When trees close to buildings grow too large, damage can be caused in a variety of ways.
The risk levels escalate further when the surrounding buildings create a wind tunnel.
This is exactly the situation we found when inspecting a beautiful Indian Bean tree in Chelsea, London.
At the time the leaves were just beginning to flush. Our recommendation was to reduce the height and width by up to approximately 3m of the branch length, remove deadwood and lift to approximately 4m.
Unfortunately, before instruction or work commenced, high winds caused an over extended lateral branch with heavy foliage to crack and fall.
This branch failure resulted in an emergency call out to make the tree safe. We removed the fallen branch, repaired the wound and cleared the debris.
Our arboricultural advisors will recommend tree works where our expert knowledge suggests that it is necessary for the safety of the public or homeowners and for the good health of the tree. If there is no work to be carried out, we will always say so.
In this case delaying the decision to carry out the work came with an increased cost of an emergency call out.
Thankfully, on this occasion, no one was injured.
It must never be forgotten that, whether you are a public organisation, a commercial business or private individual, the landowner is responsible for any injury or damage caused by their trees.