Removing Leylandii

Pique

I have to remove (or at least top) approx 20 Leylandii from my folks back garden. They are there approx 30 years and are c.50' high. They are too close to the house and over the winter, some branches have broken so I'm worried that one of the entire trees will go and damage the house.
So really do I have any choice but to completely fell them or will they develop greenery at low levels again if they are just topped?
How much am I look at, cost-wise, to have them felled. Disposal is unnecessary as I can store them for firewood next winter.

As a continuation from this, if felled completely, what is the best way of dealing with the stumps, and could I plant a thick screen hedge close by? Opinions on such a hedge that would grow in shade is welcome also (as there are more trees about 20' back  which are staying, but cast shade).

Sorry for all the questions. My parents ignored the problem for years and I want to do something about it before disaster strikes.

Lumen

Once they go brown they never grow back.

I had mine topped to about 6m last year. There is still some foliage in the top half which provides a privacy screen while I attempt to grow an Eleagnus x Ebbingei hedge underneath and a new row of trees a few metres back. They look ugly, but I can't face 10 years of being overlooked while the hedge and trees grow.

Cost wise you're looking at maybe 100 per tree although you may get quotes of double that. Haggle.

Make sure you get a price for chipping or removing off site the foliage, they'll be a lot of it that is too small to burn. And also for logging the firewood unless you've got your own chainsaw.

The amount of light you'll get is amazing.

I chose the Eleagnus because it grows to the height I want, is tolerant of shade, will establish under trees, has an interesting silvery leaf and may eventually produce edible fruit. We'll see.

https://www.pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=61

But if you're starting from scratch you may have loads of more interesting options. Flowers, fruit, leaf colours, deciduous vs evergreen ...

I would leave the stumps and roots in the soil, the new hedge will establish around them and the decaying roots will leave drainage channels. And it's cheaper!

Pique

That's great info. Thanks. €2k though, oof! Still, a new roof would be more!

That's a beautiful hedge, and very suitable for my needs too. Are those easy to find in Ireland?

jmBuildExt

I got 2 of them, approx 10m high, taken down and taken away, stumps were left.... south dublin ... cost 750 back around 2015....
That was the cheapest of 4 quotes I got. The other 3 quotes were all around the 1000-1200 mark.

Lumen

Pique wrote: »

That's great info. Thanks. €2k though, oof! Still, a new roof would be more!

Well, I had quotes between 500 and 2800 to take down or top 15 of them. 100 a tree is the rule of thumb I used after some boards research but you might get a bulk discount :pac:

There should be a government grant, they're awful things.

Pique wrote: »

That's a beautiful hedge, and very suitable for my needs too. Are those easy to find in Ireland?

The Eleagnus x Ebbingei? Common enough I think. I got mine from Cappagh Nurseries. They have a hedging display area.

I took some pics when I was there. I think this is the Eleagnus at the end of Oct:



The pic makes it look tatty but hedging doesn't photograph very well.

Melodeon

Lumen wrote: »

Cost wise you're looking at maybe 100 per tree although you may get quotes of double that. Haggle.

I had 25 Leylandii and 25 Poplar (around 20m tall) mostly roadside trees felled a few years ago by Dermot Casey Treecare.
The job took 3 days in total: a climber/feller and a tractor (with crane/bio-head and winch) operator for the 3 days and a road traffic control crew (2 people) for 2 days.
It worked out at about €100/tree, and that was just to get them safely on the ground. I did all the ground operations myself afterwards.
For the peace of mind of availing of their equipment/expertise/qualifications and insurance, I considered that to be pretty good value.

Be aware that there'll be a vast amount of brash to be dealt with after any timber of consequence has been removed, and Leylandii is gnarly stuff to work with rendering it into useable firewood.
It burns very well with a lot of energy available, but there's a lot of work getting it into the fireplace or stove in the first place.
Oh, and give it a LOT of time to season and for the sap/resin to crystalise!

Effects

Melodeon wrote: »

It burns very well with a lot of energy available, but there's a lot of work getting it into the fireplace or stove in the first place.
Oh, and give it a LOT of time to season and for the sap/resin to crystalise!

Does it still pop when you burn it not matter how much it's seasoned?
I've a good few to take down and am looking forward to the firewood.
I've got some presently in the wood shed but haven't burned it. I've got ash and pine to burn ahead of it!

Pique

Lumen wrote: »

The Eleagnus x Ebbingei? Common enough I think. I got mine from Cappagh Nurseries. They have a hedging display area.

I took some pics when I was there. I think this is the Eleagnus at the end of Oct:



The pic makes it look tatty but hedging doesn't photograph very well.

I'm out in the sticks and have a wooded area (1/4 ac) behind the Leylandii. That kind of hedge would fit aesthetically very well.

Pique

Melodeon wrote: »

Lumen wrote: »

Cost wise you're looking at maybe 100 per tree although you may get quotes of double that. Haggle.

I had 25 Leylandii and 25 Poplar (around 20m tall) mostly roadside trees felled a few years ago by Dermot Casey Treecare.
The job took 3 days in total: a climber/feller and a tractor (with crane/bio-head and winch) operator for the 3 days and a road traffic control crew (2 people) for 2 days.
It worked out at about €100/tree, and that was just to get them safely on the ground. I did all the ground operations myself afterwards.
For the peace of mind of availing of their equipment/expertise/qualifications and insurance, I considered that to be pretty good value.

