To have spent most of the day in tears over trees

[NoMoreTrees]

We moved into this house just shy of a year ago and I regretted it almost instantly. I absolutely hate it here, it has pretty much ruined my life and for the last few months my mental health has been in tatters and I’ve had some very, very dark days.

One thing I did like about the house though was that at the end of the garden, on the other side of the fence were some beautiful tall trees. Dozens of trees with hundreds of birds that you can hear singing all year round, an owl, squirrels and other wildlife. The trees ran the entire length of our row of houses and a bit further.

On the other side of the trees is a small field, and while we were having surveys etc done they brought up a planning application for a small development of 9 houses in that field, which had been rejected by the water company.

Well I’m sure you know where this is going… obviously the water company were offered more money changed their minds because before the sun was even up this morning a bunch of men in hi viz and hard hats rocked up with a chainsaw, a bulldozer and a woodchipper and one by one started tearing all the trees down. By the time they had downed tools and fucked off there was only one tree left standing at the end of our garden and one or two surviving further down… for now at least.

I just can’t stop crying. I can’t even bring myself to look out of the windows at the back of the house. All those beautiful trees, all those birds, all that wildlife, gone. It was one of the very, very few things that made living here tolerable, and now instead of trees and birdsong, there is going to be a building site. Just when I thought I couldn’t fucking hate it here more.

To OP and all the posters on this thread. You've made my heart sing that you all care so much. Often I think I'm the only one but this thread is a joy. Thank you.

I’d go even further and create a small wild flower meadow and a pond. Get your teeth into trying to create a beautiful, healthy ecosystem of your own.

Of course YANBU - that's devastating. It's made a real difference to your back garden, not in a good way.
Like you, I love nature and the birds singing etc really lifts my mood. I hate to see trees cut down.
I would, as a long term plan, save up and plant some saplings along your back fence. Maybe even move the sheds. There are so many lovely fruit trees you can get - great for nature. Lime trees smell divine and are bee-magnets. Plant some flowerbeds too - get some wildlife friendly shrubs/flowers. Make your garden a nature haven. I love gardening - it really lifts my mood as well.

Ha - I walked away half way through typing that, and I see now everyone else has said the same! Good luck OP, it's horrible but I hope you feel better soon.

By the way I know how much work this entails, I bought a house where the back and front garden were concrete jungles. I lifted them myself and filled two skips. I then put 3 tonnes of topsoil down and turfed the back. It was back breaking working but I found frogs and newt in my garden this year it was thrilling and my children were so excited.

Hawthorn is nice- it’s traditionally hedging but if you leave it to grow it gets quite tall.

Same. This has really upset me!

So sorry. I hate to see trees being removed. Can you plant some native trees your side instead (Rowans are small, or silver birch if you have space), or a good thick beech hedge which birds will love? Things grow surprisingly quickly.

I can sympathise - my neighbours tree came down as it was far too large. They did come round to apologise to me though, as they knew I loved it!
It's ok now. I have a better view and we planted a new tree in our garden to compensate.
Change happens, we can't help it.
I really think we should not cut down trees though - the older they are, they are better at producing oxygen.

I spend my summer going around the green spaces our grotty neighbourhood strategically throwing cherry seeds, apple seeds and other seed pods from the trees that grow well hoping that some might germinate. I do now have a beautiful wild Cherry just beyond our fence line growing out of an overgrown bramble area so I think it works!

That is absolute vandalism OP, I cannot see any reason why the developers needed to cut down those trees, it's not like they are blocking access to the site. It might be worth contacting your local councillor to check that they did have permission to remove them. If not they could be made to make amends.

I always give a hollow laugh when people complain that environmental rules are holding up new building. Developers are perfectly happy to steamroller any nature habitats when it suits them.

Now is a good time to plant hedging, so get yourself over to the Gardening forum on here for some advice. There is lots of good stuff YouTube too, and gardening and being outside is very good for your mental health too. There is a guy on YouTube who started with a garden like yours and bought a cheap rose at the supermarket, he now has a beautiful zen paradise which he has built up over time.

The thing you really need to sort is living somewhere you hate so viscerally. If you’re buying, no one forces you to buy somewhere you hate.

So move. Or take action: plant your own trees. Make a garden for the birds.

But please, stop moaning your life away. We only get one go at it, and YABU to be so passive and negative.

I’m sure you can make a beautiful garden! And the birds will come back and you’ll increase the value of your house.

Before the hard hearts arrive…I’ve cried over felled trees here too.

It’s an utter farce our council launching a blue and green strategy (rivers and trees SO important, yeah right) and every scrap of land with a copse of trees being stripped for development in a flood area! You couldn’t make it up. If you own …plant trees now they will surprise you and create the screen you loved

I hate this. It makes me so sad and despairing. All that wildlife.

They strip sites so they have no ‘value’ to preserve, no protected wildlife to advocate for …it’s to put the defeat int9 those who want to fight for their area..those trees would have shielded existing residents from noise etc..whilst the land was developed and added something to the new builds ..it’s a horrible shame. Here we had protected trees they put their cabins across their roots to kill them..noted by council officers but no action taken in a TPO area …it’s really grim

So sorry you have found out the hard way you can only control what is actually in your garden. But:

Go to a plant/tree nursery. Local ones can give you really good advice about what will be good in your garden. Garden centres are really expensive and will just sell you anything you fancy without regard to the conditions in your garden and what birds in your area prefer. Mixed hedging would also encourage wildlife.

When we moved to our current house, we needed to screen an ugly view. I did some research about Eucalyptus trees. Some varieties are slow growing and some romp away. We planted 3and theyare now massive. The Internet is your friend. Google 'fast growing trees'. But check their eventual size...

I'm so sorry, and feel your sadness! I was livid and so upset when half a dozen beautiful old horse chestnut trees were cut down at the back of the car park where I work, supposedly to make space for more cars. It's made next to no difference to the parking space and just .ade a lot of people very upset.

They are just trees. More will grow. Birds will find other trees to nest in. It will be ok

Definitely get your own trees.

I was devastated when my neighbour built a huge two storey ‘garage’ with home office in his garden taking up half the space and overlooking all of my little terraced house garden. He was a local councillor which I am sure had nothing to do with him getting planning permission. All we managed to change was that at least he had to take out the window (a garage with a window huh?) that was staring right into my kitchen diner.

I went to the garden centre, showed them pics and asked for suggestions and now I have a lovely row of pleached trees that block his monstrosity from view and make my tiny enclosed mid terrace garden feel much nicer like a secret garden.

The pic is when they were first planted (can’t find a more recent one) so doesn’t look like much but over time they have grown and joined up and are now quite an effective barrier with flowers and berries in season.

I’d be in tears as well. I have woods at the end of my garden, and know planners have their eyes on it.

This is a link to the gardener I mentioned earlier. Judging by the toys you have DCs, so this approach wouldn't work for you but it does show what could be done.

Once you start putting plants and features in your space, add a bit of height a wooden arch to grow honeysuckle and roses over, look out for easy to sow seeds in the supermarket to attract bees and insects put some bird feeders, even a little pond in an old tub, and you will get wildlife back in your garden.

Did they not require planning permission to chop them down ? Even with large conifers you need permission .

Why don’t you check on the planning if the builders have to plant additional trees to make up for the ones they have cut down.

We love seeing birds in the garden - do you have a feeder as a start for you before you decide to plant your own trees.
check out the gardening board on here as you will get lots of advice on the right plant/bush for the size of your garden.

Birds Won’t be nesting at this time of year so it isn’t their home as such so please try not to feel as sad.