Large Eucalyptus Tree

fionny

Hi Folks,

We have quite a large Eucalyptus Tree in a house we recently bought... knowing action is needed we are seeking costs from a few tree surgeons. One came in strongly saying dispose of the tree said its a disaster waiting to happen and called it a weed of a tree...

We quite like having the large tree but if it is in fact a disaster waiting to happen then....

Here is some photo's of it...







advice? Top it or remove it entirely.

Thanks,

celticbhoy27

fionny wrote: »

Hi Folks,

We have quite a large Eucalyptus Tree in a house we recently bought... knowing action is needed we are seeking costs from a few tree surgeons. One came in strongly saying dispose of the tree said its a disaster waiting to happen and called it a weed of a tree...

We quite like having the large tree but if it is in fact a disaster waiting to happen then....

Here is some photo's of it...







advice? Top it or remove it entirely.

Thanks,

Tbh that close to the house and the size of it id say it is a risk id not want imho.. Id have it removed

my3cents

I wouldn't be that worried about it but I know some people would be and some tree surgeons will say anything to get work.

There is a problem in that there is bark included branching at the base. What that means is the two stems are in fact separate (not joined because there is bark between them) so its possible the tree will split down the middle at that point. More often one side will stay and the other will tear off in a storm.

On a positive note one side will prevent the other falling that way so if the whole thing came down in a bad storm it would very likely that the stems would go to the left and right of the first picture which looks like neither part would hit the house.

On balance I'd live with it but most people would take the safer option and take it down. Suggest you give the work to someone that can explain why its dangerous, I wouldn't give any work to someone who called it a weed. Eucalyptus aren't really good trees to work on and can't really be tidied up so its all or nothing.

fionny

Thanks for the input, to be honest I probably wouldnt go with that tree surgeon any way as his price was a bit off I felt... he did explain the whole thing, we just really like it but dont want to have the headache of a neighbours house being crushed by a tree if that could happen.

John_Rambo

I think it's stunning. Very cool looking. From what I can gather, their fairly rubbery and can take a beating. I wouldn't be too worried about it. A real climber for kids!

magicbastarder

how far is it from the house?

fionny

John_Rambo wrote: »

I think it's stunning. Very cool looking. From what I can gather, their fairly rubbery and can take a beating. I wouldn't be too worried about it. A real climber for kids!

They shed limbs several people now have said the split is bad and will end in tears.. (called widow maker trees in Aus.)

fionny

magicbastarder wrote: »

how far is it from the house?

Bout 30ft from out own house only about 20 ft from the roof you can see in the pic... would literally mush that house if it fell

lazybones32

Euc. are a beautiful tree and your one is no exception.
It does seem very close to the house behind it and from my own point of view, it poses a serious liability. While the ground around the base of the tree looks solid and shows no signs of roots loosening in the soil, it only takes one freak occurrence to bring it down. It has obviously withstood the weather of the last few decades and the storm of Feb 2014 but trees that look solid and show no signs of instability can surprise us.

My advice: get a few other reputable tree surgeons in to take a look at it and ask for an assessment (you'll prob. have to pay for that; how much, I don't know). Irish tree surgeons seem to hate Euc. and the only logical reason I heard from one was that they are totally unsuited to this climate. The root system goes bananas when the crown is reduced but a larger and more extensive root network in theory would stabilise the tree and lessen the likelihood on collapse. 'twould be very bad to have one close to the house though...

John_Rambo

fionny wrote: »

They shed limbs several people now have said the split is bad and will end in tears.. (called widow maker trees in Aus.)

Oh right... Fair enough. Clueless here, silly treehugger alert, Sorry.

fionny

John_Rambo wrote: »

Oh right... Fair enough. Clueless here, silly treehugger alert, Sorry.

Dont get me wrong! We love the tree... but we dont want someones house mushed because of our love for a tree... or worse someone crushed to death because it fell on their house.

Peregrinus

fionny wrote: »

They shed limbs several people now have said the split is bad and will end in tears.. (called widow maker trees in Aus.)

"Widowmakers" refers to a specific group of eucalypts that shed (apparently healthy) branches during a drought as a survival strategy. That's bad news if you're camping underneath them at the time, hence the name. The group includes the eucalyptus melliodora and the eucalyptus papuana, which is by far the commonest of the widowmakers.

What you've got there is not a papuana and, even if it were, no tree in Ireland is ever subjected to anything that a eucalypt would regard as a drought, so I think the branch-shedding thing is probably not a worry to you. Still, it's a big tree, and is very close to the house; it's definitely worth paying a few euro to have it properly assessed.

fionny

Peregrinus wrote: »

"Widowmakers" refers to a specific group of eucalypts that shed (apparently healthy) branches during a drought as a survival strategy. That's bad news if you're camping underneath them at the time, hence the name. The group includes the eucalyptus melliodora and the eucalyptus papuana, which is by far the commonest of the widowmakers.

What you've got there is not a papuana and, even if it were, no tree in Ireland is ever subjected to anything that a eucalypt would regard as a drought, so I think the branch-shedding thing is probably not a worry to you. Still, it's a big tree, and is very close to the house; it's definitely worth paying a few euro to have it properly assessed.

Thanks! It certainly sheds ALOT of little twigs and branches all the time!

Norfolk Enchants_

Eucalyptus are a lovely tree in the right setting, unfortunately that doesn't look like the right setting, coupled with the fact you have a poorly formed trunk at the base of the tree, then I'd agree with the tree surgeon who says it's an accident waiting to happen.
Also when assesing the tree you have to look at the long term cost implications, any remedial work now won't be a one off, you will have to continually have work done every couple of years into the future and even then there is a good chance the work won't ensure the trees future.
If it were my tree, I would bite the bullet now and get it removed and replace with a more suitable tree.
I know that's not really what you want to hear, but it's an honest apprisal and is probably the best advice.

