Monster evergreen tree

9 years ago, when I bought my house, the garden already had a very large evergreen at the western-most end. 3 years ago, I moved in with my partner due to Covid, meaning the garden became more neglected than ever. The past few days, I have been visiting my old house trying to tidy up the garden and have realised that the tree has now grown far too large (if it ever wasn't!). It is blocking masses of light out from the garden and presumably taking all the nutrients from soil below it as well. I'm also slightly worried as to whether at some point it might become hazardous to people and/or properties in the vicinity given its size. The more I think about it, the more I'm wondering if I shouldn't just get a tree surgeon in to completely remove it. I'm a big fan of trees and their benefits for wildlife, but surely this is just not the right tree for my little garden?

I don't think that the tree is screening any particular eyesores behind it. The garden backs onto neighbours' gardens but any privacy benefits from this tree I think are far outweighed by the downsides of it hogging all the light and nutrients. My ideal would be to take this tree out and put a more-suited, more-sensibly sized tree in its place, but I'm getting the impression from other discussions on here that I won't be able to do that immediately, because the soil will be so starved of nutrients by this tree.

I've attached a number of photos which need some explaining. The lighter green evergreen tree on the left of the photos is on my neighbour's property. The enrmous central tree is on my property. However, as per the photos of tree stems, there's not just one trunk / stem on my property. There's one very large trunk, and then approx half a metre to a metre away there's a cluster of half-a-dozen or a dozen smaller trunks / stems of what looks like the same thing.

So, questions / advice sought:

* What is this tree (sort of guessing leylandii but want to check)?
* How much benefit is this tree creating for wildlife?
* How much work would be required how often to try to keep the tree to a vaguely manageable size?
* Do I treat the main enormous trunk and the cluster of stems as all the same entity (i.e. they all come out or all stay)?
* What would you do if this were in your garden?
* If I get it completely removed, what then for that bit of the garden? What do I do to try to help the soil recover and how long would it take before a new tree would have a chance of surviving in the same spot?

Thanks in advance for any help

[Struggling to understand from the post preview how photos work / are going to come out. Going to try posting this with the main photos and then adding a separate post with the photos of trunks / stems on my property.]

 

Hi I think both the trees are leylandi just different varieties the lighter one looks like Castlewellyn gold ,, and eventualy be the same heigh if not higher than the one you got

If me I would have a chat with the neighbours and see what they think as well ... its going to cost ££ to have that shifted ... they have little value to wildlife apart from cover ...

 

I think I would want to get rid of them but it depends on the situation, a rural setting it could be ok, in a big garden it would be ok, but if they are dominating an area best to get rid of them.
I have no idea of cost for removal, maybe @NigelJ or @HarmonyArb can give you some idea.

 

It looks like a Leylandii not certain and the lime green one a chamiaecyparis or a lime green leylandii .
Pigeon / doves and others of that species nest in them that probably it for wildlife .

They need trimming ideally every year if they were to be topped so a constant cost unless you do it yourself .

Treat all the stems as one .

I'd get rid personally

Dig in lost of organic matter like manure etc to replenish the soil .

You'll have to consider if removed how much of a eyesore the lime tree will become it be totally bald/brown where its butted up to the larger tree .

 

Id get rid of both trees, its only a matter of time before the other one becomes the problem.

 

Last December I had eight removed and some other work done, two days work for a number of chaps (2 to 6 depending) for less then £2000+VAT. However one tree will be more than 2000/8.

 

Hi Lone Northern Lass

Dark green tree is a leylandii. Brighter green tree is a western red cedar. - you're not in possession of specimen trees there.

The tree will have minimal benefit to wildlife - mainly nests for pigeons, magpies and squirrels

I feel these trees have gone beyond a 'manageable size'. An annual trimming would be required and you wouldn't end up with anything less than what you have now really.

Yes. It's all one tree.

I'd get rid of it immediately. They offer little to no benefit to wildlife, absorb masses of light and space, look ugly, cast dead foliage all year round, harbour pests such as magpies and pigeons and are an abomination on our landscape. But that's my personal opinion.

Depends on you and your funds. You will be surprised how much space you would recover from having the tree fully removed. If you can afford it and there's adequate space you can ask for the stump to be ground out well below the level of the surface. You can then replant as you see fit, perhaps mixing in some organic compost/manure to add some richness back into the soil.

Hope that helps.

 

Hi Nothern Lass.
Looks like a formidable task which has to be done ,quite a bit of inconvenience and mess ,but all doable.
You will need a tree surgeon and it will cost you ,but you will be pleased you had it done.
Hear are a few pic. of our adventure ,it took at least three years to pluck up courage to have it done………but so worth it.
Wintertime is the best time to do as the garden is sleeping

 

Two and a half years on .
Still work in progress.