At the bottom of our garden we’ve got several conifers that are approximately 7 metres tall. We are happy with their height but would like to trim the spread back a little, as about 1m of foliage overhangs our seating area

Aside from getting in a tree surgeon/pruning company, how else can I trim them back myself? Our neighbours had some similar trees cut back last year and I’m sure they paid close to £1,000 for the days work.

Any advice greatly appreciated

You could hire a platform/scissor lift. Probably cost around £300 to hire.

Well it would probably be easy enough to do, but requires a significant risk/reward assessment that only you can do for yourself. Two main factors:

First anything you want to cut bigger than about an inch will require a chainsaw. Like many power tools chainsaws are dangerous so you could do yourself serious damage very quickly unless its under full control. Full control isn't hard but needs to be learnt/understood and practiced a little.

Second you need access to what you want to cut. Feet on the ground is safest - but means a max cutting height of about 5 foot. After that, you're either on a ladder, climbing the trees, using ropes or even maybe a cherry picker. Using a chainsaw up a ladder or tree increases the risks significantly. But its not hard. You can learn how to get yourself into a stable position, learn which way things will fall, learn how not to jam the saw, learn what will happen (recoil) when the weight you cut off gets dropped, etc.,etc. The more experience you can get the safer you might be...or the more complacent you may get. Cuts both ways.

So my advice, as you're asking on a FF forum, is to suck it up and pay someone else to take the risk. Simply because it sounds like you don't know what you're doing and there's a big potential downside. On the other hand, if you're like me, you may prefer to learn how to and do it yourself anyway. I do all my own stuff for myself...always have. If I don't know I learn. Only employ others if I've tried and can't do it well enough, or if I really don't want to do it or learn how to. Best of luck with it. Mike - MPx

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I echo Mpxs sentiments, get a chainsaw (I will offer advice), a stable platform and do it yourself, very satisfying

Battery powered long reach chainsaws are amazing things. Remarkably powerful, quiet, and the long reach not only does what it says on the tin but it puts the dangerous bit well away from you! My neighbour has one and it outperforms my Sthil petrol chainsaw when attacking llylandi.

Chris

Don't just get the chainsaw, get all the safety gear necessary, I have seen the damage a chainsaw does to a pair of chainsaw trousers, quite sobering, without it you'll be wanting a good hospital very close by if something goes awry.

You need a pole saw on the Stihl KM multitool. Brilliant bit of kit. I think I get up to about 10 feet or so with mine. £550 well spent and then you can buy the strimmer, hedge trimmer, blower etc. Welcome to the addictive world of Stihl stuff

https://www.charlies.co.uk/gardening/garde...ltisystems

Just put a ladder up against them and use a saw, that how l did mine.

Where's the gadget fun in that? Spoilsport

Check your trees are not protected by a TPO before you do anything. 2018 SE SDV8 4.4 Byron Blue

Deleted as reread the original

You should know if you have a TPO on your own land

My neighbours have a TPO but I wonder if they really did know
Last year they were having work done on an old oak, when asked about their TPO --just got a blank look and now they dont speak

So never presume anything 2018 SE SDV8 4.4 Byron Blue

Fair point.

Usually the LPA will have sent you something to object if the TPO is being sought while you are living there and if you are buying a house with a TPO it should come up on your searches

As you say it doesn't always work like that. I was looking at a large site to buy to develop and when I did the site visit it was clear that there were a number of Redwoods that would warrant a TPO. Agent denied any TPOs, 2 mins on LA website showed 5 trees protected and so no chance of developing

Yes, your solicitor on buying the land/house should have this covered, you should know if you have a TPO.

In my case, the TPO was done as part of the previous owners planning application, just before the previous owner sold half the land to a developer for 3 new houses and sold the main house and the rest of land to me.

As the houses were not built, the TPO (for all the land) is registered at the original address (now my address) I tried to get planning to re-do and update the TPO, so each property would know their own responsibilities. But they declined.

So I can understand how a neighbour can search his own address and see no TPO, but its actually covered on a TPO on next doors address, and they can miss it But thats no excuse for a solicitor to miss it! 2018 SE SDV8 4.4 Byron Blue

You should be able to do majority of the work with this. https://www.frjonesandson.co.uk/products/s...gIWc_D_BwE

With out seeing what your talking about makes it hard to judge. I’m a professional forester feel free to drop me a pm.