Air layering Bay Tree

Our 30 year old Bay tree in a half barrel has given up.

In our daughter's garden there is a vigorous Bay about 20 feet tall that started off in a half barrel, then sent it's roots through the base into open ground and has got far too big plus it's has this great lump of roots with pieces of barrel stave around the base above ground. She wants to get rid of it.

I pointed out it has nesting birds in it and it's illegal to remove it until I have taken cuttings and the birds have finished nesting. Wrong time of year I believe for cuttings, and I've always failed with those taken from our tree and wont bother with those again.

But I thought of trying air layering, and although I've done it with other stuff in the past, it was so many years ago I've forgotten. I remember splitting thin branches, inserting something to keep the split apart and wrapping with plastic around rooting medium.

Checking online now I see moss is suggested, but can't remember using that.

Has anybody air layered Bay before?

 

Is it possible to pull a branch down and layer into a pot?
Air Layering is something I've only ever done with a rubber plant, and then found out normal cuttings root pretty easily anyway.

 

No, because the tree is already half a barrel height above ground level. I'd need on pot resting on stepladders to get a suitable branch end into it (which I think would be classed as air layering).