Is it a sin to cut down a tree?

[Mamabear04]

I have a very big eucalyptus tree in my back garden, it's about 60ft tall! We moved into our house last year and I've always loved the tree but lately it's been dropping branches. The branches are really heavy and I'm worried one of them falls on my kids and hurts them. Ontop of that I have a small garden room underneath it and I'm worried it could damage it (I use it as an office space). I just had a quote from a guy who says it will cost £750 to get the tree cut back and into order then it will need maintained regularly. He also said he can chop it down completely for £950 and cut off the VAT. I'm in 2 minds as to what to do. Here are my thoughts on cutting it down;

Pro's
Safe for children
Won't damage the garden room
Will be financially beneficial in the long run
Won't be a risk to property and neighbours property if there is a big storm/high winds

Con's
It feels like a sin to cut down such an old tree
It will be home to wildlife and I'll be taking away their home
It offers some privacy to our property

Whatever you do, have a chat with neighbours first

@Youheshetheysaid do you think they would be annoyed?

Genuine question, can I ask why? It's your property and you need to do what's best for you. We chopped a tree down in our garden when we moved in (as much as I hated to do so!) but the whole patio was in darkness all day, as was the back of the house

We got rid of a eucalyptus when we moved it. It was far too close to the house.

There is a very tall Eucalyptus tree next to my DM’s house. She thinks it should come down as it’s got too tall and could fall in a storm. She is very pro trees usually - and catholic so I am guessing it isn’t a sin 😉

Also another con - bird shit all over the garden. Not good for small children!

Because at 60ft tall, it'll be offering a degree of amenity value to the neighbours and within the wider area so it's courteous to let them know they're about to lose it.

If it's close to your house get it cut down for safety purposes. You might find your home insurance won't cover you if the tree isn't properly maintained and it damages the property.

I love trees, but sometimes they are just on the wrong place. I would consider chopping and then replacing it with something more suitable. If you do decide to chop, wait until nesting season is over.

Eucalyptus trees will regenerate if they’re cut down to the ground. You’ll have a multi-stem shrub which can be kept small by cutting back each year. So you won’t be killing the tree, just working with nature.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/eucalyptus/pruning-guide

Have you checked whether there's a tree preservation order? The person chopping it down should have checked but some are less reputable than others. You can get in a lot of trouble if there is a TPO, the fines are huge.

I would get another couple of quotes. To me that sounds suspiciously cheap. One of the issues with getting rid if a tree is the potential for it affecting the water table and potentially causing subsidence. No idea if eucalyptus comes into this category but I'd want to be very sure that anyone doing work knew what they were doing.

Absolutely no idea! They could be relieved or they could love

either way - it’s neighbourly courtesy in my opinion.

You should check with the council whether it has a Tree Preservation Order though. I doubt your eucalyptus tree will have one but you never know.

Your tree may not be that old. Eucalyptus grows very big, very quickly. Not sure how good they are for wildlife either unless you have some resident koalas 😁
You can cut it down and replace it with a smaller, native tree that will be much better for wildlife.

She'd have all that information from the house purchase if there was one

This is my field of expertise (I work in forestry regulation). It is not an old tree: Eucalyptus has phenomenal growth rates. They can take up large volumes of water; if you have clay soils your foundations may be at risk. They are highly flammable and can burn from, say, a cigarette in the leaf litter. Not for planting near houses imho.

It's bird nesting season. Wait until after August, or be absolutely sure that there are no birds nesting in the tree: see www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/tree-and-hedge-removal/

Does anyone know how to check if it will cause subsidence? My Dad worked as an architectural technician and supervised lots of builds etc. As soon as he saw it he said he thought it would be a good idea to cut it down...

A reputable tree surgeon will be able to tell you.

Surveyor OP with subsidence specialism

He also said he can chop it down completely for £950 and cut off the VAT
Is he a VAT registered business or not? Because if he is suggesting he will do it for less VAT for cash in hand, it's tax dodging.

I found this passage which I think is relevant

"And the Lord sayeth unto them "Lest none of you cut down a tree or bush. I tell you now any person who destroys a tree, destroys me. Unless there is a danger the tree should fall unto a child or garden room, in which case go ahead". And the crowd were amazed and went back to their homes in wonder."

What @MoleAtTheCounter said. Overgrown eucalyptus is a menace - native to Australia, they grow absolutely massive over here if let loose. I'd get rid and replace it with something a bit more in keeping. (Also agree under £1000 sounds a bit cheap - I'm assuming this won't include root removal, and I'd worry the damn thing would resprout from the roots. But at least then you could keep it under control).

Can't you just get it pointed instead of cutting it down? We need trees for pollution and oxygen.