Identify this tree...

danoriordan1402

Was wondering what this could be, have dozens that sprung up randomly over the last year or so in a ghost estate at the back of my house.

magicbastarder

looks like it could be alder - is it on damp ground?

lottpaul

magicbastarder wrote: »

looks like it could be alder

Agreed - they seed freely so there must be others nearby. Fast growing, they will grow in most types of soil, not just damp.

danoriordan1402

yep, it would be damp enough - seed freely is the style alright, random clumps of them all over the place. Would some of the younger ones be able to be moved easily, would they take to a new location at this time of year?

lottpaul

Yes, you can move them anytime from now until about mid March or so -- depending on the weather. The smaller ones will ultimately be a better choice as they won't need staking and will soon outgrow any bigger ones. But they do grow quickly and as they age they tend to drop their lower branches naturally, so will need to be underplanted.

Bixy

Just an alternative suggestion, it might be Mountain Ash? Sorbus aucuparia? I cannot see the buds clearly in the picture, but the markings in the young bark look like the self seeded MA that that I have around my garden. Anyway, same rules apply about moving it!

Oldtree

the purple "old mans thumb" buds are just about visible and the lenticels on the stem are very evident, both of which point to alder.