Some of the most ancient trees in our region are situated in churchyards and surrounding grounds. Indeed, this area has some quite outstanding specimens, and some are quite unusual and rare. This particular tree wasn’t uncommon, but it was undoubtedly extremely well established.
The project
This large multi-stemmed Ash tree was located in a walled area, adjacent to the churchyard. Following a previous inspection, we, unfortunately, had to recommend the removal of the tree due to disease and decay in the lower trunk. The tree could have presented a danger to those using the location. Following the results of the inspection, we got the instruction to carry out the removal of the tree.
With removal planned for a few days, the wind, unfortunately, beat us to it, and the tree failed with stems falling across the walls, shed and churchyard. One of the larger timbers was laying across a wall, potentially risking the wall to collapse. We immediately bought the work forward.
Our first job was to clear the precarious branches and small wood which was not weight-bearing. The more extensive sections of timber were left in place due to the risk of further damage while cutting them. That work required a different tact. We returned to the site the following day with our Unimog and lifting equipment. The equipment allowed us to our tree surgery work lifting the timber from the structures without causing any further damage. The project had increased difficulty with narrow access at many points where we needed to work carefully, given the precarious nature of the adjacent infrastructure.
The outcome
Access, size and nature of this project created a demanding set of tasks for the Elite team. However, our superb equipment levels here at Elite mean we are well-equipped to deal with the most demanding of tasks. Indeed, one of the few tree surgeons in Suffolk who have the necessary kit. The project was completed, with one happy client, as we were able to rectify the situation without any further damage to the location.