he feels the need to be so destructive. I still recall how he cut down a 25ft Holly tree at a previous property 25years ago.

Suggestions please as this is causing severe marital disharmony. He is currently sulking after a very heated discussion.

@Cocoabutterformula

I've just googled lifespan of a willow and got anything from 30-300 years

Lo and behold there's one in the state's that's 5,000 years old! Mmmm....

Love this, there is indeed one that’s that age, but the average age is 30 years for Salix, we can all Google 🤣🤣🤣

"We own the land jointly"
Well then. He's on a sticky wicket.

@Bluntness100 Nope, 400 species of Willow, Salix is the Willow bit, Babylonica is the weeping version.....

Try the Goat Willow, a UK tree.

google makes arborists of us all lol!

Agree with the suggestions about getting expert advice about the trees.
You seem reasonable in your approach to this Op, your husband sounds like
a bully.

Oh nooo he can't cut them down!!

Just chop the weepy feckers down.

Reason given, they are in the way (between two fields) a
In the way of what?

And could potentially become dangerous
To whom? Is there a public right of way underneath them?

and destroy fencing.
I know fence posts and wire are quite dear but are yours made out of solid silver and spun gold or something?

Sounds like excuses. Yeah time to plaster your local FB with some lovely arty photos of them in the frost and at sunset, audio of the owls calling and say how much you love them.

Is he planning to take them off at 10ft himself or get tree surgeons to do it?

"I'm with your H on this. We had a similarly aged willow of around 60ft which we had maintained and regularly pollarded and it's just suddenly come down onto the neighbour's summerhouse, squashing it flat. They're lovely trees but they don't last as long as others and big pieces can suddenly fall. Now we are going to take the other one down, just in case."

Location, location, location. If there's a neighbour's summerhouse to squash, potentially with a neighbour in it, then yeah get chopping. If they are beside a road or public right of way, get chopping. If the only thing they are likely to squash is a few metres of fence then who cares?

I’m with you OP, why do men have a caveman desire to destroy everything hope you get your way. Willows are thirsty trees, without them it will probably flood. Nature needs mature trees.

Thanks for the many replies. These trees are known as the oldest willows in the area. I have spoken to a few locals all in their 80's who remember them as decent sized trees. Yes they are doing a superb job of supping up the water in a flood zone 3 area.

It isn't that he wants to cut them down totally but to reduce them to a mere10ft, so effectively just the stump will remain. I expect they are too old to be pollarded and therefore could die. Cutting them to this low height will change the landscape and views.

Op, just get a good tree surgeon out to have a look. There is no point arguing, it doesn’t read like you actually know the variety or age, it is unlikely but feasible they are as old as you think and peoples memories are funny things, it is also feasible your husband is right and they are approaching end of life span and could be a risk. Large trees coming down can be really dangerous.

Ask on your local Facebook to see if anyone knows a good arborist, he or she can age the trees for you but also tell you if they are hollowing inside and if they do indeed pose a risk.

No one should take trees down for the fun of it, but in addition no one should be so sentimental they cause risk and it sounds like yoire both arguing and neither playing with facts.

I’ve had a large tree come down, and if anything or anyone had been in it’s path it would have been fatal.

Just have them assessed and then decide.

10 ft stumps will be ugly. He's mad.

Compromise? Find a balance for nature & business?
Agree to height reductions for these trees, ideally pollarding, on the advice of a specialist, and he agrees to plant 20 new trees around the farm to create the treescape for future generations.
I'd suggest oak, lime perhaps, hornbeam?
And also setting aside a wet field corner or two to let willow scrub re-establish.

Yes - 10ft seems ridiculous and unnecessary. Surely a compromise at 20ft or 30ft would achieve much the same objective and be less damaging to wildlife and visual amenity

Crazy - compromise, cut one down and leave one

Well you've talked about it and he has become entrenched and for some bizarre reason thinks it's his way or the highway

You now have to move to PREVENTING his action - so take all legal means necessary to do so - they are just as much YOUR trees as his

I'm having a similar argument, new house with the most incredible weeping willow and husband desperate to 'tidy' the low hanging branches!
I've said the whole garden is his but leave the willow! It's a part of history! And will be so beautiful in spring.

Hold firm OP don't let this one go!

Perhaps suggest doing one and seeing how it goes. An end one. If it recovers, do two the next year, and so on. It will give the wildlife a chance to relocate.

Have the fight, endure the sulking. You’re in the right here- don’t back down for an easy life, otherwise every time you see the sorry stumps you’ll seethe inwardly. Slow growing resentment is a relationship killer. Much better to have the fight now and show him that you really do feel strongly about this. No one died and made him god of trees. You can of course tell him that IF in the future they actually DO become an issue you’ll of course be reasonable AT THAT POINT.

Chop him down. He sounds like an idiot.

I would try contacting the Woodland Trust and your local Wildlife Trust for advice. Perhaps they'll give a different viewpoint that you'll both be able to agree on, or be able to point you towards someone who could come and do a tree survey for you.

Can’t imagine, given their shape, what a pollarded willow would look like. Bit of a mess I imagine.

Would the field be subject to flooding if the trees were removed? Willows are very thirsty.

Our old neighbours had a beautiful weeping willow. It was huge and must've been around 200 years old. They've pollarded it and it looks like Boris's hair - utterly ridiculous in other words. Ugly. Desecration. DH is a soils expert and he says your trees will be improving the soil. But he also says that pollarding is standard practice.

I have a (non weeping) willow and I regularly hack away at it and it bounces back. I think it will be very important for him to consider the drainage, they suck up a huge amount of water.my garden is one dry on the willow side, like a bog on the other.

Get a tree surgeon out to give you informed advice.