Thread: Silky Oak tree in my backyard

G'day Taz and welcome to the cubby!!

Yes, Silky Oak is certainly a desired timber.

Just A couple of questions: How tall? What diametre? Any nails or screws in the thing? Any termites nest in it?


Perhaps your neighbour could assist with the removal.


If you do remove it, it is best to keep it in the longest possible lengths you can.

When cut down you should immediately seal the ends. There are end grain sealers available but at a pinch a couple of couts of water based acrylic or vinyl paint will do.

If its a healthy tree there is almost no chance it will crash into yr neighbours house. If it does get knocked over by a cyclone, odds of a thousand to one... thats what insurance is for. If your neighbour still wants to complain suggest he might pay cost of removal and milling and say $5K for your loss of amenity ie loss of a beautiful tree, shade, birds flowers etc. On the other hand you can point out that while the tree isn't falling over then he also benefits from the amenity of a beautiful tree, shade, birds, flowers etc.

Originally Posted by artme

G'day Taz and welcome to the cubby!!

Yes, Silky Oak is certainly a desired timber.

Just A couple of questions: How tall? What diametre? Any nails or screws in the thing? Any termites nest in it?


Perhaps your neighbour could assist with the removal.


If you do remove it, it is best to keep it in the longest possible lengths you can.

When cut down you should immediately seal the ends. There are end grain sealers available but at a pinch a couple of couts of water based acrylic or vinyl paint will do.

The tree is maybe about 35cm in diameter and at a guess about 15m high in total. I've been told it's still quite a young tree. The trunk is very straight and maybe about 8m.

Originally Posted by Toymaker Len

If its a healthy tree there is almost no chance it will crash into yr neighbours house. If it does get knocked over by a cyclone, odds of a thousand to one... thats what insurance is for. If your neighbour still wants to complain suggest he might pay cost of removal and milling and say $5K for your loss of amenity ie loss of a beautiful tree, shade, birds flowers etc. On the other hand you can point out that while the tree isn't falling over then he also benefits from the amenity of a beautiful tree, shade, birds, flowers etc.

Yeah I know insurance will cover any damage etc, it's injuries to people I'm worried about. You're right though - I agree there is very little chance of it falling over. What I failed to mention is that it's growing right on the boundary of my property and only about 1m away from my neighbour's retaining wall. I am actually most worried about what damage the roots might do to his retaining wall in the years to come, and the associated cost he might be chasing me for to fix it. Anybody with experience with these trees know what the root system is like, and if is likely to damage his retaining wall? The retaining wall is made from concrete block and seems to be quite well constructed. I really don't know what to do with this tree

Why not get an arborist in to do a (written) condition report on the tree which will also assist with covering your liability should anything happen in the future. Have heard that established trees can add tens of $k's the value of property so not something I would be in a rush to remove unless you had to

Originally Posted by corbs

Why not get an arborist in to do a (written) condition report on the tree which will also assist with covering your liability should anything happen in the future. Have heard that established trees can add tens of 's the value of property so not something I would be in a rush to remove unless you had to

Yeah I think getting an arborist is a good idea, and I might do just that. I just need peace of mind that the tree is not going to harm anything/anybody. If the arborist says it's best to remove it, then I'll do my best to keep the wood and find someone who can use it.

TazR,

A friend told me about a silky oak he had cut down into logs for the fire. I rescued some. Milled them on the Triton and here are the boxes :

Carry Pine

Retaining walls are not the same as fences. If the wall was built by your neighbour so that he could change the natural ground level for his advantage, it is entirely his responsibility.
If he wants the tree removed because it might damage his wall, it is up to him to pay.

Of course laws can be different from place to place so get some advice, but do not be bullied, it is probably not your problem.

Originally Posted by Avery

Retaining walls are not the same as fences. If the wall was built by your neighbour so that he could change the natural ground level for his advantage, it is entirely his responsibility.
If he wants the tree removed because it might damage his wall, it is up to him to pay.

Of course laws can be different from place to place so get some advice, but do not be bullied, it is probably not your problem.

You do have a point regarding the retaining wall - my tree was there long before his wall. I probably should stop worrying about that aspect of it. Not sure what the laws are regarding this situation here in Brisbane. I think my best plan will be to probably plant a few other trees nearby, and once they get established, remove the Silky Oak, and try and retain as much of the wood as possible. I really want to get back into woodworking sometime in the future, so by using this wood I will feel less guilty about chopping the tree down.