Cumin

I think you won't stop worrying until the tree is gone. Take it down before the first heavy gale and plant an oak tree a little further away from the house. They say eucalyptus wood spits in an open fire because of the oil... Hope you have a solid fuel stove 🔥

drunkmonkey

Whats the story with insurance, would you be covered?

There's one near me, as another poster said there very rubbery, would probably take a night like the big wind to knock it. I've seen it bend a huge amount, doesn't look like it would snap that easily.

zagmund

We burn what's left of a Eucalyptus tree in our stove. It's great, but relatively hard so you need to get the fire going with something a little lighter for a while first. Once we put that stuff on a single log will keep going for hours.

If you do have a stove, get them to cut some of it to size and you won't be cold for many years with a tree that size.

z

looksee

Eucalyptus can have a shallow root spread of up to 100 ft, and can damage pipes, walls, foundations in that area. I saw a large eucalyptus come down very close to us in a storm - fortunately it fell very neatly into the space along the back of the house. It had two adjoining houses to choose from, so they were lucky.

The do not so much break as pull up the roots.

They are not really suited to Irish conditions and have a reputation for falling. Get several quotes and opinions, but if you work on the basis that they are going to say 'its got to come down' just to get the work, then there is not a lot of point. If I were your neighbour I would be very concerned about it. It is far too big for the situation regardless of what type of tree it is.

fionny

We decided to take it down... couldnt live with the stress of it 3 out of 3 Arborists said it would snap in the middle at some point with the 2 stems.. got a decent price and they will cut up the wood for us to keep some to burn.

ShiverinEskimo

fionny wrote: »

We decided to take it down... couldnt live with the stress of it 3 out of 3 Arborists said it would snap in the middle at some point with the 2 stems.. got a decent price and they will cut up the wood for us to keep some to burn.

Be aware tho that burning a lot of it can leave a residue on the inside of your chimney from the eucalyptus oil burning off - extremely difficult to remove down the line. It's like tar. I would avoid it completely if it's going into a stove. It burns very hot - too hot for some stoves - and the aforementioned residue could damage your stove.

If you insist on burning it then dry it out completely for two years minimum before burning. Three years if you can.

magicbastarder

even contact any woodworkers or woodturners in your area - eucalyptus can be a tough one to dry without cracking though.

fionny

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

Be aware tho that burning a lot of it can leave a residue on the inside of your chimney from the eucalyptus oil burning off - extremely difficult to remove down the line. It's like tar. I would avoid it completely if it's going into a stove. It burns very hot - too hot for some stoves - and the aforementioned residue could damage your stove.

If you insist on burning it then dry it out completely for two years minimum before burning. Three years if you can.

its a multifuel stove so should be good for heat.

Thanks

recedite

Cut the bigger one now; that's a year or two's worth of good firewood. But as with all firewood, it should be properly dry before use.
In 2 or 3 years cut the second one. By then there will be a couple of good sized shoots from the stump. You can keep it going as a coppiced tree then, with 2 or 3 main trunks, and it will never be so big that it becomes a liability. With the root system in place, your new shoots will grow at a rate of around 2 metres per year.

ShiverinEskimo

fionny wrote: »

its a multifuel stove so should be good for heat.

Thanks

Heat isn't the only issue. The sticky residue from the eucalyptus oil would be my main worry within a stove. Will likely ruin it and could even be dangerous if it leads to blockages with air-flow.

bigbrotherfan

Wise decision to cut the eucalyptus down. We trimmed ours a couple of times but it grew back just as quickly again. In the end, we had no choice but to cut it down.

fionny

bigbrotherfan wrote: »

Wise decision to cut the eucalyptus down. We trimmed ours a couple of times but it grew back just as quickly again. In the end, we had no choice but to cut it down.

Thanks for the confirmation its coming down today sadly.

NewCorkLad

fionny wrote: »

Thanks for the confirmation its coming down today sadly.

I can lend you my hacksaw if you need it.

fionny

NewCorkLad wrote: »

I can lend you my hacksaw if you need it.

Sound

my3cents

Hope you got a good deal on the job OP, anyone coming out that quick must be very hungry for work, when I worked in a tree surgery gang we'd have a minimum of 2 weeks work booked in advance and that was when we were really slack. Often we were booked up for 6 months in advance.

fionny

my3cents wrote: »

Hope you got a good deal on the job OP, anyone coming out that quick must be very hungry for work, when I worked in a tree surgery gang we'd have a minimum of 2 weeks work booked in advance and that was when we were really slack. Often we were booked up for 6 months in advance.

Ya he was keen for the business which suited us, I check his insurance etc... and all appeared to be in order. Got the job for a reasonable 800euro (half the price of the dearest quote and 450euro better then the next cheapest)

recedite

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

Heat isn't the only issue. The sticky residue from the eucalyptus oil would be my main worry within a stove. Will likely ruin it and could even be dangerous if it leads to blockages with air-flow.

I burned eucalyptus last winter and didn't see any oil. There is a lot more resin on fresh pine wood, but even so, you will only get the creosote residue if the moisture content is high when you are actually burning it.
BTW OP whats the deal on the firewood, is the contractor leaving it on site or taking it away? I paid €200 for similar firewood delivered in a tipper truck and estimated at 15-20 cubic metres (in 8 foot lengths & before splitting).