I know it's 'only a tree'...

I've just checked the local authority website. It would appear that my tree and all the bigger trees on the land are protected because it's in a conservation area. I'm going to email the local authority to double check but, if so, I don't think there is anything my neighbour can do about my tree.

Ash trees are weeds here, die-back or no (no evidence of the disease here yet, thankfully). Sorry, but my garden can't support an ash forest, which is what it would become if I didn't pull out a couple of dozen ash seedlings every year, along with several more dozen birches, sycamores, hollies, and even oaks and beeches.

durhamjen. No, not dying back, still alive and kicking (however feebly these days!)

My grandson always calls Indiana Jones Indinana. He just cannot say Indiana.
I wondered what had happened to you. At least you have not named yourself Chalara.

This is not a good time of the year to be lopping branches off healthy trees let alone vulnerable ones like ash. A tree is more open to viruses when branches have been hacked off.

If your neighbour persists you can contact your local council with regard to putting a tree preservation order in place.

I love ash trees! (Good lord, I used to be one on here... )

What do you mean, it's only an ash?
With ash dieback, we need as many healthy ashes as we can. Look on the Woodland Trust website about it.
Tell your landlord how pleased you are that you have a healthy ash tree.

It's only an ash. Nothing special but it's beautiful and it's doing no harm. After my landlord realised how upset I was he has only lopped off some branches. I know the tree will recover but it's the fact that she made such a fuss and had him attack the tree just because she felt that way inclined.

She's quite an unpleasant person who is well known in the community. I took her on once before when a homeless man was sleeping near some dustbins. He wasn't doing any harm and several of us were giving him food and hot drinks. If she'd bothered to talk to him she would have found he was a lovely man who's life had fallen apart. He had discovered that sheltering between the bins was slightly warmer than sleeping in the open but only intended to stay a short while because he knew he had to move on. He didn't make a mess. All his stuff was neatly packed in plastic bags which were hidden by the bins.

She called the police and told them he was taking drugs, leaving needles around and was a danger to the children who play on the land (no children play on the land because she won't let them). He wasn't but that didn't matter. The police came and moved him on. They were very nice to him and gave him advice on where he could camp without being moved on. DH explained how to make a shelter from a piece of plastic and the police officer said he thought he knew where he might find some. So in the end he was probably better off but that hadn't been her intention. She just didn't want him 'bringing down the neighbourhood'....her words not mine.

I understand exactly how you feel vq. Trees are beautiful and to destroy them or harm them just to appease some bitter woman who has taken a dislike to one is so wrong. I wish your landlord had stood up to her and refused to do as she wanted. Nasty woman, I hope you have the satisfaction of seeing the karma that she deserves.

I was heartbroken when all the trees on both sides of the side of the farm road were pollarded three years ago. DH had been responsible for a huge tree planting scheme back in the seventies to prevent the dust bowl effect of wind damage on the fens and we hated driving down a wide open space again instead of a leafy lane.

It did them the world of good. They are now growing straight and strong instead of leaning over and hitting the tops of tall farm vehicles which is the reason they were pollarded in the first place.

Not nice though when it happens.

Wont the branches being cut off make it stronger?

We cut some branches off our trees.
They are now stronger than ever.

Total sympathy, vampirequeen. Trees are wonderful. I dislike your neighbour very much.

He's not cutting the whole tree down is he?

What kind of tree is it?

Not daft, I weep when a tree is cut down

I get very upset when trees are cut down - I even have a 4 inch high oak in our lawn and there is a little stick next to it to stop it getting mown down - OH thinks I'm nuts!

I know exactly what you mean vq We have a near neighbour who's chopped down all their trees and I miss them SO much!! They were in their garden and perfectly entitled to do it, but the view from my bedroom window is now a fence and concrete rather than beautiful green-ness and birds The view from their own house must be pretty grim too