Large Fir Tree Removal in a Pontypool Garden

This Pontypool job is the removal of a group of large fir trees growing at the edge of a steep, terraced back garden. Firs like these keep adding height every year, and once they stand well above the roofs around them they cast deep shade over the garden and everything beneath.

The photos show the trees before the work starts. The first looks out over the rooftops and shows two tall, slim firs standing well above the neighbouring houses, with the steps and paving of the garden below. The second is taken closer in, in the evening light, with the firs rising over the hedges and a ladder at the foot of the trees. An overhead cable runs close to the trees in both pictures, and that shapes how a job like this has to be planned.

Why tall firs come down in sections

With houses and gardens packed in on every side, there is no clear space to drop a tree of this height in one piece. The safe method is to climb and take it down from the top: branches first, then the stem in short lengths lowered to the ground. Keeping each piece small stops anything heavy swinging into a neighbour's roof or fence, or into a cable overhead.

Working near an overhead cable

A cable close to the trees has to be planned around from the start. Cut lengths and branches must never be allowed to swing or fall onto it, so the order of the cuts, the lowering points and the drop zone are all worked out before anyone climbs. If a tree is touching or very near a power line, the owner of the line needs to be contacted first, and the tree should not be climbed until they have advised.

Before any cutting starts

Felling is permanent, so a few general checks come first. We do not give legal advice, but as a matter of routine we:

• ask whether the trees might be covered by a tree preservation order or stand in a conservation area, and suggest the owner checks with the council if there is any doubt;
• look through the canopy for nesting birds, since active nests are protected;
• work out where every section will land and keep that area clear;
• agree what happens to the wood, brash and stumps once the trees are down.

What the garden gains

With firs of this size gone, the top of the garden opens up to the sky and the ground that sat in shade can be used again. Some people have the stumps ground out and turn the space into a border or lawn, and others leave low stumps to rot down.

If you are weighing up whether a tree should come down or just be cut back, our guide to felling or pruning sets out the main points, and permission to cut down a tree in Wales covers the rules. Our tree surgery in Pontypool page and the main tree surgery and hedge care page cover the full range of work.

Questions About This Job