That's not bad considering the road crew etc. I won't need that. If they were using climbers rather than cutting from the ground they sound like a pro outfit so that price is pretty decent.

Melodeon

Effects wrote: »

Does it still pop when you burn it not matter how much it's seasoned?

I'm burning 3-year old Leylandii right now, and it's lovely and dry and the resin has hardened and crystallised to the point that it's no longer horrifying stuff to handle.
I'm putting it through a solid fuel boiler though, so I'm not keeping an eye on how much it spits and pops. That said, I'm not noticing any spitting or popping when I'm refuelling, so I'd suggest that it's not too bad in that regard.
Certainly, Scots Pine and Larch that I've burned in the past was much worse.

Melodeon

Pique wrote: »

That's not bad considering the road crew etc. I won't need that. If they were using climbers rather than cutting from the ground they sound like a pro outfit so that price is pretty decent.

Of the 50-odd trees they did for me, the great majority required some sort of remedial work before they could be safely felled away from the road.
Some needed a fair bit of material removing to shift their centre of gravity back towards the intended felling direction, and most need climbing and tidying to get the winch cable up and attached properly.

deisedav

Pique wrote: »

I have to remove (or at least top) approx 20 Leylandii from my folks back garden. They are there approx 30 years and are c.50' high. They are too close to the house and over the winter, some branches have broken so I'm worried that one of the entire trees will go and damage the house.
So really do I have any choice but to completely fell them or will they develop greenery at low levels again if they are just topped?
How much am I look at, cost-wise, to have them felled. Disposal is unnecessary as I can store them for firewood next winter.

As a continuation from this, if felled completely, what is the best way of dealing with the stumps, and could I plant a thick screen hedge close by? Opinions on such a hedge that would grow in shade is welcome also (as there are more trees about 20' back  which are staying, but cast shade).

Sorry for all the questions. My parents ignored the problem for years and I want to do something about it before disaster strikes.

I had a lot of them in my back garden for a long time and decided to cut them down as i was sick of the sight of them. It was hardship alright but worth it. The amount of material that came off them was amazing. A chap i know took away the whole lot for 150 which i was delighted with as he had to make several trips with a very large high sided trailer. Be careful if you are keeping them for firewood as you will need to season them for about 3 years. They will block up the chimney in no time otherwise and possibly cause a fire. Best of luck with it all

Amalgam

Effects wrote: »

Does it still pop when you burn it not matter how much it's seasoned?
I've a good few to take down and am looking forward to the firewood.
I've got some presently in the wood shed but haven't burned it. I've got ash and pine to burn ahead of it!

The sap doesn't pop at all, but inadequate temps will have it coating your chimney. Getting sap on shoes, carpets, furnishings is a chore, tiny little beads everywhere.. don't even think about using a hoover to get rid of the beads, I did that in a moment of weakness.. sticky hoover tube innards.

Hands, gloves too. Keep a bottle of white spirit handy, to rub it off easily enough.

I regret handling the wood, to be honest.

magicbastarder

much better than white spirit to deal with the sap is baby oil. doesn't work as fast, but does the job.

Effects

Amalgam wrote: »

The sap doesn't pop at all, but inadequate temps will have it coating your chimney.
Hands, gloves too. Keep a bottle of white spirit handy, to rub it off easily enough.
I regret handling the wood, to be honest.

My biggest issue is with family taking the ash instead of the leylandii. I do all the work and find them taking ash that hasn't even dried out properly yet!

magicbastarder

that's probably due to the (partially correct) belief that ash can be burnt while still green.
it burns better than other unseasoned woods, but still should be dried.

Oldtree

If you burn leylandii, no matter how well seasoned, you will need to have your chimney cleaned at least twice over the winter.

Oldtree

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's probably due to the (partially correct) belief that ash can be burnt while still green.
it burns better than other unseasoned woods, but still should be dried.

Ash can be burnt green, but as you say it dosn't burn what you could call well, as it can still have a moisture content of around 40%. What you are looking for in wood for a fire is a moisture content below 20%, and nothing imo burns like ash when properly seasoned.

Pique

It burns like paper, though, doesn't it. As in, really hot but really fast.

magicbastarder

Probably not a concern to the OP - my wife knows someone who owns a thatched cottage, who was telling us her insurance policy specifically forbids using softwoods in the fire.

blackbox

magicbastarder wrote: »

Probably not a concern to the OP - my wife knows someone who owns a thatched cottage, who was telling us her insurance policy specifically forbids using softwoods in the fire.

That'll be because of the sparks.

Drog79

Would anyone have an up to date rule of thumb for the 100 per tree these days?

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121867397#Comment_121867397

Triple it to be honest

The fee's to dispose of waste have gone up massively before you even start about man hours etc

twofish101

If you have machine access then consider someone with a tree shears as they can do a heap of work in one day at a small cost compared with a tree gang. these are getting plentiful around due due sadly to Ash dieback

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvOql507SjM

Helium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121867397#Comment_121867397

It's the old adage, you get what you pay for. Most professional outfits now easily in the thousands of € depending on site assessment etc. ( Get quotes from a few before you decide )

There are a lot of guys out there claiming to be arborists and might charge a favourable rate.

Please bear this in mind though , no matter who you get, look for proper certification and proof of their own insurance.

If you invite somebody onto your property and they get hurt, you are responsible for them. The potential for harm to people and property in tree surgery is very high.