At 35cm diameter,wouldn't be expecting great things from this log.Too young,i'm afraid.

35cm is only a sapling for silky oak so the wood will be pale and weak. I like yr idea of planting more trees too. If you do it right in about twenty years you can take the silky out to make room for the red cedar and the black bean. Don't worry about the neighbour now that we know he is winging about a sapling that puts a different perspective on it.

Originally Posted by Toymaker Len

35cm is only a sapling for silky oak so the wood will be pale and weak. I like yr idea of planting more trees too. If you do it right in about twenty years you can take the silky out to make room for the red cedar and the black bean. Don't worry about the neighbour now that we know he is winging about a sapling that puts a different perspective on it.

Ah okay I didn't realize this tree was so young. These things must grow to be monsters given that it already appears quite tall already. I'll give it several years before I start worrying about it again. By then I might be ready to do something with the wood!

Just my two cents worth.

Since the bad storm a couple of years ago that caused all the damage at The Gap in Brisbane, there have been some changes regarding larger tress.

Don't automatically assume that damage by a large tree is covered by insurance. Some of the insurance companies have since put clauses in their policies exempting damage caused by 'nuisance or dangerous trees'. The definition of such is based on size of tree and its proximity to houses etc.

Since that incident Brisbane City Council reviewed their tree policy and now err of the side of removal if in doubt. Thats for trees on public land. There was a recent situation with neighbours several doors up that involved a large tree on private land, and the landowner was advised by council to have it removed, based on its size and closeness to property. This could either be at the owners expense, or I understand if this wasn't acceptable, then the council would arrange to have it removed and pass the cost on to the owner. I understand it was cheaper to have it removed by a private treelopper.

I was told that this started due to the change in one of the neighbours insurance policy, and as a result, a complaint to council.

I love trees in the appropriate place, but in this case it was a large tree, that under the right or wrong circumstances would have caused a lot of damage to a number of houses, depending on which way it went. It didn't need to fall over, just snap or drop one of its larger branches (which is did a couple of years ago and smashed a fence panel).

After the strong winds last friday and saturday in Brisbane, with the recent rains to soften the grounds, there have been quite a few trees down that I wouldn't have thought to be at risk. The neighbour over the road has 55 acres, and the property has been in family for three generations. I was talking to him yesterday, and he lost a couple of big trees on Friday night. He reckons they've been there before his grandfathers time, but the ground was so soft, the winds just pushed the trees flat, ripping the tree rootball and all out of the ground.

Spend yesterday 'helping him out' in order to get the best for turning blanks and timber. Would have been a shame to see it go to waste.

I am a big tree lover, and 'greenie', with both solar water, solar power, water tanks and a hybrid car, but I'm at the stage in life that I don't see the point in
leaving trees in risky places, my hard learnt lesson on doing nothing, is they get bigger and cost a lot more to remove when they are larger.

Make a judgement call, if it is a risk or will be as it gets larger, think about doing something sooner rather than later, as its probably going to save you money.

OK, off my soapbox, just my two cents worth.

-Gavin

Originally Posted by scorpio_oz

Just my two cents worth.


Don't automatically assume that damage by a large tree is covered by insurance. Some of the insurance companies have since put clauses in their policies exempting damage caused by 'nuisance or dangerous trees'. The definition of such is based on size of tree and its proximity to houses etc.



I was told that this started due to the change in one of the neighbours insurance policy, and as a result, a complaint to council.

I love trees in the appropriate place, but in this case it was a large tree, that under the right or wrong circumstances would have caused a lot of damage to a number of houses, depending on which way it went. It didn't need to fall over, just snap or drop one of its larger branches (which is did a couple of years ago and smashed a fence panel).


Spend yesterday 'helping him out' in order to get the best for turning blanks and timber. Would have been a shame to see it go to waste.



Make a judgement call, if it is a risk or will be as it gets larger, think about doing something sooner rather than later, as its probably going to save you money.

OK, off my soapbox, just my two cents worth.

-Gavin

That was worth a lot more than 2c

Tomorrow morning I will be checking with my insurance to determine exactly what the policy is.

So often we take out insurance and just renew year after year without actually reading all those policy updates that come in the mail.

Thank You!