Feel sad that neighbour cut down trees

[Eatingbiscuits]

Woke up this morning to one of our neighbours having a row of trees cut down in their garden. Beautiful tall evergreen mature trees which were home to squirrels and birds. Not a single tree or bush left, they've cleared their entire garden. I saw a squirrel run along the boundary as they were cutting down the trees and it broke my heart. We live on the outskirts of a city and this was a little bit of nature for us and we would love watching the squirrels come and go and listening to the birds in the trees. I know there's nothing I can do about it because it's their garden but I feel so sad. Would other people feel the same or am I overreacting? Any suggestions at what I can plant in my garden instead to replace them? Although it would take decades to grow trees like that again.

The other thing to remember about leylandei and similar conifers is they are a fire risk. They are full of an oily resin that is highly flamable. Not a sensible tree to have planted too close to your house, garage, car, shed etc. if heat waves become the norm in the UK.

Our neighbours did the same and we were gutted too. They were leylandii (at the bottom of their garden) and were screening them and us from an ugly block of flats.
Our neighbours hate trees, they just can’t be bothered with anything that creates work in the garden.
I don’t know why people say leylandii aren’t much good for wildlife. We have collared doves, jays and magpies flying in and out of them all the time. Squirrels nest in them, and unfortunately foxes like the shelter they provide too.

Our neighbour did this, then sold it as a building plot.

Did you ask them why they cut them down? They might have perfectly good reasons. I just cut down two massive trees that were in front of my house, and there were so many reasons to do it. I will replace them with some much smaller ornamental trees.

Meanwhile my house is no longer dark inside, I no longer have roots growing up in my grass and through my septic pipes, I'm not worried about a tree or its branches landing on my house in a storm, the huge maple (which was actually badly insect-damaged) is now being turned into firewood for people who can't afford heating oil, and I can now put a solar array on my roof to generate clean electricity.

That sounds lovely!

I don’t think TPOs are intended to prevent pruning. Though I believe a neighbour should only be cutting back branches that are over the property line - did they cut back beyond this?

I’d be more worried about subsidence than wildlife OP. How close were they to your house and how big?

We’ve had a row of mature conifers removed this year. It was costing us £500 a year to have them pruned and they put half the garden in shade. If my neighbours are sad about it I’m very sorry, but they can plant their own if they’d like.

You have my sympathies op I hate to see a tree go.
Keep adding to your plot and it’ll bring in plenty of wildlife, doesn’t have to be huge trees the birds around me love a hedge and I get plenty of them on my feeders.

Yes, had this happen too in an old place and was very sad. Think they may have had good reason / needed to for safety, but is was a loss.

Our landlord decided to cut down three beautiful mature trees at the end of our garden. I begged him not to but he was adamant and when i got home the day they were cut down, I cried. We actually bought the house from him a couple of years later and although we have some fast growing replacements, im still sad that they went

I hope you reported them, they could be fined and would serve them right.

Unfortunately the 3 trees you mention are all classed as drought vulnerable and will need constant watering. If you do decide to plant a tree, choose a drought tolerant variety like a Rowan or a Crab apple.

Everyone is always gutted someone else’s trees are cut down, few rush to replace them exactly, citing it will take years, but I often suspect it’s as they don’t wish their own gardens overtaken to that extent or the cost and work of managing them,

Plant your own. Problem solved.

We had a massive ash tree cut down that was a hazard, in the middle of our garden(no nests) plus another two trees on our boundary, that were leaning dangerously . Ashes around us self seed, and grow really quickly. They're a pain in the arse. We've still got a thick laurel hedge running down the side of the bottom of our garden, and two trees at the bottom of the garden, where the squirrels nest, the magpies, Robins and crows nest as well.

I agree OP, new houses were built over the road from me this year (expensive too - £1.5 M )- this week all the lovely trees which shielded our house from theirs have been cut down. I was so sad - if people don't want trees, suggest they go and live on an estate instead.

We have a number of bird boxes DH made that are used every year. The pigeon builds her nest on top of one bird box. @Eatingbiscuits why not investigate that option.

I got upset when my new neighbour cut down a beautiful climbing rose so no you're not being unreasonable. I'd be raging. Selfish pricks.

Why selfish? You have no idea if the trees were dangerous, blocking their light, encroaching on drains, too expensive to maintain etc.

I'm in Australia and planted several indigenous native trees down the side of the house to give us both shade and privacy as the NDNs' house is on higher ground. We did this very soon after moving into the house about 15 years ago. We surmised that the NDNs were not gardeners and would not maintain the trees they had - we were right, they didn't. All their trees bar two have died.

On the other hand, we have the privacy and shade we planned for.

The lesson is not to rely on the neighbours. Oh, and act now by thinking of the future. We had to have a huge tree removed, with literally no space for succession planting and have had to start from scratch - a right pain.

Good luck, OP.

They might have perfectly good reasons. I just cut down two massive trees that were in front of my house, and there were so many reasons to do it.

There are rarely "perfectly GOOD reasons" to cut down mature healthy trees. The reasons such as they are usually rooted (!) in selfishness and laziness with no real consideration of others and future generations. You cannot replace a 100 year old tree or even a 50 or 20 year old tree overnight.

A mature tree is usually a beautiful and attractive addition to a local environment anywhere but especially in a built up area. It adds so much in terms of wildlife support, shade, leaves and bark trap fine particulates, dust, and pollutants (such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone) from traffic emissions, absorbing and storing carbon dioxides, intercept heavy rainfall, slow down water run-off, and can reduce the risk of flash flooding by up to 99% including roots absorbing water. Replacing it with a small ornamental bush is not like for like in terms of visual amenity or overall benefit.

The individual benefits from healthy tree destruction (a lighter room, less shade in the garden, less leaf fall, space to build or develop) are 9/10 outweighed by the wider benefits to the community visually and environmental benefit.

If you don't like shade or are scared of a branch falling, don't buy houses with mature trees, buy a different house with an aggregate drive and fake grass and leave the trees for future generations.

Tree issues can be managed by tree surgeons and reducing the height or crown of the tree, thinning the canopy, root barriers and so on. Cutting down a mature healthy tree is not the only solution but society is now all about convenience.

Exactly. We’re about to have some of our trees cut down at a considerable cost to us. We know we’re going to get complaints but we’ve got the relevant permissions etc.
They need cutting down as they’re on the cusp of becoming dangerous to the general public walking on the public footpath behind our property and they’re a risk to our own property.

As pp suggest plant your own, but do careful research on what to plant as some can become too big.

Cut back to the trunk. Actually right over my side of the wall.
Man from the appropriate department said oh well it will grow back.

Absolutely useless individual..