Is it really bad to cut a tre even if it's too large for a small garden?

Question

I have a very tall conifer ( iI believe it to be a chamaecyparis/cypress), quite attractive, lovely green colur and nice conical shape.
It is taking lots of space and light and water in the garden/it has long roots and only ivy can grow near it.
Still its probably good for birds, I don't know if it's OK to cut it down

Answer 1

Any large tree in a small garden can outgrow its alloted space and should be removed and a more suitable specimen put in its place.

Answer 2

on the website Large trees with deep roots are not good if located near the house as the roots can interfere with the foundations, power lines and drains. I had the electricity people come and lop a tree in my yard - they don't need your consent to do this either! There are also health issues if the light is very restricted to your property.

You can trim it down, if you don't want to lose the tree - most tree surgeons will give a free quote and advice. Other kinds of wildlife will benefit from the loss of a tree and so will the ground. The BBC gardening website has a questions feature where you email for advice about cutting trees and/or plants that tolerate dry shade and I think the RHS have a similar feature. Some local councils and housing associations do have rules about removing trees so check with your local authority if you do decide to remove it.

Good Luck:)

Answer 3

It is not a protected tree (i.e. there will not be a protection order on it). Even though it is nice to look at and the birds like it, it is quite likely causing root damage not to you but your neighbours gardens as the roots go out further than the tree is tall. It can be cut down, there are tree doctors who can do this if you can't. Then the wood can be ground down and recycled or even used as fire wood - either way, the tree gets back into the earth but in a different guise. You could put a bird table out until you fill the space.

Answer 4

Trees get cut down all the time, for all sorts of reasons. There's nothing wrong with cutting down a tree that is in your way. Birds will find another tree. You're not talking about stripping the rain forest to put in a parking lot. You can get information from your local power company or Arbor Day organization about the best place to plant trees on your property and what kind of trees will work best.

Answer 5

I had to have 12 conifers cut down from my garden which was a shame but they were taking over the world !!!!

I think a lot of people regret planting conifers after about 10 years.

Answer 6

well this depends actually on 3 fronts
trees are a good source of oxygen they breathe in what we breathe out
they breathe out what we breathe in
if the tree in your garden is diseased then it is best to removed it before it rots and falls down on to maybe someone
if the tree is in a confided area and you want more light , you can trim it back or removed it completely
however there is one small point I would say
cutting a tree down is risky to you and others around , a tree surgeon is the safest option
another thing to know aswell make sure the tree doesn't have a G.P.O meaning goverment preservation order on it , if it has then you have to write to the local council for permission as to wheter it can be removed or trim back
on most occasions trees can be cut back or removed when ever one chooses with the exception of trees with a G.P.O

Answer 7

We are about to do the same thing with the same tree. I thought it was a shame for the birds, but was told by a collegue that they will fly on to the next one and not to worry - it's not as if it's the same birds coming back each year as another place may take it's fancy on the way to your back garden. Hence we will cut it down in winter so not to uproot them whilst in their home. Sounded convincing enough to me.

Answer 8

That really depends on where you live. Some places you have to get permission first, but that is usually confined to inside cities. Where you will definitely want to check about cutting a tree down is if you live in a historical district. Cutting a tree down in a historical district could end up causing you fines if you don't check first.

Answer 9

chop it down, you will be amazed at the amount of light that will get into the garden and especially the house.
Conifers are often left unattended and become a sore point between neighbours.
If it's near a structure or fence get a professional in to cut it

Answer 10

If you are concerned about the environmental impact of cutting down a tree and not replacing it then you could use the link below and pay them to replace it. The website is designed for you to reduce you carbon footprint by planting trees to offset your waste but you could also use it for this purpose, that way you are effectively , moving the tree from your garden to somewhere else!!

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/