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Eucalyptus tree removal
brendankersey
Posts: 4
in Plants
Hi,
My next door neighbour is about to extend his house and has been advised by his structural engineer that a Eucalyptus tree in my garden poses a threat to his (and my own) foundations. It's currently around 15ft tall and sits approx 4-5 metres from our current foundations.
I'm happy to remove it if necessary but wanted some advice first...
1. I'm unsure of the exact species but based on the image attached, would you deem this to be a specie that does pose a danger to building foundations, pipework etc?
2. I've had a couple of quotes from local tree surgeons to remove the tree but i wondered if it might be worth potting it (or at least a section of it). Is this possible?
3. Can anyone recommend a replacement tree?
Thanks
My next door neighbour is about to extend his house and has been advised by his structural engineer that a Eucalyptus tree in my garden poses a threat to his (and my own) foundations. It's currently around 15ft tall and sits approx 4-5 metres from our current foundations.
I'm happy to remove it if necessary but wanted some advice first...
1. I'm unsure of the exact species but based on the image attached, would you deem this to be a specie that does pose a danger to building foundations, pipework etc?
2. I've had a couple of quotes from local tree surgeons to remove the tree but i wondered if it might be worth potting it (or at least a section of it). Is this possible?
3. Can anyone recommend a replacement tree?
Thanks
0
Posts
I love the more decorative young foliage of eucalyptus, so I would coppice it ... repeating the process every few years keeps it short and you get the decorative leaves.
Some info here from a previous discussion
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1004123/pruning-topping-a-eucalyptus-tree/p1
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I bought a E. Blue Gum (which looks like yours) for 99p years ago.
It cost me £1100 to have it felled when it got to over 100ft in about 25yrs.
If you keep it small it won't be a problem.
You can hack them about as much as you like and it'll re-sprout in no time.
As Dove mentions the blue/grey round juvenile foliage looks great, but much less so when the leaves become pointy as the tree matures.
There's one round the corner from me that must be very old - it has a thick trunk but the owners prune the top into a lollipop and it's no more than 8ft high overall.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I believe the theory is that if you coppice it, it produces new leaves which look better than older ones.
(Basically repeating what @Pete.8 said).
I couldn't comment on the root spread though.
Since I had mine removed the lawn has sunk significantly where the roots were and have now rotted away - some nearly reach the house almost 100ft away.
The stump has finally rotted into a mush after about 10 years, so I can finally reclaim that area of my garden.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have/had a few (recently cut down two in the back garden as I was fed up with coppicing them and switch for smaller native species) and you can coppice them like mentioned above and this will limit it's root spread.
They aren't really a great tree for pots because they are so vigorous but there is a smaller cultivar of eucalyptus gunni called France bleu, and it reportedly gets to 2.5m high eventually, although I guess a little larger.
Eucalyptus Gunnii, which what I suspect this is, is very fasy growing ( 5ft / year) with a very high water demand (which is the main issue).
Actual physical damage from tree roots is rare - especially on competent foundations.
On the one hand your neighbours should design their extension with tree growth in mind. That means (in the case of trench fill foundations) adequate depth with root barriers...although EG has generally shallow roots.
Another potential problem is if you are on 'shrinkable soil'. E Gunnii takes up a lot of water - in a dry summer that may shrink a clay based soil and 'possibly' cause subsidence. Conversley, this may cause 'heave' in winter when the pores in the dry clay fill with water and freeze...it rarely happens though.
Ultimately it depends on how far the tree is from any structure. It's called the 'zone of influence'. So in this case the calculation is 1.25 x mature height. An E gunni can easily reach 90+ feet but lets take an average and say 50 feet - 1.25 x 50 = 62.5 feet in any direction from the trunk but the influence reduces with distance.
Pollarding & coppicing are great ways to slow root growth - but - they can't be guaranteed to reduce it sufficiently.
Another issue is the closeness to your neighbours fence - this might be cause problems later. Then there is the overhang & shade if it gets bigger - not to mention the leaves which can be a nuisance.
All this is rather convoluted waffle is by way of suggesting you get rid of it... it's a real shame - they are one of my favourite trees but IMO they don't belong in small domestic gardens and cause more trouble than they are worth.
As an example, I've actually just cut down a 45 foot EG in my garden. (planted by the previous owner). I'm on shrinkable soil and it was less than 6 feet from my neighbours rather poorly built garage conversion but the building showed no damage. The problem was the ever expanding trunk diameter and the ever increasing tree surgeon bill...it had to go.
This is seems a bit of a heavy read but is actually simpler than it looks..
https://nhbc-standards.co.uk/4-foundations/4-2-building-near-trees/4-2-4-the-effects-of-trees-on-shrinkable-soils/
In terms of replacement - a tree that close to the fence may cause problems later.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/20-trees-for-small-gardens/
If you decide to remove the tree, let us know your soil type, location and the direction the tree will face so that suitable recommendations can be made for you to consider. It's a shame because that looks like a lovely tree!
I've had 2 quotes in from local tree surgeons...
Quote 1 — £200 to remove tree to ground level (not stump and roots)
Quote 2 — £120 to fell and poison stump
Can anyone advise on exactly what method of removal i should be considering and whether stump and roots would also need to be removed?
Also, as a thought, is donating the tree to a local school or nursing home an option or will the tree not survive being removed?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Is it a simple case of cutting the tree at the stump then i.e. i could do it myself? Or does the root system need properly dealing with?