Tree Surgery in Bedfordshire

The decision to purchase a property may not come with trees as an influencing factor. However, when the trees start to get overgrown or appears sick you will have to consider the regulatory status which may affect your ability to prune, fell or remove them.

First and foremost, the owner of the tree must be determined and this is the individual who owns the land on which the tree was originally planted. However, if you’re not the owner but the tree overhangs your land you’re allowed to cut the branches back up to the boundary, if the tree is unprotected. In such cases, you normally do not need to seek the consent of the original tree owner or neighbouring land owner to perform the works to the tree. But the branches and fruits on them ( if any) still remains that of the land owner and they’re to be returned to them if necessary.

In situations whereby you’re the owner of the tree, you’re required to determine whether or not your tree is protected by a Tree Protection Order ( TPO) before any action can be taken. The main goal of a Tree Protection Order is to provide protection to trees which are considered to deliver amenity values to the general public. In other words, if your tree can be viewed by the public and enjoyed from outside your garden’s confines then there’s a high possibility that it’s subjected to a TPO.

To confirm whether or not your tree is subjected to a TPO, you can check with your local planning authority (LPA). However, there are some local council websites that displays all TPOs registered within their jurisdiction.

Although we advocate non-removal of trees, but we also know for a fact that this isn’t always possible especially when it involves safety challenges or damage to property. If you’re looking to remove a tree on your property, then you should probably confirm whether or not you’d require a council approval.

In the UK, if the tree you want removed has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) placed on it, then before you’ll be able to perform any sort of work to the tree ( be it cutting a branch or felling/ removing the tree), you must obtain a permission from the council.

The Tree Preservation Order is created by local planning authorities such as a district, borough or national park with the aim of providing adequate protection to trees which provide amenity values to the public. Any act to the TPO protected tree such as cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting or wilful damage considered a criminal offence. In other words, if the tree on your property is visible and is enjoyed by the public then there’s a possibility that there’s a TPO placed on it. To confirm whether or not this is the case, you can reach out to your local council’s tree officer for more information.

You will need to fill out an application form and submit to your local authority in order to request permission of remove a tree. In the event whereby you happen to reside in a Conservation Area, the same rules applies as TPO-placed trees but you don’t necessarily need to have TPO placed on them.

If the tree is in your garden without a TPO placed on it and you do not live in a Conservation Area, then you would not need to apply for permission to have it removed.

One of the most common problems in houses and buildings especially in recent times are structural deficiencies. There are two types of foundation owners as identified by foundation experts and structural engineer. These includes those with foundation problems as well as those who will. With the great increase in the number of field foundations as well as the continued ageing of already existing field foundations, the number of foundation deficiencies in the future is also likely to increase.

Foundation problems are caused by a wide array of reasons which can vary significantly from one place to the other. One of the greatest causes is soil diversity whereby soils in the vicinity may be of a single type, however there are soil types across the area may include clay, sandy loam, sand, rock or even a blend of these materials. While this can result in a big local plant palette which is to the delight of plant enthusiasts, it may not be that great for foundations. Consequently, the diversity in soil types and conditions makes it impossible to give a precise answer to a foundation problem anywhere.

Generally, when a tree grows very close to a foundation you’ll require the advise of a professional arborist consultant. The goal of an arborist consultant is to educate the home or property owner how trees can affect foundations. Therefore, the simple answer to the question whether removing a tree can cause foundation problems is yes. By checking all the related issues, foundation experts, arborist and others can determine whether or not removing a particular tree can cause foundation problems. As a result, before the removal of any tree you must ensure you hire the services of a seasoned tree surgeon who would know his way around without really affecting your foundation.

When home or property owners decide to plant a Leylandii, they mostly think about how great it is as a hedging and screening plant and forgetting it also require a regular maintenance to keep in good shape. One thing about Leylandii are they do not re grow if you happen to cut back into the old wood. Once it turns brown, it will remain like that with no possible solutions to remedy the situation as they have little to no ability to regrow from the old wood.

In order to maintain your Leylandii hedge in good shape and order, that’s not too wide or too tall, then it’s recommended that it should be trimmed at least once a year. By doing this, you’re more likely to cut only into the new green growth which will enable the hedging plant look great and green with no brown patches. So when is the best time to prune a Leylandii hedge plant in a year?

Generally, it’s advisable to cut back mature or overgrown Leylandii hedges in the UK about two to three cuts between the months of April and August. By this time, your hedge plant will already be well established and ready for some maintenance and care. However, if there’s a chance that you might not be able to prune it on a yearly basis, the we’d suggest you get a slower growing alternative instead. Some of the alternatives which are slower growing and unlike Leylandii, can regenerate when cut back into the old wood are several types of Thuja as well as English Yew.

Below are some guidelines you can follow when trimming your Leylandii hedge:

• Do not cut Leylandii hedges during very forsty or hot weather.

• Do not cut the hedges during wet conditions to allow the cut dry and heal quickly.

• Make use of sharp tools.

• Cut on a cool and breezy day.